When imaging reveals an abnormality in a kidney — such as cancer or a stone — patients and their physicians face a critical decision for what to do next: Wait? Do an invasive procedure? Or run more tests?

A new 91�Թ��� research project combines artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision and clinical expertise to help physicians make that decision with greater confidence and efficiency.

The project, called Kidney-VLM, is supported by a one-year $974,681 grant from the Florida Department of Health’s Florida Cancer Innovation Fund and is led by Pegah Khosravi, a medical AI expert and College of Medicine associate professor with a joint appointment at 91�Թ���’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.

VLM stands for vision-language model, a trainable AI platform that examines both images and data. The 91�Թ��� system analyzes visual information such as CT scans, while the language component comes from radiology, bloodwork and pathology reports. Bringing together those sources allows the system to provide a more comprehensive look at a patient’s kidney health to support more informed treatment planning. A physician could also ask the system a question and receive a response tied specifically to the patient’s imaging data and pathology.

“Kidney-VLM is designed to connect pieces of a patient’s medical story that may often be reviewed separately,” Khosravi says. “Medical AI should not merely produce an answer. It should provide evidence that allows clinicians to understand, evaluate and appropriately question that answer.”

A Clearer Vision for Patient Care

Khosravi is leading the project through , a collaborative initiative that brings together more than two dozen AI-related faculty members, their students and industry partners across disciplines. AdventHealth, a 91�Թ��� Pegasus Partner, is also partnering on the research.

Trustee Chair of Computer Science , IAI’s director and founding director of 91�Թ���’s Center for Research in Computer Vision, brings decades of experience in computer vision, visual reasoning and machine learning to the project.

He says the new research addresses the challenges of integrating computer vision and medical AI into clinical settings.

“Kidney-VLM advances computer vision by moving beyond isolated detection or classification toward an integrated and clinically interpretable system,” Shah says. “This project offers an opportunity to translate advances in computer vision into a practical tool that may help clinicians characterize kidney tumors more confidently and reduce unnecessary procedures.”

The project exemplifies 91�Թ���’s willingness to foster interdisciplinary research and continue responsibly exploring the potential of AI, he says.

“By bringing AI researchers, physicians, and clinical partners together from the beginning, the project creates a pathway from foundational research to meaningful patient impact,” Shah says. “With 91�Թ���’s strength in computer vision, the College of Medicine’s clinical expertise, and our partnership with AdventHealth, Florida is well positioned to become a national leader in responsible and clinically impactful AI innovation. This is exactly the type of collaboration we seek to foster.”

91�Թ��� computer science researchers Yu Tian and Chen Chen are helping develop the AI architecture. Tian is an assistant professor with joint appointments in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and College of Medicine, while Chen is an associate professor of computer science.

“Success will not be measured only by whether the model achieves a higher accuracy score,” Khosravi says. “We also want to determine whether it performs reliably across various patient groups and clinical settings, whether its explanations are medically sound and whether clinicians can recognize when the system is uncertain. Of course, a clinically useful AI system must be accurate, but it must also be transparent, calibrated and safe.”

Making AI Work in the Clinic

Abdo Asmar, a professor of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and a nephrologist with 91�Թ��� Health Faculty Physician Practice, is guiding the project from the clinical side. He cares for patients who may undergo imaging because of kidney disease, hypertension, kidney stones or another medical issue and then discover they have a renal mass or complex cyst.

“This project is important because it focuses on a very real clinical problem with direct implications for patients: how to make better decisions when kidney tumors or suspicious renal findings are discovered,” Asmar says. “Ultimately, this could help patients avoid unnecessary surgery, reduce healthcare costs and ensure that those with more concerning cancers receive timely evaluation and treatment. To me, this project represents a practical and patient-centered application of AI.”

He stresses that physicians must approach AI as a support, not a replacement, for medical judgment.

“We’re not replacing clinical judgment but strengthening it at the point where decisions are most consequential.” — Abdo Asmar, professor

“We’re not replacing clinical judgment but strengthening it at the point where decisions are most consequential,” he says. “While I am excited about the potential uses of AI in medicine, I remain grounded in the belief that physicians and medical researchers have an obligation to use AI carefully, ethically and always in service of better patient care.”

AdventHealth Research Institute’s Michael McDonald, a urologic oncologist, surgeon and researcher is working with the team to ensure the research remains clinically relevant and scientifically accurate.

He envisions that Kidney-VLM can address existing diagnostic limitations.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide physicians with better information before treatment decisions are made,” McDonald says. “For example, in kidney cancer, one of the major challenges is that imaging can’t always reliably determine whether a renal mass is benign or malignant before surgery, and the final diagnosis may not be known until after the tumor is removed and examined by pathology.”

