There's about $35 billion in revenue generated each year by the U.S. aircraft engine industry and nearly half of that comes from Ohio-based companies like Cincinnati's GE Aviation and its suppliers. Much of the future of aerospace engineering will be about figuring out how to reduce emissions and noise and improve fuel efficiency. With a lead role in a new $28 million aerospace research program, the University of Cincinnati will spearhead research on power and propulsion under a grant awarded by the Ohio Research Scholars program. The UC-led consortium also includes Ohio State University and the University of Dayton. Researchers at the three universities will study power and propulsion systems, low-emission energy sources, acoustics, turbine aerodynamics and heat transfer. The proposal includes recruiting three Ohio Research Scholars at UC, one at OSU, and one at UD.
The research cluster will support the development of future intelligent adaptive power and propulsion systems with advanced energy sources for low emissions. The partnership will work with private industries and federal laboratories in the state to "guideline scientific research with promising technology developments and move these nascent technologies toward commercialization," says Sandra Degen, UC’s vice president for research.
The funding is the latest in aerospace research for UC. In October 2007, The university received an anonymous $20 million gift to establish two endowed chairs in space exploration, and in July 2007, UC received the only two Ohio Eminent Scholars awarded by the State of Ohio — with one focused on aerospace power and propulsion research.
Writer: David Holthaus
Source: Wendy Beckman, University of Cincinnati
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