Dr. Gabe Xu wins $75K McMahon-Pleiad Prize from University of Alabama System in recognition of research contributions

Dr. Gabe Xu, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been selected to receive the 2023 University of Alabama (UA) System McMahon-Pleiad Prize.

UAH gains $617K funding for two Department of Energy atmospheric research grants aimed to improve climate models

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have been awarded two projects designed to investigate the characteristics and evolution of convective clouds through advanced modeling. The projects are aimed at improving the capabilities of Earth system models to predict weather and climate changes.

Psychology graduate explores human preferences when considering autonomous robots as companions, teammates

With the fierce debate broiling over the promise versus perceived dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and autonomous robots, Nicole Moore of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has had a study published in the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) that is especially timely.Titled, Stakeholder Preferences for an Autonomous Robot Teammate, Moore’s research focuses on user-held preferences: specifically, which factors in autonomous robot design are the most preferable to their human counterparts, and whether these criteria vary according to the ways the technology is applied.

2023 grad Ella James to continue physics studies at UAH with National Defense and Science and Engineering Fellowship

Ella James, who received a Bachelor of Science in physics from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in spring 2023, has been awarded a National Defense and Science and Engineering (NDSEG) Fellowship, which she will use for graduate studies at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System. “It’s three years of tuition for graduate school,” James says.

Three UAH researchers operating Gamma-ray Burst Monitor discover brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has announced that three researchers associated with the UAH Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) have discovered a gamma-ray burst (GRB) approximately 2.4 billion light-years away in the constellation Sagitta that ranks as the brightest ever observed. Believed to have been triggered by collapse of a massive star, it is accompanied by a supernova explosion, giving birth to a black hole.

UAH aerospace engineering doctoral candidate Swarnalatha Kumar receives Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Swarnalatha Kathalagiri Vasantha Kumar, who is pursuing her doctorate in aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has received an Amelia Earhart Fellowship from Zonta International, a leading global organization of professionals empowering women worldwide through service and advocacy.The $10,000 fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women worldwide who are pursuing doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences.

UAH doctoral candidate designs rotating detonation engine aimed to boost lunar and Mars missions

Michaela Hemming, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), is using a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowship to make advances in propulsion under the guidance of NASA engineers.Hemming has designed a small-scale rotating detonation engine (RDE) manufactured by NASA as part of a joint research effort.

UAH team Charger Rocket Works competes in 2023 NASA Student Launch

A team consisting of mechanical and aerospace engineering majors at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) competed in the 2023 NASA Student Launch, hosted by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Supported by the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate and U.S. aerospace industry, the event is a NASA-conducted engineering design challenge that involves the design, documentation, fabrication and testing of a rocket and payload in support of a particular NASA mission.

UAH research programs achieve record high $169.5M in R&D funding for FY22

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) notched a record $169.5 million in research and development expenditures for fiscal year (FY) 2022, a 13% increase over FY21. This announcement accompanies the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey findings which cover FY21 and mark the 10th year in a row UAH has had five or more research programs ranked in the top 25 nationally for federal research funding.

UAH team takes first in 2023 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge

A team from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) placed first in the 2023 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) this year. The competition, held April 20-22 at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) Aviation Challenge area, tasks college and high school teams from around the nation and the world to design, develop, build and test human-powered rovers capable of negotiating difficult terrain, as well as a task tool for completion of various mission tasks.

In support of coming Artemis missions to the moon and beyond, HERC encourages research and development of new technology for future mission planning and crewed space missions to other worlds. The UAH rover is nicknamed ‘HERCules,’ and was guided by a two-person crew, competing with 49 teams from 20 states and eight countries.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville breaks ground on new 80,000-square-foot Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) held a groundbreaking ceremony today for a new 80,000-square-foot engineering facility that will be named in memory of Raymond B. Jones, long-time business and community leader and past chairman of the UAH Foundation. The facility, which received initial approval by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees in April 2022, will provide cutting-edge resources to support the largest college at UAH, comprising more than 2,850 students, as well as 90 faculty and staff.

Kristina Hendrix selected for new position of Vice President for Strategic Communications at The University of Alabama in Huntsville

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has selected Kristina Hendrix to fill the newly created position of Vice President for Strategic Communications. UAH’s newest VP officially began her new role on Feb. 1. She reports directly to UAH President Charles L. Karr, and her focus will be on providing leadership for a comprehensive communications strategy for the University, as well as overseeing the management of the Office of Marketing and Communications. The appointment was approved by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.

NIH-funded UAH research moving toward day when ultrasonic therapy makes stronger knees

Low-intensity ultrasound therapies may one day rebuild stronger knees following injury or surgery, thanks to research by Dr. Anu Subramanian at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) that’s being supported by the National institutes of Health.

Nuclear thermal propulsion research by UAH’s Saroj Kumar earns international award

The awards just keep coming for the nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) research being done at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) by Saroj Kumar. Kumar was one of just five total winners globally in the International Astronautical Federation’s 73rd International Astronautical Congress IP Competition.