Kidney-VLM is a focused tool to pinpoint a specific set of medical conditions, but Khosravi and her team are hopeful that the model will provide a foundation for broader advances in medical AI.

“The importance of this project extends beyond a single algorithm or disease,” Khosravi says. “Kidney-VLM provides an opportunity to develop a reproducible framework for trustworthy medical AI that can eventually be adapted to other cancers and clinical challenges.”

Research reported in this article was funded by the State of Florida, Department of Health, Public Health Research, Biomedical Research Program, through the Casey DeSantis Florida Cancer Innovation Fund (grant number 26C36). This content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the State of Florida.

91�Թ��� Space Week celebrates this mission annually by welcoming global space leaders, researchers, students, partners, and fans to campus for collaboration, discovery, and the development of Florida’s growing space economy.

Take a look back at some of the standout sights and celebrations from 91�Թ��� Space Week 2026.

Knightro brought SpaceU spirit to the Celeste Hotel, welcoming industry partners gathered for 91�Թ��� Space Week 2026.

91�Թ��� Libraries hosted several events, special programs and multiple exhibitions built from University Archives and Special Collections in celebration of 91�Թ��� Space Week 2026.

One exhibit in the Digital Exploration Center’s Immersion Studio, curated by graduate research assistant Eric Thompson ’19, brought six decades of 91�Թ���, United States and international space history and culture beyond the archives and into visitors’ hands.

The inaugural 91�Թ��� Innovate Day showcased how 91�Թ��� transforms research into impact through entrepreneurship, technology commercialization and strategic partnerships. During the event, representatives from the City of Orlando and Orange County government presented 91�Թ��� with a special proclamation honoring 91�Թ��� Space Week.

A featured panel during 91�Թ��� Innovate Day brought together (from left) moderator Ben Patz ’85MS, co-founder and general managing partner of DeepWork Capital; Joe Sleppy ’18, CEO of Capacitech Energy; Guifang Li, 91�Թ��� professor of optics and photonics; Jason Eichenholz ’95MS ’98PhD; Melanie Coathup, a professor in 91�Թ���’s College of Medicine; and Jonathan Reyes ’15 ’17MS ’19PhD, CEO of Halo Engines.

91�Թ���’s Florida Space Institute and its Exolith Lab hosted NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge. The Exolith Lab is home to the world’s largest simulated lunar surface, where NASA tests rovers and equipment for upcoming moon missions. from Exolith Lab Chief Engineer Max Kuehn ’22.

91�Թ��� honored seven contributors helping shape Central Florida’s thriving space ecosystem at the 2026 SpaceU Awards. 91�Թ��� President Alexander N. Cartwright (center left) joined the honorees and their representatives. From left: planetary exploration research scientist and 91�Թ��� physics alum Jared Long-Fox ’26PhD, accepting on behalf of Daniel Britt; mechanical engineering major Noah Brockhoff; 91�Թ��� Associate Professor of Medicine Emmanuel Urquieta; 91�Թ��� Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering Paula do Vale Pereira; mechanical engineering major Keanu Brayman; Tahllee Baynard, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of system prototypes; and Michael Edmonds, Blue Origin’s chief commercial officer.

hosted its fall career fair, which welcomed some of the world’s top companies, including Pegasus Partner Universal Orlando Resort, Marriott International, Walt Disney World Resort’s Swan and Dolphin Resort, and SpaceX.

Drone shows on 91�Թ���’s main campus and at Acrisure Bounce House commemorated 91�Թ���’s identity as America’s Space University, including a special show presented by BNY that brought the community together on Memory Mall.

Space Week’s grand finale was marked by the 10th anniversary of the 91�Թ��� Space Game. This year’s unique uniform theme paid tribute to 91�Թ���’s origin story as America’s Space University.

A Citronaut robot is one of several inventions built by 91�Թ��� students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science that make the game day atmosphere uniquely 91�Թ���.

91�Թ��� President Alexander N. Cartwright and 91�Թ��� donor, consultant and space visitor Marc Hagle take in the atmosphere at Acrisure Bounce House.

In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Space Game, 91�Թ���’s Go Baby Go program, Orlando Health and 91�Թ��� Athletics partnered to build 10 space-themed vehicles (like the one pictured above) customized for children with mobility challenges.

91�Թ��� took on Baylor at Acrisure Bounce House for the Mission X Space Game.

The 91�Թ��� football team’s Space Game has become a fan favorite.

The dance team helped lead the “Lights Up, Lights Down” tradition during the Mission X Space Game.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

at 91�Թ��� extends far beyond a single discipline.

91�Թ��� students can choose from numerous space-related programs spanning business, engineering, hospitality, medicine, planetary science, optics and policy — preparing them for in-demand careers across the space sector.

