Where Is He Now? Ohio State Graduate Alumna Eugene Choi on OFRN-Funded Space Welding Research to Rocket Engines at SpaceX

Eugene Choi
Caption: Choi at SpaceX in Los Angeles, CA When Eugene Choi first began researching laser welding in space, he was an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, working on what started as a capstone project. Today, he is a welding engineer...

Dayton Firm Leads Development of Explainable AI Tool for Battlefield Medical Triage

REACT-X: Explainable AI Decision Support
DAYTON, Ohio — A Dayton-based technology company is leading a multidisciplinary effort to transform how medics make life-or-death decisions in combat and other high-risk environments. Mined XAI’s REACT-X — Resilient Explainable AI for Casualty Triage...

Recap: February 10, 2026 — Ohio Federal Research Network Virtual Opportunity Day (Space)

On February 10, 2026, the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) hosted its latest Virtual Opportunity Day, bringing together members of Ohio’s academic, industry, and government innovation ecosystem for a focused discussion on space research...

Safran’s Innovative Efforts to Foster Local Growth and Attract Skilled Professionals to Ohio

Safran Logo
How OFRN-Funded R&D Is Advancing Next-Gen Power Systems – and Strengthening Ohio’s Aerospace Workforce Pipeline Safran Electrical & Power’s Twinsburg, Ohio facility has long been a key contributor to the nation’s aerospace and defense industrial base...

Student Success Story: From Flight Test to National Defense: How Rebecca Gilligan Built an Aerospace Career Through Ohio’s Research Ecosystem

Rebecca Gilligan’s path to becoming an Aerospace Engineer at Northrop Grumman began not in a classroom, but in a lab, where hands-on research, real-world testing, and mission-relevant challenges shaped her into an industry-ready engineer. Gilligan...

Ohio-Led HERCULES Project Targets One of Hypersonics’ Biggest Barriers: Reusability

Herc1
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hypersonic flight has long promised faster global reach, reusable space access, and new defense capabilities. Yet one challenge continues to limit real-world deployment: materials that can survive extreme heat repeatedly without...

Student Success Story: Dr. Lynn Pickering on Building Trustworthy AI for Aerospace—Powered by Ohio’s Research Ecosystem

Pickering (center) and Cohen (right) at the Amelia Earhart award ceremony.
OFRN & OSGC Workforce Development Success Story For Dr. Lynn Pickering, aerospace engineering was never just about making systems smarter—it was about making them safer, more trustworthy, and accountable to the humans who rely on them. Today, as a Ph...

Trust Isn’t Binary: Why Calibrated Trust Is the Next Frontier in Human–Autonomy Teaming

VISTA interface prototype
As autonomous systems take on more responsibility in contested, complex environments, a subtle but critical challenge is emerging—one that can’t be solved by better sensors or faster processors alone. Trust. Today’s AI-enabled systems are no longer...

Success Story: OFRN-Funded “Visibility Tool” Becomes the First Mobile App to Turn Any Smartphone into an Aviation-Grade Visibility Sensor

Turn Any Smartphone into an Aviation-Grade Visibility Sensor flyer
When FlightProfiler , Ohio University, and Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence teamed up under the Ohio Federal Research Network Round 5 project , they shared a simple premise: pilots and drone operators urgently...

OFRN Student Success Story: University of Cincinnati PhD student Nate Steffen on Advancing Space Robotics Through Explainable AI

Nate Steffen
Nate Steffen: Advancing Space Robotics Through Explainable AI — Strengthened by OFRN’s Research Ecosystem OFRN Workforce Development Success Story When Ohio Space Grant Consortium (OSGC) Fellow Nate Steffen (2024–25) joined the University of...