Continual, clear, factual texting is key to first responder team success, UAH professor finds

First responder teams better grasp an emergency situation when they use continual, clear texting communication of factual information in a way that all members can understand, and that is key to a successful team response, according to new research at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

ESA Solar Orbiter confirms solar switchback origin theory by UAH’s Dr. Gary Zank

For the first time a solar switchback has been directly observed that confirms 2020 models by astrophysicist Dr. Gary Zank at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) that theorized how these surprising structures in the solar wind originate.

Grant establishes UAH as hub for statewide university high-performance computing

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, will become the Alabama hub for statewide high-performance computing (HPC) under a nearly $1 million two-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.

$500,000 grant funds UAH professor’s study of origin of tiny particles that can make clouds

In a study of tiny precursors to clouds that will provide scientists with more comprehensive information to use in global climate models, a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is trying to find out how ultrafine particles are created in an urban atmosphere.

UAH student overcomes setbacks of war to solve a difficult quantum optical system problem

In work applicable to super-fast quantum computing and quantum optics, undergraduate research by a recent graduate in physics and mathematics at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has simplified a difficult mathematical problem to further illuminate the behavior of two-level quantum optical systems.

New discoveries about enzyme’s metabolic role may lead to better diabetes treatments

For the first time, a team led by UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, has characterized the metabolic function of a phosphatase enzyme called mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-2 (MKP-2), as well as the enzyme’s pathophysiology in obesity, Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nuclear rocket engine heat transfer research wins best student paper at NETS conference

A research paper about heat transfer inside the reactor of a conceptual liquid-fueled nuclear rocket engine by a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) graduate student won best student paper at the American Nuclear Society’s recent Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS) conference

$2.3 million NSF grant boosts UAH effort to predict harmful solar weather events

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has received a four-year, $2.301 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a scientific model to understand and predict how CMEs influence the energetic particle radiation environment in the inner solar system and Earth’s magnetosphere.

UAH collaboration creates self-learning AI platform to discover new drugs

A cross-college collaboration at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has developed a self-learning artificial intelligence (AI) platform that uses big data analytics to discover how new pharmaceutical drugs and various molecules work inside living cells.

VioClean product wins UAH student team $8,000 first prize in Boeing competition

VioClean, a garment and towel sanitizer that uses a technology being patented by The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has won a student team first place and $8,000 in the recent Boeing New Business Challenge, an annual event hosted and facilitated by the College of Business.

UAH Space Hardware Club team’s robotic rover on its way to summertime competition in Utah

After two years of work, a four-function robotic rover developed for use on Mars by a 21-person Space Hardware Club (SHC) team at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, will be in summer competition at the University Rover Challenge (URC) finals.

Alabama student satellite group shifts gears to ABEX mission to keep up with NASA

The Alabama Space Grant Consortium’s statewide, university student-built cube satellite project is shifting gears to ABEX, the Alabama Burst Energetics eXplorer, after its drive to be the first student-built Cubesat to leave low Earth orbit (LEO) was derailed when NASA dropped secondary payloads from the Artemis II flight.

$600,000 grant funds new UAH study probing influence of trees’ organic compounds on rain

In order for it to get cloudy or rain, first moisture has to condense around particulate matter in the air called aerosols, and volatile organic compounds made by trees can be precursors to the kinds of tiny particles that eventually make clouds and rain.

UAH second university in Southeast to have specialized atmospheric spectrometer

In the spring, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Department of Atmospheric and Earth Science will become the home base for a new instrument designed to help scientists study aerosols in the atmosphere.

UAH’s Baudry Lab part of half-million-dollar efforts to target COVID with drug therapies

Two different strategies to discover and perfect pharmaceuticals active against the COVID-19 virus have attracted a half million dollars in research funding to support five institutions, including the Baudry Lab at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Paper on climate model’s warming bias co-authored by UAH’s Dr. Christy is top download

A research paper that found a significant warming bias globally in the newest climate models has been cited by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) as among the top 10% most downloaded in 2020 from its journal Earth and Space Science.

When the James Webb telescope launches, 25 years of UAH R&D involvement will soar

After a scheduled November launch, when NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) achieves orbit and unfurls the 18 gold-coated beryllium segments of its 6.5-meter primary mirror, over two decades of crucial UAH partnership in the project will also blossom.

UAH-led space weather prediction research could be critical to Space Force Command

Research to improve space weather predictions by Dr. Nikolai Pogorelov at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, will boost abilities crucial to the success of the defense mission of the Space Force Command that’s set to be located in Huntsville, Ala.

Urban heat islands affect tree canopy temperatures and health, UAH study says

New research recently published in Scientific Reports on tree canopy temperatures in New York City by a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) doctoral student offers new insights for urban forestry management.

NSF awards UAH’s Dr. Niemiller $1.029 million for groundwater biodiversity study

A proposal to conduct the first comprehensive assessment of groundwater biodiversity in the central and eastern United States has earned a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) assistant professor of biological science a five-year, $1.029 million National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.

UAH’s Dr. Liu earns NSF award for research to make wireless devices more efficient, secure

Research to harness commonplace errors in wireless devices to make them usable and provide for better security and efficiency has won a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering a five-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award.