Joining a space-focused student organization can strengthen your skills, connect you with like-minded peers and offer opportunities to turn your studies into real-world work.

Learn more about some of these groups and how to get involved.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Who they are: 91�Թ���’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), a technical society dedicated to the aerospace profession, welcomes students of all experience levels and academic disciplines. It boasts nearly 400 active members, with many  studying aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering or computer science.

Ways to get involved: AIAA@91�Թ��� sponsors industry tours, guest speakers, professional development events, socials and creative engineering projects. One is a multi-year effort in partnership with SEDS and Seagate Space to engineer the first sea-based launch by university students in the nation.

How to find them: Join the to stay up to date with announcements and general information, or follow on Instagram.

Astronomy Society

Who they are: The Astronomy Society is dedicated to cultivating a deep appreciation for space while providing valuable opportunities for students aspiring to build careers in astronomy.

Ways to get involved: Members can participate in resume workshops, physics conferences, space-themed social meet-ups, and telescope operation training, and help organize or attend Knights Under the Stars stargazing events at Robinson Observatory on 91�Թ���’s main campus.

How to find them: Attend a general board meeting, follow on Instagram or join the .

Knights Experimental Rocketry

Who they are: Knights Experimental Rocketry designs and builds experimental rockets and payloads for collegiate competitions.

Ways to get involved: Students can get involved in a wide range of projects, from designing and building rockets, developing liquid rocket propulsion systems, and researching and testing electric thrusters.

How to find them: Join the follow on Instagram or visit .

Knights Satellite Club

Who they are: Knights Satellite Club is 91�Թ���’s center for satellite and space systems development. Students can join with little to no satellite experience and gain  engineering skills through low-cost projects that introduce them to spaceflight hardware, integration, testing, communications, recovery, and systems engineering.

Ways to get involved: Members can join progressively more challenging projects as their experience, skills and knowledge develop. Weekly committee meetings also welcome members with interests beyond engineering and science, including fundraising, event management and public relations.

How to find them: Find the latest information at .

Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)

Who they are: SEDS empowers members to make an impact in space exploration through an interdisciplinary community spanning engineering, biology, economics, history, photography and more.

Ways to get involved: Attend speaker series, social events like space-movie viewings, professional workshops, rocketry tutorials and tours of space-industry companies. Members can also take part in research projects ranging from agriculture in simulated Martian regolith and space economics to solving space exploration challenges for NASA.

How to find them: �վ������� , stay up to date  through the or follow on Instagram.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

91�Թ��� celebrated seven dynamic contributors to Central Florida’s robust space ecosystem with its 2026 SpaceU Awards.

America’s Space University honored two students, three faculty, a Pegasus Partner, and a space company leader for advancing space development, discovery, exploration and engagement. The awards were part of the second 91�Թ��� Space Week, which runs Oct. 25-30 and showcases the university’s impact across the space sector.

Tuesday’s SpaceU Awards ceremony at the Celeste Hotel drew more than 200 community leaders and supporters from 91�Թ���, industry and government. The event also spotlighted the inaugural 91�Թ��� Space Ideation Challenge, a national competition showcasing practical, forward-looking ideas to strengthen U.S. leadership in space and accelerate the emerging space economy.

“Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers — it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, 91�Թ��� president

“Our SpaceU Award recipients embody the ingenuity and determination that have defined 91�Թ��� from the start. They ask bold questions, take on difficult challenges, and pursue ideas that have the potential to change what we know, what we can do and where we can go,” said 91�Թ��� President Alexander N. Cartwright. “Their achievements remind us that exploration is about more than reaching new frontiers — it is about advancing knowledge, creating opportunities and improving lives on Earth and beyond.”

91�Թ��� originated in 1963 to help supply talent and technology for Central Florida’s growing space program. Today, SpaceU has become a vital force for enhancing Florida’s vibrant space economy through excellence in research, innovation and workforce development — leading the nation in producing talent for the aerospace and defense industries.

Other Space Week events include the inaugural 91�Թ��� Innovate Day, which highlights how university research translates into real-world applications; The Economist’s fourth-annual Space Economy Summit; the National Space Society’s Space Settlement Summit; and the SpaceU Symposium, featuring student, faculty and staff research. The week also includes a SpaceU Drone Show on Memory Mall and the 10th-annual Space Game against Baylor at Acrisure Bounce House Stadium.

Here are the 2026 SpaceU Awardees.

Student Space Research Award

Noah Brockhoff, Junior, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Brockhoff’s research is helping to address the critical challenge of minimizing the effects of moon dust on spacecraft and landing sites. At 91�Թ���’s Exolith Lab, the mechanical engineering major spent 300 hours building a simulated lunar lander to study how lunar dust traveling at terminal velocity could damage spacecraft. NASA is partnering with 91�Թ��� on the research and plans to use the findings, connecting Brockhoff’s work directly to the future of space exploration.

