Dean Tikalsky speaking at the announcement of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education.

OSU announces launch of Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education

Monday, January 10, 2022

Media Contact: Kristi Wheeler | Manager, CEAT Marketing and Communications | 405-744-5831 | kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University announced in August the creation of a new institute aimed at supporting aerospace industry growth in Oklahoma and beyond.

“Our mission is to drive cross-industry collaborations and innovation, which is exactly what brings us together today,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “Oklahoma State University offers a complete turnkey solution for Oklahoma’s aerospace industry needs. From K-12 enrichment and workforce development, through faculty and graduate research to groundbreaking innovations in industry partnerships, we are leading the state to advance this important economic engine.

"Today, we’re announcing the formation of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education. Oklahoma State University is the clear leader in aerospace within our state. We’ve had a partnership with NASA for more than 50 years. We’ve been training pilots for more than 80 years. Our depth and breadth of knowledge, faculty and research investments cannot be matched. We’re so proud of this very long history in aerospace and aviation excellence.”

The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) will bring the state’s aerospace innovation economy together under one umbrella. OAIRE will support ongoing and future partnerships between university, commercial, military and government agencies, becoming a valuable resource for developing Oklahoma’s aerospace ecosystem. That includes generating high-tech jobs and cutting-edge research that brings commercial enterprise and military sustainment support to the state.

The comprehensive scope of OAIRE also includes K-12 outreach programs focused on STEM connections, building the Oklahoma aerospace workforce pipeline and promoting community involvement.

Dr. Shrum said OAIRE will allow OSU to connect seamlessly with industry and K-12 partners and elevate OSU’s leadership role in Oklahoma aerospace, inspiring the next generation of aviators and engineers while enhancing opportunities for industry and defense partners in Oklahoma.

Group photo — From left: Millwood Public Schools Superintendent Cecilia Robinson-Woods, Frontier Electronics CEO Brenda Rolls, Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum; Paul Tikalsky, dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology; and Kenneth Sewell, vice president for research at OSU.

Oklahoma Secretary of Science and Innovation Elizabeth Pollard echoed Dr. Shrum’s excitement.

“The Oklahoma economy is at an inflection point,” Pollard said. “Disruptive technology is changing the face of every industry and forcing all states to reassess how best to compete and remain relevant in a knowledge- based innovation economy. Innovation is the key driver to economic growth and prosperity. It is critically important to Oklahoma’s future. It will grow and diversify our state economy, accelerate our state’s competitiveness and create large-scale, high-paying jobs for Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education will be at the forefront of innovation in the aerospace realm, and I commend Oklahoma State University for their successful programs and continued partnerships with the state.

"Prominent research and development activity related to aerospace has been underway for decades at OSU and with their leadership in this dynamic industry, Oklahoma will be well-positioned to lead the ever-evolving aerospace frontier. The state of Oklahoma has significant research and development strengths, and with OSU’s leadership, the vision to emerge as a leading region for growth in the autonomous systems and aerospace industry is imminent.”

Due to industry demand, aviation is one of the fastest-growing programs in OSU’s College of Education and Human Sciences. To reach OSU constituents across the state, OAIRE will expand OSU aerospace research and course offerings in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa at the Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center. This will allow students greater access to OSU’s undergraduate and graduate programs, which will be tailored to meet the needs of the aerospace sector in the surrounding area. Professionals seeking aerospace-related degrees can take aerospace or systems engineering core courses in Oklahoma City, Tulsa or Stillwater.

For K-12 schools, programming will include technical training, career placement and entrepreneurial opportunities for student engagement and retention. OSU will prioritize outreach to Native American and other underrepresented K-12 students with the goal of developing and retaining the talent pipeline for Oklahoma-based companies.

Aviation

1935 is when the Civilian Pilot Training Program opened at Oklahoma A&M College, kicking off a long aviation tradition.
1948 saw the founding of the nationally recognized Flying Aggies, a student flying club founded by former World War II pilot Hoyt Walkup.
11,600 square feet is the space available in the new Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center. It includes spaces for individual flight debriefings, offices, student common areas, dispatch and more.
In 2019, OSU aviation was selected for the Top Hawk program, a partnership with Textron Aviation that provides students with access to the Cessna Skyhawk.

