Who We Are
Our Vision
To be the primary command center for all aerospace initiatives.
Our Mission
We collaborate with members in government, industry, and academia to accelerate Ohio’s aerospace workforce development through a global network of connections, educational programs, and cutting-edge information.
Leadership
Dr. John Sankovic
President and CEO
Dr. Sankovic comes to Ohio Aerospace Institute following a distinguished 31-year career at NASA, where he most recently served as center chief technologist and director of the Office of Technology Incubation and Innovation. There, he received numerous awards, including the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, six Agency Honor Group Achievement Awards and an R&D100 technology innovation award.
Contact Us
Our History
The Ohio Aerospace Institute was founded in 1989. Ohio Aerospace Institute is a joint initiative of the NASA Glenn Research Center, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the State of Ohio, ten Ohio public and private universities granting doctoral degrees in aerospace-related engineering disciplines, and numerous companies engaged in aerospace activities. Ohio Aerospace Institute is a 501(c) (3), not-for-profit organization.
Develop your small business potential
Ohio Aerospace Institute helps Ohio’s small businesses:
- Obtain grant funding for innovation, research, and technology development, especially SBIR and STTR grants. We particularly encourage participation from minority and women owned business, and other underserved businesses across Ohio.
- Build technology collaborations with NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Air Force Research Lab in Dayton, and other government laboratories. These collaborations can include technology transfer, patent licenses, access to specialized facilities and equipment, access to talent and expertise, procurement opportunities, and program initiatives.
- Build connections with large companies, especially in the aerospace and related industries, and with academia.
- Become better suppliers to government agencies and large companies.
Ohio Aerospace Institute works with companies across all technology sectors, including aerospace, energy, transportation, medical devices, bioscience, agriculture, IT, and others.
Most of Ohio Aerospace Institute’s small business services are provided without cost to the companies. Instead, our services are funded by grants and contracts from federal, state, and local agencies and from non-profit institutions. Please thank them for their support! And consider becoming a member of Ohio Aerospace Institute.
We also work closely with many other members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ohio.
Would you like to receive our monthly e-mail newsletter describing upcoming SBIR/STTR events and deadlines, and other related information? Sign up here.
The Ohio Aerospace Institute has researchers with expertise that can help you grow.
Systems Sensing & Safety
Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and health monitoring
- Utilize health monitoring data from smart sensors distributed throughout structure
- Specimen scale, sub-component level, and full scale damage characterization tests of advanced materials
High Temperature Electronics
- SiC based sensors for 500°C aerospace and harsh environment applications
- Conventional materials fail beyond 225°C
- Expertise in packaging technologies
Laser Diagnostics for Combustion Research
- Measure flame temperatures, gas composition, and chemical species using Raman Spectroscopy
- Optimize fuel/air mix
- Subsonic/supersonic and pressure controlled cruise conditions
Aircraft Icing Research
Computational tools
- Develop validated tools for predicting ice growth, ice protection system behavior, and the effects of ice contamination for design, analysis, and certification
- Expertise in thermo-mechanical characterization and modeling of basic ice behavior
- Improve current ice accretion and ice protection system prediction methods to allow use of codes for design and certification over a broad range of icing conditions, aircraft geometries, and flow conditions. This approach also ensures that codes are accurate, robust, fast, and easy to use
Ice Adhesion Behavior
- Characterize impact ice properties and adhesion strength
- Develop new test techniques and employ various in-situ monitoring tools
- Fabricate statistically significant amount of specimens under various icing conditions
Research Team Manager: Andrew Gyekenyesi
AndrewGyekenyesi@oai.org | 216-433-8155
Materials
Light-weight, High-performance Polymers and Structures
- Develop molecularly engineered advanced polymeric materials and composites from design to end-use applications—including synthesis, characterization, process optimization, component design and prototyping, and manufacturing optimization
- Research performance – durability evaluation and prediction for various applications: aeronautics, space, marine, auto, medical, durable goods.