Student Space Innovator Award

Keanu Brayman, Senior, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Burnett Honors College

Brayman, a mechanical engineering major, is making contributions to space innovations with commercial applications. As an intern at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, he has worked on trajectory optimization for the Human Landing System, additive manufacturing technology for lunar resource utilization and robotic in-space laser welding — a necessity for assembling large structures on the lunar surface. Brayman is also a researcher in 91�Թ���’s Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory, a Goldwater Scholar, and an Astronaut Scholar.

Early Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Paula do Vale Pereira, Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

do Vale Pereira develops approaches for exploring the hidden oceans of icy moons. She specializes in space systems, spacecraft engineering, and planetary exploration technologies for navigating some of the solar system’s most challenging environments. do Vale Pereira contributes to shaping the next decade of planetary exploration through NASA’s Decadal Astrobiology Research and Exploration Strategy and the Ocean Worlds Working Group. Her lab investigates spacecraft thermal performance, orbital dynamics, lunar surface power transmission, and innovative satellite structures.

Mid-Career Space Achievement Faculty Award

Emmanuel Urquieta, Associate Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair for Aerospace Medicine, College of Medicine

Urquieta is a physician and scientist helping to make human spaceflight safer through research, education, and aerospace-medicine leadership. He founded and directs SpaceU’s Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, leading 91�Թ���’s efforts to promote research, education, clinical care, and operational capabilities to protect human health and performance in space. At 91�Թ���, he established Florida’s first academic Division of Aerospace Medicine and spearheaded the development of an aerospace medicine residency, master’s degree program, and specialized research and simulation capabilities for future exploration missions.

Lifetime Space Achievement Faculty Award

Daniel Britt, Pegasus Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, College of Sciences

Britt’s trailblazing contributions to planetary science have expanded the world’s understanding of the solar system. A member of several NASA mission teams, he managed the camera project for Mars Pathfinder and has contributed hardware to Mars missions, extending 91�Թ��� technology in reaching the stars. He directs 91�Թ���’s Center for Lunar and Asteroid Surface Science and studies the physical properties of asteroids, comets, the moon and Mars. Since joining 91�Թ��� in 2003, his honors include six NASA Achievement Awards and an asteroid named 4395 Danbritt.

Industry Partner Impact Award

Lockheed Martin

Global industry leader Lockheed Martin is a cornerstone of Florida’s space ecosystem and a long-time champion of 91�Թ���. Since 1981, Lockheed Martin’s College Work Experience Program at 91�Թ��� has provided paid professional opportunities to more than 10,000 students. Many have gone on to join the company. The partnership also supports mentorship, scholarships and cutting-edge faculty research in robotics, AI, advanced manufacturing and hypersonics. Last year, Lockheed Martin became a Pegasus Partner, expanding collaboration with 91�Թ��� on research, workforce development and economic growth.

Innovative Space Leader Award

Michael Edmonds, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Origin

Edmonds’ leadership fosters business, government and customer relationships essential to the growth of commercial space. He also serves as president of Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s nonprofit dedicated to inspiring young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Under Edmonds’ leadership, the organization has awarded $1 million in grants to 19 space-focused nonprofits, extending STEAM outreach worldwide. Through educational challenges and postcards flown to space and back, the club makes exploration tangible for students across the globe.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91�Թ��� was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe — developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

A rover’s next move on another planet could begin in a 91�Թ��� lab.

Before its wheels encounter a rocky slope or an unexpected obstacle, a virtual assistant could help operators answer a critical question: Can it get through?

Luis Rabelo, a professor in 91�Թ���’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, is leading a team of 91�Թ��� undergraduate researchers/engineers developing an AI-driven digital twin to investigate how the technology could support robotic exploration when communication with Earth is delayed.

Digital twins are virtual representations of physical systems that can use data from their physical counterparts to model and simulate behavior. By testing a rover’s movements virtually before executing commands, operators could anticipate obstacles and evaluate potential actions without waiting for every instruction to travel to the robot and back.

The research builds on an international collaboration involving Rabelo and 91�Թ��� planetary scientist , director of 91�Թ���’s . 91�Թ��� aerospace engineering graduate student Carson Gray ’26 has helped develop the digital-twin software and advised the student teams that constructed 91�Թ���’s rover prototypes.

Connecting Physical and Virtual Systems

The team uses RE-RASSOR, the Research and Education Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot, a low-cost, 3D-printed educational platform adapted from NASA’s original RASSOR mining robot.

Each rover costs approximately $400 to produce, allowing students to experiment with digital twin software on comparatively inexpensive hardware, says Gray, a mechanical engineering alum. That accessibility could make advanced robotics research more feasible for university laboratories with limited resources.

