The University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics held its biannual spring forum in College Station on March 30-31 with over 200 people attending panels and keynotes that focused on “leap ahead” technologies and science and technology planning.
Additionally, a three-year challenge project and a workforce development supplemental funding opportunity for currently awarded project sub-awards were both announced. This year UCAH and the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) will award over $24 million in applied research and share the newly released Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for Research and Engineering (R&E) strategic plan.
“Our focus is not just to leap frog our competitors, but to leap far ahead where our capabilities will be unmatched and not easily imitated,” said Dr. Gillian Bussey, JHTO director.
Days one and two of the forum, included presentations from six panel groups representing industry, academia, government and U.S. military. Keynote presentations from Dr. Bussey, Dr. Steven Wax, Mr. Dennis Helmich and Dr. James Weber spanned both days.
The forum also featured a student poster competition where undergraduate and graduate students presented their hypersonic research. The top three student finalists were: Ernesto Borrego from Mississippi State University, Jacob Rogers from Texas A&M and Zach Johnston from the University of Minnesota.
With the UCAH forums continuing to expand and grow, UCAH looks forward to the next fall forum in September 2022 in Huntsville, Alabama, and expects even greater attendance.
