Federal Grant Award Summary

The Pennsylvania State University received a $222,097 Project Grant award from the Air Force Research Laboratory under the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (CFDA 12.800), effective August 1, 2026, with a completion date of July 31, 2029. The award supports research titled "Progressive Flow-Physics-Learning and Machine-Learning for High-Speed Flows," conducted at Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. This project advances fundamental and applied scientific research designed to enhance the Department of the Air Force's technological capabilities in aerospace systems and computational fluid dynamics through the integration of physics-based learning models with machine learning methodologies for high-speed flow analysis.

The research initiative combines traditional fluid dynamics principles with contemporary machine learning techniques to develop improved computational and predictive models for high-speed aerodynamic phenomena. Such research supports the Air Force's strategic objectives to maintain technological superiority, prevent technological surprise, and strengthen the nation's research infrastructure in critical defense-related scientific domains. The project exemplifies the competitive, peer-reviewed selection process characteristic of the Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program, which prioritizes research proposals demonstrating significant innovation and mission relevance to Department of the Air Force operations.