During a demonstration, Gray showed how an iPhone’s camera and LiDAR sensor, mounted on the rover, help the system construct a 3D virtual representation of the robot and its surroundings in real time.

“It’s a two-way street. The robot is constantly sending its position — you can move it in the digital twin, and then that will be sent to the robot. … At the end of the day, you want them mirroring each other,” Gray says.

Rabelo says a digital twin’s update frequency must reflect the behavior of the physical system it represents. For robotic systems, that means accounting for changes second by second rather than relying on the longer-term predictions used in conventional simulations.

“The digital twin depends on the time constant of the system,” Rabelo says. “That’s the difference.”

That connection between physical and virtual systems could help operators make more informed decisions in unfamiliar lunar or planetary terrain.

“Say on the moon, if the environment is very bumpy, rocky, you might not always know if a command is going to be successful or not,” Gray says. “So you can see in the simulation if it can go over this bump successfully. And then if it does, then you can do it on the real rover with a lot more confidence than if you didn’t have the simulation.”

Building on Earlier Research

The work grew out of a collaboration between 91�Թ��� and the Universidad Politécnica de Durango in Mexico. During the 2025-26 academic year, Rabelo and Metzger advised an international senior design project focused on developing an AI-driven digital twin of RASSOR.

A central objective was to investigate how digital twins could help operators work around communication delays. The farther a robot travels from Earth, the longer commands and information can take to pass between it and the people directing it.

Rabelo describes a test scenario with a simulated three-second delay in each direction, creating a six-second round trip. The digital twin could help operators anticipate the rover’s behavior and identify potential problems before they occur.

Preparing for Future Space Exploration

Rabelo envisions expanding the research beyond individual rovers to groups of autonomous robots collaborating on complex logistics tasks at the moon’s south pole.

Different robots could perform specialized tasks, from surveying terrain and identifying resources to collecting materials and transporting equipment. A shared digital twin could help coordinate their movements across a larger environment.

“You have to have a bigger digital [twin] of the entire piece of the moon where all of those things have to go,” Rabelo says.

Such technology could eventually help researchers coordinate robotic operations across distant planetary environments, where communication delays make continuous human oversight difficult.

For now, this student-built platform lays the groundwork for a larger ambition: helping future robotic teams explore farther, with operators better prepared for what comes next.

The research received $5,000 in support from the Florida Space Grant Consortium through 91�Թ���’s Florida Space Institute. Undergraduate senior design teams developed the rover prototypes under the guidance of Rabelo, Gray and Metzger.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91�Թ��� was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe — developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

While taking a break from his job responsibilities on “another planet,” Matthew Montgomery ’08 ’09MS settled in for some light reading: The Handbook of Space Resources. Curious about the authors’ backgrounds, he flipped through the contributors list.

The two-time 91�Թ��� electrical engineering alum couldn’t help but smile when he spotted two familiar names: acclaimed 91�Թ��� planetary scientists Daniel Britt and Phillip Metzger ’00MS ’05PhD.

Even on a mission to “Mars,” 91�Թ��� was right there with him.

On Oct. 19, 2025, Montgomery entered a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center with three crewmates for NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA). Together, they’ve simulated living on Mars, conducting research and collecting data as if they were 140 million miles from Earth.

Their work includes spacewalks with and without virtual reality, time-delayed communications, crop growth, meal preparation and consumption, exercise, hygiene activities, maintenance work, personal time, science work and sleep — all to help prepare for future missions.

The 39-year-old isn’t a trained astronaut or a NASA scientist. After an 18-month application and screening process, being selected to volunteer for this mission meant stepping away from his loved ones and Floating Lava Studios, his Los Angeles-based film production company, for more than a year.

He cultivated the skills that helped him land this gig, in part, at 91�Թ���.

An Orlando native, Montgomery enrolled through an early admission program while still a senior at nearby University High School. As a Burnett Honors Scholar, he immersed himself in research opportunities and lab work while earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

“91�Թ��� provided me the technical foundation to get where I’m at,” Montgomery says. “I think engineering is one of the best undergraduate degree programs that anyone can pursue. Foundationally, it teaches you problem-solving skills that can be broadly applied to almost anywhere you go. I also learned solid research principles, and lab work was critical. You need both sides. There’s a lot of opportunity (at 91�Թ���). I’ve taken a more entrepreneurial approach (in my career), and I think 91�Թ��� really sets you up for that.”

As CHAPEA’s science officer, Montgomery draws on his engineering background to contribute expertise in LED lighting, robotics, controlled environment agriculture and embedded control systems.

Ahead of the mission’s scheduled Oct. 31 conclusion, Montgomery answered questions via video about life inside the habitat — and what it could mean for humanity’s future beyond Earth.

