Ohio Wesleyan University’s geological collection, which was amassed in Delaware, Ohio, USA, is among the oldest in America, but decades after those who assembled the collection retired and passed on, the collection fell into obscurity and its storage area was repurposed. Prof Loren Babcock, Director of the Orton Geological Museum at The Ohio State University, is leading a 3-year rescue project to stabilise, catalogue, and digitise more than 15,000 specimens. From rediscovered scientific-name-bearing type fossils to ethically sourced collections linked to abolitionist networks, the initiative promises not only to safeguard irreplaceable scientific material, but to revive a once overlooked foundation of American geology for future generations.

In 1977, Professor Aleyamma George, head of statistics at Kerala University, dreamed of establishing a new centre for mathematical sciences in Kerala’s coastal capital Trivandrum. Her mission was to encourage talented young mathematicians to engage in frontline research in the mathematical sciences. But, for many years, it struggled to obtain regular government funding and survived only because of the Herculean efforts and personal funds of both Prof George and its Director since 1985, Professor Arak Mathai.
Later, it supported the operations of eight different dedicated research groups producing award-winning work, and regularly hosts undergraduate-level workshops; it fulfilled the original mission of training and educating new generations of mathematicians, so that they may contribute to cutting-edge, internationally recognised research.

The SHAPE STEM program at Siena Heights University is transforming how students engage with science, tackling urgent environmental challenges in Michigan while preparing the next generation of problem-solvers. Led by Professor Jun Tsuji and Professor Steven Wathen, the program combines research, mentorship, and financial support to help low-income and underrepresented students thrive in STEM, with outcomes that ripple far beyond the classroom.

From a summer house just outside of Berlin, to the establishment of educational centres across the world —Professors Hans Haubold and Arak Mathai have overseen the remarkable development of space science over the last half-century. Their early research into the curious solar neutrino problem in the 1970s spawned several books and a large volume of academic literature exploring the inner workings of our Sun.

Developments in the mathematics of fractional calculus and special functions then helped to facilitate extensive studies of space and our solar system. Over the last 30 years, under the umbrella of the United Nations, space science has boomed, with 7 new centres set up across the globe and over 20 dedicated workshops arranged. A new generation is being trained to tackle the mysteries and challenges presented to us by outer space.