Lab Spotlight

The Aero-Effects Laboratory utilizes a brand-new supersonic wind tunnel to study the effects of aerodynamic disturbances in the supersonic environment. The facility has a unique capability to develop and implement cutting edge optical and fluid dynamic flow diagnostic equipment in pursuit of fully...

Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Munitions Directorate are working in the Natural Systems Sensing Lab to better understand and characterize insect vision and learn how they are able to quickly and efficiently process visual data to precisely fly and navigate in the...

The Multi-Arm Radial Composite (MARCO) Reflector was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate with the aim of lowering the recurring cost of a deployed antenna reflector when compared to heritage mesh reflector systems. In contrast to a mesh reflector, MARCO...

Pictured in the featured image is Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Daniela Bogorin, shown cleaning ultra-high vacuum components for the Trapped Ion Quantum Networking Laboratory. Individual trapped ions are confined in ultra-high vacuum chambers to ensure they are well-shielded from the environment. The...

Zika virus is primarily spread to people through infective Aedes aegypti or Ae. albopictus mosquito bites. These mosquitoes also spread dengue, chikungunya, and other viruses. The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)...

Electronic circuits and antennas for integral Air Force systems and tasks could one day receive a boost in effectiveness, thanks to the research and development of gallium liquid metal alloys (GaLMAs) underway at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). GaLMAs are composed of the liquid metal,...

At the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, the operator of the Rosenbauer Panther Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) research vehicle positions the piercing nozzle of the high-reach extendible turret (HRET) at the window of the L-1011 test aircraft. Research conducted with this...

FAA Airframe and Power Plant licensed technical specialists install a turbocharged 350 horsepower engine for use in anti-detonation testing of unleaded aviation test fuels. This engine model will be used in Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) Phase 2 testing in simulated altitude detonation...

The Critical Materials Institute, a U.S. Department of Energy Innovation Hub led by the Ames Laboratory , has created a new chemical process that makes use of the widely available rare-earth metal cerium to improve the manufacture of nylon.The process uses a cerium-based material made into...

The problem Precisely measuring and observing the properties of new materials requires samples of the purest crystal form of the compound that can be achieved. While there are many methods of producing crystals of new compounds, solution growth is one of the best for discovery and characterization...