A Glimpse of Life on Mars

Why did you say yes to this mission?
When I read through the application, I really felt meant for this mission. It comes down to a simple answer: The researchers asked for help, and they had a worthy cause.

I think there’s a powerful lesson and reminder in there — when you’re pursuing lofty goals or reaching for the stars, you do need support. All you need to do is communicate your vision and ask for help. When you do, people show up and support you.

What does a routine day look like?
Our day-to-day life is similar to astronauts on the International Space Station and representative of what will be expected of Mars-surface astronauts: drone and rover operations, exercise testing, bio collections. Each day has a mix of standard items — resistance or cardio exercise, science and experiment work, crop care,  maintenance, ensuring you get your daily caloric intake goals met.

We also perform spacewalks, or extravehicular activities, in two forms: virtual reality (VR) or non-VR.

Outside the airlock, we have a simulated Mars surface with red regolith simulant. During non-VR spacewalks, we participate in surface equipment checks, maintenance, infrastructure builds, and a lot of science and geological-type tasks.

On VR spacewalks, we put on headsets and use treadmills that allow us to traverse much larger distances. Compared to the International Space Station, you might be doing spacewalks every day on Mars, and that tempo is something NASA isn’t used to. We need to gather data: Does that tempo start to affect cognition or physical performance?

When you are on the surface of these more remote environments, you’re going to want to use that time to not only survive, but gather data and increase the body of scientific knowledge.

How well did you pack for 378 days?
I consider myself a light packer, and I’ve learned you really don’t need a whole lot to get by. That way of life translated well into the mission.

I did bring some comforts. I’m glad I brought a buckwheat pillow. I find them really comfortable, especially when they’re broken in. I brought a good pair of headphones and a set of spudger tools.

We packed quite a few books. We have a nice library of music and movies. Owning a production company, I really enjoy film, and members of the crew are film fans, too.  It’s been something we’ve bonded over.

I wish I had brought a small mirror for my room. One of the other crew members brought high-quality microphones we could plug into different devices. It’s contributing to this interview.

In the end, there are four of us. When we come together, we have quite the spread and our bases covered.

How do you hope this mission will advance space exploration?
A lot has to come together to advance space research. The technical side is probably thought of first, but an important piece is the human aspect.

An important aspect of our mission is time-delayed communication. That’s something NASA has limited experience with but is looking to gain through experiments like this.

If we think about the ISS or the moon, they’re relatively close to the Earth, and [communication] is nearly instantaneous. But as we push farther out to Mars, that distance gets quite long. We have no [option for] instant [communication] like a phone call or video chat. A lot becomes written, and we have to account for the time it takes to send messages and receive responses.

Ultimately, all of this will hopefully create new processes, procedures and plans for surface missions where mission control isn’t quite as integrated with the crews.

What have you learned about yourself during this mission?
I should give myself a little grace and have a short memory. I’m driven to strive for really high-performing outputs, but in complex situations, especially on long-duration missions, you’re going to make mistakes and things aren’t going to go as planned. You need to assess those accurately, learn the lesson and move on.

The good part about a long-duration mission is there’s usually an opportunity to give something a go again. There’s a little comfort in that.

I’ve also learned I should trust myself a little more. When something doesn’t feel right or I’m feeling [drawn to] a particular course of action, I should dive in and pinpoint where that’s coming from. A few [times during] this mission, [doing that has] led to better outcomes.

What advice do you have for future Mars explorers?
Acquire a broad set of skills. I’m continually impressed by the crew’s breadth and depth of knowledge. When it’s just the four of you and you have to rely on yourself and each other, having that broad set of skills is incredibly important. You’ll be the ones solving problems, and that could be the difference between life and death and the success of the mission.

Foster a deep sense of inquisitiveness. You need to be present. Being [observant] might lead to new discoveries. It might also lead to preemptive measures that help your safety and success.

Check everything. That’s both good for data and good for safety.

Funded by the Department of War’s Joint Hypersonics Transition Office, the 91�Թ���-led project aims to develop and test a design for a dual-mode, liquid, rotating detonation engine at 91�Թ���’s brand-new Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion (HyperSpace Center).

The project builds on previous 91�Թ��� research and may improve energy efficiency and reduce costs for commercial space access and transatlantic travel.

The research is in its early stages, but Ahmed says he’s hopeful this transformative technology will be realized over the course of the project.

“In simple terms, it could propel you at Mach 5 and above.”

“In simple terms, it could propel you at Mach 5 and above,” he says. “It will work like an aircraft engine that ingests air but transitions into a rocket engine that could take you to space or at faster speeds and bring you back into air mode propulsion again.”

Continuing to advance the emerging field of hypersonic travel and build upon previous successes is something Ahmed is looking forward to with his dual-mode detonation engine research.

