The Armstrong Institute for Space, Research, and Technology (ASTRO) at UC aims to foster growth in career paths aligned with regional and national interests in discovering and exploring our universe with an emphasis on space travel and habitation. Exploring space has the potential to help humans better understand the Earth and its place in the universe, while the possibility of humans living in space or on other celestial bodies presents new challenges related to sustainability, exploration policies, and governance when planning to build societies in space. To do this, ASTRO sponsors two fellowship programs, one for undergraduates and one for graduate students, for students interested in the future of space research and exploration who show potential in advancing new ideas in the field.

The ASTRO Fellowship for Discovery is an opportunity for undergraduate students of all majors in the last year or two of their academic programs with cumulative GPAs of 3.5 or higher.

Congratulations to the newest cohort of ASTRO Discovery Fellows!

Spring Semester 2025 ASTRO Discovery Fellows

Sydney Dobler

College of Arts and Sciences

Chemistry

The design, synthesis, and characterization of lipid nanoparticles to deliver life-sustaining vitamins to astronauts

This work focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of synthetic lipid nanoparticles for sustained therapeutic delivery. With the ASTRO Fellowship, we anticipate an early 2025 manuscript showcasing this work.

Kaaustaaub Shankar

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Computer Science

Training Environment for Semi-Autonomous Robotic Surgery via XAI

This project aims to develop a simulation environment for the MIRA Surgical System, enabling AI driven robotic surgery for long space missions. The simulation will replicate space conditions and how MIRA will operate under those conditions. It will support Explainable AI training for autonomous surgeries, enhancing safety and efficacy