Research Facilities and Programs:
U.S. Air Force Academy (U.S. Air Force Academy, CO)
Warfighter Effectiveness Research Center (WERC) (U.S. Air Force Academy, CO)
The Laboratory Program Representative is a professional staff member at the Air Force research facility who is responsible for managing its Research Associateship Program and for assisting an Associate with all administrative aspects of tenure:
Ms. Teresa Whinnery
USAFA Tech Transfer PM
USAF Academy, CO 80840-6200
Phone: 719-333-3978
E-mail: Teresa.Whinnery@afacademy.af.edu
The United States Air Force Academy is a four-year undergraduate institution whose mission is to develop and inspire future air and space leaders. Graduates earn a B.S. degree in one of 31 academic majors and are commissioned as second lieutenants in the US Air Force. The intellectual aspect of officer development includes over 400 academic courses, encompassing the basic sciences, engineering, the humanities, and social sciences. The Academy has 4,000 undergraduate cadets who must complete a core curriculum of 101 semester hours in all four academic divisions, including military and athletic courses. Cadets take 11 to 16 additional courses in an academic major. The Academy has 508 faculty members (50% with PhDs) in 20 academic departments. Approximately 34% of the faculty is civilian; the rest are military officers.
Research is a key component of the educational process. Each year, approximately 180 students participate in the Cadet Summer Research Program, which places them in laboratories and research institutes throughout the DOD and government scientific community. Over one-third of cadets conduct research in the form of an independent study project during their senior year. Faculty members also perform research throughout the academic year. Last year, the facility published more than 500 journal articles, books, and chapters. The external research support received by the US Air Force Academy is valued at more than $35 million per year, while the institution provides additional support worth more than $10 million each year.
The US Air Force Academy was originally established as an NRC Associateship host site through the Frank J. Seiler Laboratory of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Nineteen Research Centers and two Institutes have been created since the Seiler Lab was closed in 1995; nine research areas currently have NRC-approved advisors: Aeronautics, Biology, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Laser & Optics, Modeling & Simulation, Space Physics and Atmospheric Sciences, Space Situational Awareness, and Unmanned Aerial Systems.