Ahmed’s proposed engine technology may lend itself to making hypersonic travel possible – meaning that transatlantic travel may be possible in a fraction of the time it takes for conventional aircraft.

“We have significant plans of using that technology for hypersonic travel and other initiatives, reducing cost for commercial space access and making transatlantic travel quicker.”

“We’re very excited about this program because it builds up a lot of the capabilities that we have at the lab with exploring detonation-based propulsion, where we could drive high energy efficiency propelling you at faster speeds and functioning in different modes,” he says. “We have significant plans of using that technology for hypersonic travel and other initiatives, reducing cost for commercial space access and making transatlantic travel quicker.”

For this project, 91�Թ��� is collaborating with researchers at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Raytheon Technologies and Pratt & Whitney.

Researcher’s Credentials
Ahmed joined 91�Թ���’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, part of 91�Թ���’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, in 2014. He is also a faculty member of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery, Director of the Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion (HYPERSPACE Center) and the director of the Propulsion and Energy Research Laboratory. He served more than three years as a senior aero/thermo engineer at Pratt & Whitney military engines working on advanced engine programs and technologies.

He also served as a faculty member at Old Dominion University and Florida State University. At 91�Թ���, he is leading research in propulsion and energy with applications for power generation and gas-turbine engines, propulsion-jet engines, hypersonics and fire safety, as well as research related to supernova science and COVID-19 transmission control. He earned his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a DoD Distinguished Faculty Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics associate fellow, and a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Office of Naval Research faculty fellow.

Landing humans on the moon was just a dream when 91�Թ��� was founded in 1963. But we dared to believe — developing the talent and inventing the technologies to make it reality. That same spirit still drives us today.

We are America’s Space University. And we celebrate 91�Թ��� Space Week to honor our origin as we dare to build what’s next.

Where Global Leaders Unite to Forge the Future of Space

Seconds after NASA’s Orion capsule splashed into the Pacific Ocean, white spray rose around the scorched spacecraft. Telemetry streamed from Houston to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Inside the Test Launch Control Center thousands of miles from the splashdown, Joseph Hoayun ’22 ’26MSEM watched his monitor intently. His heart pounded as he tracked live data from the crew module uprighting system, a critical safety mechanism he had spent months testing and analyzing.

As five vibrant orange balloons inflated and lifted the capsule upright in the rolling sea, Hoayun’s shoulders finally dropped. Months of work gave way to pride. Orion was home. Mission accomplished.

“That capsule was my baby,” says Hoayun, a spacecraft propulsion test engineer at Lockheed Martin, NASA’s prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft used in the crewed Artemis II mission. “We were just freaking out — everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. It felt like hours from the time Orion entered our atmosphere until the astronauts safely emerged from the spacecraft.”

While the world celebrated the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century, Hoayun’s attention soon turned to the next mission. As NASA prepares to accelerate its launch schedule from one Artemis mission every two years to an aggressive eight-month cycle, the pressure on test engineering is mounting. To keep pace, his division is expanding from 70 to more than 100 personnel.

High-Pressure Stakes

Hoayun supports the night shift in an operation that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week at Kennedy Space Center. On any given evening, he might run a proof and leak test on an Orion service module, pressurizing flight propellant tanks to hundreds of pounds per square inch to verify structural integrity under extreme stress.

“People think you build one rocket at a time, but right now we have Artemis III, IV and V all in our building being tested in parallel by different teams,” Hoayun says.

As leader of his division’s Operational Excellence Team, he applies Six Sigma methods to improve tracking, refine testing workflows and eliminate waste. He estimates his team has saved Lockheed Martin hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“We do hundreds of distinct tests for each spacecraft cycle to ensure that all engines, electrical components, mechanical units and control systems work cleanly before they leave Earth,” he says.

Ensuring spacecraft reliability requires precision and strict safety protocols, including a 70-foot evacuation radius during high-threshold testing to protect personnel from lethal hazards. A single miscalculation could destroy a $2 billion spacecraft or trigger a catastrophic explosion.

Hoayun credits his 91�Թ��� bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degree in engineering management through the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science with giving him the tools to thrive in these high-pressure environments. For his senior design project, he fondly recalls building and successfully flying a distributed electric propulsion aircraft. The complex engineering challenge required the same collaborative problem-solving he now relies on at Lockheed Martin.

But long before stepping onto 91�Թ���’s campus, Hoayun discovered his passion for solving problems. As a child, he watched Apollo 13 and was captivated by the scene in which engineers race against the clock to build a makeshift carbon dioxide filter.

“Watching them solve a life-or-death engineering problem in real time made me say, ‘I want to be the guy in the control room doing rapid problem-solving,’ ” he says.