Dr. Cecilia Robinson-Woods, superintendent of Millwood Public Schools in Oklahoma City, said one of her major concerns is preparing students for future careers, especially ones from underserved communities and the school districts surrounding the OKC Innovation District. She said partnering with OSU has been a tremendous help in showcasing opportunities for students. This summer, for example, OSU welcomed more than 1,500 students to STEM camps.

“This partnership with Oklahoma State and aerospace helps us tremendously in regard to assuring that we’ll be able to train teachers to prepare kids, and then giving kids opportunities to see jobs in these high-paying industries. We’re very, very excited for the partnership to add exposure, starting with the STEM camps this summer. Sending 1,500 kids to just be exposed to what a career in aerospace or engineering or STEM would look like is an amazing start. I think it is paramount that being located here in Innovation District, that we focus on surrounding school districts that service a population that wouldn’t always have access to these types of jobs. I appreciate the partnership, and we look forward to preparing tomorrow’s workforce with our kids from surrounding districts.”

With the largest and oldest aerospace engineering program in the state, OSU has long been a global leader in aerospace, defense and aviation research, conducting large-scale research with the FAA, Air Force, Navy, Army, and Special Operations Command. OSU faculty members conduct research with such industry partners as Boeing, Pratt and Whitney, Kratos, Skydweller, Zivco, Frontier Electronics Corp., Vigilant Aerospace Systems, Toyota and many others.

Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, said OSU will have more than $80 million under contract this year related to aerospace and aerospace education.

Aerospace

50-plus years, OSU has worked on projects for NASA.
62% is how much OSU’s aerospace engineering enrollment has grown over the last 10 years.
70% of the state’s aerospace engineering degrees are from OSU.
500-plus students are enrolled and 80-plus graduate annually from OSU’s aerospace engineering program.
$5.2 million has gone into the NASA WINDMAP University Leadership Initiative team led by OSU to develop weather monitoring and forecasting for advanced air mobility.
$16.7 million in research has been done by OAIRE engineering faculty h in the past three years.
$33.8 million in ongoing aerospace engineering related research awards and more than $4.8 million in aviation research and education related awards have gone to OAIRE faculty.
OSU leads NASA’s Oklahoma Space Grant and NASA educational programs, such as NASA’s Native Earth/Native Sky program aimed at tribal students and the NSPACE program, which provides competitive and innovative STEM educational opportunities to K-16 students and educators across the country.
OSU has a special agreement with PSA Airlines, which gives students a direct path to American Airlines through the PSA Cadet Program.

“OSU is the first aerospace program in the state and twice the size of any other,” Tikalsky said. “We continue to expand our faculty and research operations and are now teaching more than 500 undergraduates in just aerospace engineering and another 1,000 in related fields. OSU brings expertise to industry partners in everything from advanced propulsion systems to avionics, unmanned systems, aerostructures, cybersecurity, re-engineering, airfield design, human factors, pilot training and much more. The Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education is part of the next generation of OSU and Oklahoma’s growing economy.”

Brenda Rolls, CEO of Stillwater-based Frontier Electronics Systems, said her company was founded by three OSU enthusiasts, one of whom was an engineering professor with a vision for retaining Oklahoma State graduates in the state by providing opportunities for engineers and other professionals. She said the strength of OSU’s engineering programs have been an important factor in Frontier’s success, with roughly 90 percent of Frontier’s degreed employees coming from OSU.

“We congratulate Oklahoma State on this significant and game-changing initiative and we look forward to the robust advancement of the aerospace and technology business sectors within Oklahoma,” Rolls said.

As a nexus of research, development and educational laboratories, OAIRE is in a unique position to serve and assist industry and government with technology development and applied research. The workforce includes OSU faculty experts, seasoned engineering and science professional staff as well as graduate and undergraduate students. OAIRE will build on core strengths developed by OSU and its many partners, supporting these partnerships in aerospace and defense research and education with:

- Novel design tools
- The new Ray and Linda Booker OSU Flight Center
- Airfield for aerospace testing
- Rapid prototyping platforms
- High-performance computational center
- 28 faculty members across a wide-array of expertise in aerospace and aviation
- Research engineers and graduate researchers
- K-12 teacher training programs and summer STEM camps.

Photos by: Gary Lawson

Story by: Mack Burke | IMPACT Magazine