The Iowa Space Grant Consortium provides a wide range of opportunities that support students pursuing education and research related to aerospace, science, and engineering. Through scholarships, fellowships, internships, and research programs, ISGC helps undergraduate and graduate students across Iowa gain hands-on experience, conduct innovative research, and build professional skills connected to NASA’s mission.
Many students engage with the program at different points in their academic careers, including Jacob Wheaton, who participated in multiple ISGC opportunities during his time at Iowa State University. As a graduate student, Wheaton received an Iowa Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship that supported his research and professional development and continues to shape his academic career today.
Wheaton spent nine years at Iowa State University, earning his undergraduate degree in materials engineering and French before completing a PhD in materials science and engineering. Today, he is an assistant professor at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, where he teaches physics and conducts research in glass science while mentoring undergraduate researchers.
During graduate school, Wheaton received an Iowa Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship that supported research connected to NASA-related battery technology. His work focused on developing extremely thin glassy materials that can function as solid electrolytes in next-generation batteries.
“These batteries are being developed to be safer and more energy dense, which is especially important for space applications,” Wheaton said.
In his research, Wheaton developed a process for drawing thick glass into extremely thin films, reducing material that started around half a centimeter thick to films about 50 microns thick, thinner than a human hair.
The Space Grant fellowship helped support his research while also giving him opportunities to share his work at the Iowa Space Grant Consortium Symposium.
“It was really cool to see what all the different research students across Iowa were doing,” Wheaton said. “It gives students experience presenting their work and helps them build skills they can use in graduate school or industry.”
Wheaton says the experience also helped him develop skills that are important for an academic career.
“Writing proposals and applying for funding is a big part of being a faculty member,” he said. “Having the opportunity to apply for and receive funding through Space Grant helped me learn how to do that.”
Now at Coe College, Wheaton is working to build a research program that involves undergraduate students directly in materials science research. He also hopes to connect the college with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium in the future so students there can access similar opportunities.
For students interested in the Iowa Space Grant Consortium program, Wheaton encourages them to take advantage of the opportunities available.
“Talk with professors, apply for fellowships, and try things that interest you,” he said. “You never know where those experiences might lead.”
Learn more today about Iowa Space Grant Consortium opportunities on the ISGC funding page.