- Current activities: High voltage insulations for hybrid electric aircraft, high temperature organics for Stirling convertors, Curved PMCs for automotive, nanocomposites, high temperature polymer aerogels for aerospace applications
Ceramics and Metallics
- Advance materials technology for aerospace as well as other applications
- Integration technologies
- Develop a wide range of approaches to join dissimilar materials for a wide range of thermo-structural conditions
- Shape memory alloys
- Develop stable, high-work-output, shape memory alloys for a range of application temperatures & stress levels for use in adaptive structures and actuators through a fundamental understanding & control of material properties
Research Team Manager: Eugene Shin
EugeneShin@oai.org | 216-433-8155
Structures
- Develop testing methodologies for high temperature structural materials, sub-elements, and components
- Thermal, dynamic, and stress analyses of aerospace structural elements (ex: sandwich structures and protective coatings on metallic alloys and ceramic matrix composites) with finite element methods
- Simulation of lightning strike effects on delamination of CFRP panels with cohesive layers between plies to capture delaminations
- Durability estimation of aerospace components with creep life models, fatigue crack initiation models, and fracture mechanics
Research Team Manager: Sreeramesh Kalluri
SreerameshKalluri@oai.org | 216.433.6727
Computational Modeling
Support technology development for air/space vehicle propulsion systems
- Develop theoretical and computational models for system components
- Advance knowledge and understanding
- Reduce cost of access to space by improved performance and efficiency
- Reduce environmental impact (noise and emissions)
- Investigate new pulse detonation rocket-based combined-cycle (PDRBCC) engine concept
- Develop models and prediction codes for propulsion system (jet) noise
- Develop turbulence-chemistry interaction models for reacting multi-phase flow simulations
Basic Research
- Multi-disciplinary physics
- Uncertainty Quantification/Sensitivity Analysis
- High-speed flows
Applications
- CFD support of projects/experiments
- Software/Hardware optimization for high performance computing
Research Team Manager: Stewart Leib
StewartLeib@oai.org | 216.433.8639
Space Science
Knowledge and technology to advance space exploration
- Develop space propulsion, power, and communications technologies
- Examine aspects of space science: environmental interactions
- Exploration technology
- Advanced propulsion – high power Hall effect thrusters
- Plasma propulsion – advanced concepts such as MPD, plasma wave acceleration
- NIAC advanced concepts
- Advanced solar power – advanced cells, support to DARPA FAST array testing
- Advanced test sets for exploration communications
- Solar and nuclear electric propulsion systems studies
- Space sciences
- Solar cell lifetime and arcing in space
- Environmental monitoring instrumentation
Research Team Manager: James Gilland
JamesGilland@oai.org | 440.962.3000
Ceramics
- Laminated Object Manufacturing of ceramic matrix composites
- Binder jet printing technologies (with RP+M)
- Study processing constituents (e.g., SiC powders, infiltrants, fiber reinforcements)
- Assess microstructure (optical and SEM) and properties (densities and bend tests)
- Develop and characterize feed materials for 3-D printing of silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramics
- 3-D printing of multi-functional materials
Thermal Management
- Utilize new advanced materials, such as high conductivity porous graphite foams, for solving thermal management challenges (e.g., aerospace, electronics, directed energy weapons, energy production)
- Low density, large surface area, and engineered, open pore structure
- High ligament thermal conductivity (>1700 W/m•K) and bulk conductivity (up to 245 W/m•K)
- Potential for high temperature and chemically aggressive environments
- Use as a heat exchanger and replacement for metallic finned structures
- Employ as conductivity enhancer for phase change materials within thermal energy storage systems
- Ohio Aerospace Institute projects address large scale production, improved foam durability via coatings, joining procedures, and basic design methodologies as well as test techniques for producing thermal, flow, and mechanical characterization data
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Although we are new members of Ohio Aerospace Institute, we are already reaping the benefits of the opportunities we’ve had to connect with key contacts in the Ohio aerospace industry. We are excited to continue to engage with Ohio Aerospace Institute in 2018 and look forward to accelerating business in Ohio.
Heather Best
Vice President,
Sales and Marketing,
Velocity Group
Building Better Businesses, One Connection at a Time
Ohio is not only the Birthplace of Aviation, but it is also one of the most robust areas in the country for the industry. In this region, you will find that giants like Boeing, NASA, and Airbus receive a great deal of equipment from Ohio-based companies.
Recent News
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GLASTA Symposium 2023: Event Summary
GLASTA Symposium 2023: Event Summary In 2022, Dr. John Sankovic and Kim Holizna from The Ohio Aerospace Institute, Mark Fisher of The Council of the
Evening with the Stars: Delving Deep into the Future of Space and Aviation
Evening with the Stars: Delving Deep into the Future of Space and Aviation On a picture-perfect summer evening, The Ohio Aerospace Institute team worked for
Developing Through Partnerships
There is a growing need for talent as the industry expands. Our connections in the industry, from experienced engineers to students coming into the field, offer the opportunity to find the talent you need, when you need it.
Colleen K. Unsworth