Three UC Santa Barbara students field-tested NASA's $200 STELLA-Q2 spectrometer against a high-end industry standard in the Anza-Borrego Desert. Their hands-on project validated the affordable, open-source tool's potential for environmental monitoring while providing invaluable real-world experience in remote sensing and instrument calibration.

Rachel Stagner is STEM Coordinator and science educator at Templeton Academy in Washington, D.C. has developed a thoughtful, practical approach to bringing NASA science into the classroom.

NASA scientists and engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center, led by Paul Mirel and Mike Taylor, have officially launched STELLA-1.2 (Science and Technology Education for Land/Life Assessment), a modular remote sensing platform that makes Earth observation science more approachable while building the next generation of mission-literate professionals.

NASA's Science and Technology Education for Land/Life Assessment (STELLA) initiative organized a hands-on workshop for middle and high school teachers at American University focused on advancing remote sensing skills and STEM workforce development.

COASTWISE (Community Observations and Analysis using Spectroscopic Techniques and Wetlands Imaging to foster Stewardship of the Environment) -making Earth observation science accessible for twenty students are building spectrometers, collecting data from wetland plants, and discovering a career landscape they never knew existed.