AU Applied Research Institute to oversee $1.1M Army modernization project

Published: Nov 16, 2023 2:00 PM

By Jeremy Henderson

The new pipeline between Auburn Engineering’s next-generation resources, faculty and students, and Huntsville-based defense agencies is officially on full blast.

Partnered with leading Huntsville energy consultants Trideum Corporation, the new Auburn University Applied Research Institute (AUARI) will facilitate a $1.1 million award supporting the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center’s Mission Based — Multi Domain Operations Test Environment.

As part of the 18-month project, a team comprised of AUARI engineers, as well as graduate students and faculty members from Auburn’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), will use Model Based Systems Engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning to help the Redstone Test Center better support Army operational and developmental testing.

“Delivering great customer support while providing challenging, applied research opportunities for Auburn faculty and students is at the center of what we do here at AUARI,” said Steve Mills, AUARI’s principal research scientist and the project’s principal investigator Steve Mills. “Having the ability to link Auburn’s deep technical bench to solve customer problems while using the challenges as opportunities for our faculty and students is a win all the way around.”

Mills calls the project a great illustration of AUARI’s envisioned potential for “direct and real-time engagement of the Huntsville customer base developing into faculty and student-centered research opportunities.”

The ECE project team includes Godbold Associate Professor Mark Adams and assistant professor Hunter Burch.

In addition to Mills, AUARI-based project team members include research engineers Erik Mayhan and Holly Dunne, and Susan Askew, professor of practice.

Media Contact: Jeremy Henderson, jdh0123@auburn.edu, 334-844-3591