Andrea Hashim dreamed of becoming Miss America since she was a little girl, and she has just taken one step closer to making that dream a reality.

Twenty-two-year-old Hashim, a first-year dance graduate student, beat out nine competitors to be crowned Miss Tucson Valley April 2 and is gearing up for the Miss Arizona pageant in June. Miss Arizona goes on to compete for Miss America in Atlantic City. [Read article]

South Pole inhabitants can now indulge on self-grown, fresh veggies, instead of living off canned and frozen cuisine.

Gene Giacomelli, director of the controlled environment agriculture program, built a growth chamber that is currently producing lettuce and other goodies at the South Pole. He also works on another chamber that is planned to go to Mars or the moon in a NASA spacecraft, he said. [Read article]