Purpose and Mission

The AeroAcoustics Research Consortium (AARC) was established in 2001 by NASA Glenn Research Center and Industry partners with the goal of advancing the development of technologies for reducing the environmental impact of noise produced by commercial aircraft. Since that time, significant expansion of commercial air travel and revolutionary changes in flight systems and operations, combined with increased community engagement and national and international regulations, have only increased the demand for innovative approaches to controlling noise, which need to be made with the often-competing requirements of improving performance and reducing emissions.

Through its Advanced Air Vehicle Program (AAVP) NASA supports research aimed at evaluating and developing technologies for new aircraft systems and exploring far-future concepts for revolutionary improvements in air travel. The AAVP goal is to enable safer, more efficient, cleaner, and quieter air travel. Partnerships between government, industry and academia are critical to the achievement of this goal.

The AARC provides a collaborative environment for NASA and its Industry partners to engage with international researchers in aeroacoustics to work toward the elimination of technical barriers in the development of noise-reduction technologies, at a pre-competitive stage, for their mutual benefit.

Through research projects selected for funding by its members, the AARC provides a means for its partners to augment and complement their own in-house research and development efforts. These projects are structured to maintain a high level of engagement between funded researchers and AARC members, with regular status reports and presentations of results. In addition, as conditions permit, funded researchers are expected to spend brief time periods in residence at member institutions to directly transfer knowledge, expertise and research results to members’ technical staffs.

By pooling resources from Industry members’ financial contributions to fund these projects, AARC partners receive the potential for enhanced return on their investments. Sponsored researchers benefit from increased understanding of Industry needs in aeroacoustics and the development of relationships with leading practitioners in the field.

The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI) has served as the administrator and principal point of contact for the AARC since its inception. OAI is a non-profit research institution located in a Federal Opportunity Tax Credit Zone adjacent to the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). It was formed in 1989 as a joint initiative of NASA GRC and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with the aim of enhancing regional and domestic aerospace competitiveness through research and technology development, workforce preparedness, and engagement with global aerospace networks for innovation and advocacy.