Associate Professor Allison Jaynes has received the Harriet Wenger Crafton Research funding award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) to support the Edge of Space Program for Summer 2027. This award recognizes the program's outstanding contributions to student research and reflects the high standards of excellence upheld within our community.

The Edge of Space Program is an immersive two‑week summer experience based in Iowa City, where undergraduates engage in hands‑on research focused on instrumentation for observing Earth and space. Students work collaboratively to design and build instrument payloads, integrate them onto an aerial platform, and collect data during test flights. Using the data they gather, participants develop findings about the environments they study. The program concludes with student presentations delivered to an audience of peers, researchers, and faculty, offering participants valuable experience in communicating scientific results to a public audience.