Laboratory Information:
Air Force Academy
HQ USAFA/DFER
2354 Fairchild Drive Suite 4K25
USAF Academy, CO 80840-6200
Phone: 719-333-8484
Fax: 719-333-4255
Email: michael.crane@usafa.edu
Website: http://www.usafa.af.mil/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Defense - Air Force
Region: Mid-Continent
FLC Laboratory Representative:
Mr. Michael Crane
Phone: 719-333-8484
Fax: 719-333-4255
Email: michael.crane@usafa.edu
Background/History of the Laboratory:
The Air Force Academy was established in 1954. The first class of 306 men was sworn in at a temporary site at Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, in the summer of 1955, and graduated in 1959. The current authorized number of cadets is 4,000, supported by more than 530 faculty in Basic Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences, and Humanities. About half of the faculty have earned Ph.D. degrees. The Academy has provided the Air Force with a corps of officers dedicated to upholding the high standards of the United States: Integrity always, service before self, and excellence in all we do. These Air Force Core values were written by the Air Force Academy, which has provided a proving ground for these officers and a source for the dedicated staff members who have come to the academy to educate and train these future leaders. Throughout its history, one theme has been constant and persistent: a commitment to excellence. With that theme, the Air Force Academy looks forward to the future.
Mission of the Laboratory:
The Academy's research mission is to plan and execute research programs in Air Force-relevant technology. This includes basic and applied research in aeronautics, biomimetic sensors, nanosatellites, rocket propulsion and space physics, lasers and optics, hydrogen fuel cells and ionic liquids, aging aircraft structures and materials, modeling and simulation, human effectiveness, molecular biology, unmanned aerial vehicles, information technology applications, and robotics. The laboratory carries out a number of programs sponsored by other agencies (e.g., Air Force Office of Scientific Research, DoD High-Performance Computing Modernization Office, etc.) and provides technology-literate officers to the Air Force Research Laboratory, product divisions, and other AF agencies.
Facilities:
- Institute for Information Technology Applications
- Institute for National Security Studies
- Wind tunnels and jet engine test facilities
- Lasers & optics laboratory
- Supercomputing facilities
- Computer-controlled fatigue testing and structural instrumentation laboratory
- Electron microscopy, chemistry and metallurgy laboratory
- Machining, sheet metal, woodworking and welding shops
Technology Areas of Expertise:
- Strategic security
- International treaties and agreements
- Combating proliferation
- Homeland defense and combating terrorism
- Regional and emerging issues
- Air and space issues and planning
- Information operations and warfare
- Geospatial information (GIS)
- Learning and teaching research
- Automated flight debriefing