Read Him Like a Book

Hoayun’s dad, a science teacher at Orlando’s Corner Lake Middle School, recognized his son’s fascination with space early. Instead of traditional bedtime stories like Goodnight Moon, his father read him school textbooks or set up kitchen experiments to explain thermodynamics and chemistry. When Hoayun reached middle school, he landed right in his dad’s honors class.

“Getting to touch a spacecraft and see your work blast into orbit every day is a full-circle blessing.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily recommend having your dad as your teacher,” Hoayun says with a chuckle. “He loved using me as the class guinea pig for demonstrations, but I couldn’t complain — he was my ride home!”

After submitting about 400 job applications, Hoayun landed his dream job. In a few years, he says he may return to 91�Թ��� to pursue a doctorate. But for now, at just 26, he’s focused on preparing the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis III mission.

His work supports preparations for the precise maneuvers needed to bring Orion and commercial lunar landers together in orbit, helping pave the way for astronauts to return to the moon’s surface.

“Each mission is progressively more complex and difficult,” Hoayun says. “But that means you never get bored. Getting to touch a spacecraft and see your work blast into orbit every day is a full-circle blessing.”

The next national defense breakthrough could begin in a combustion lab, a line of code or a digital investigation. Seven 91�Թ��� students are preparing to help make it happen.

Through the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)’s Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program, they’ll use their technical talents to serve their country as civilians. The prestigious scholarship provides full tuition, summer internships and civilian employment upon graduation — connecting their education to challenges with national impact.

As the department’s largest STEM education and workforce development initiative, the SMART Scholarship prepares future leaders through hands-on experience at more than 150 DOD facilities advancing artificial intelligence, biotechnology, autonomy, space, 5G and other technology areas.

The recipients are aerospace engineering majors Bright Katey and Annie Driskell; computer science doctoral student Nathan Couch ’25; electrical engineering major Hunter Glass; industrial engineering doctoral student Johanna Matias ’12; computer engineering master’s student Jonathan Meyers ’26; and digital forensics master’s student Jean Bernard Pierre.

For the four scholars featured below, the award opens a path to advance their education, launch their careers and empower them to shape the future.

Annie Driskell: Taking Flight Beyond Earth

For Driskell, a fascination with flight began at home.

“Since childhood, aviation has been part of my everyday life,” Driskell says. “I grew up in a military family with my dad serving as a Navy pilot, and being surrounded by aircraft naturally sparked a lasting curiosity about how things fly and how the universe works.”

She chose 91�Թ��� for its strong aerospace engineering program, proximity to Florida’s Space Coast and connections to the space industry. Her military upbringing also gave her an early appreciation for the dedication, sacrifice and sense of purpose of those who serve.

“As new advancements emerge in the aerospace industry, from major space discoveries to revolutionary technologies, I believe increased global competition can also create new national security challenges,” Driskell says. “I want to be part of advancing aerospace technology while helping ensure the United States is prepared to address those challenges.”

As a SMART Scholar, Driskell will work for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center, taking a step toward her ambition of developing technologies that expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth.

“Whether I am one member on a large engineering team or helping refine a single component, the chance to support revolutionary technology that expands our understanding of space is exactly the kind of work I hope to do.”

Bright Katey: Fueling a Future in Propulsion

Katey wants to push propulsion research forward while serving his country. The SMART Scholarship brings those ambitions together.

“My background in aerospace and mechanical engineering, with a focus on combustion, propulsion, shock tube experiments, laser diagnostics and chemical kinetic modeling, closely aligns with the program’s mission,” Katey says. “This alignment positions me to contribute meaningfully to defense-related research and technology development.”

In the , directed by 91�Թ��� Trustee Chair Professor , Katey studies combustion conditions for energetics and propellants. The opportunity to work on real-world engineering problems drew him to 91�Թ��� and provided valuable preparation for the SMART Scholarship.

“My time in the lab has provided valuable hands-on experience with shock tube experiments, kinetic modeling, data analysis and scientific communication, Katey says.”

He views the program as a launchpad toward a dream career as a research engineer in defense and propulsion.

“This opportunity inspires me to continue advancing combustion and propulsion research while contributing to cleaner, more efficient and more reliable energy and defense technologies,” Katey says.

Jonathan Meyers ’26: Engineering Smarter Solutions

After earning his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, Meyers returned to 91�Թ��� to pursue his master’s and become a two-time Knight. Through SMART, he’ll continue his work with the Naval Enterprise Research Data Science Lab at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD).

Coworkers who became SMART Scholars early in their careers encouraged him to apply. Their experiences showed him how the program could help expand his skills and opportunities.

Meyers will work with Nelson Lerma, a senior data science/ product manager at NAWCTSD, whose mentorship has helped him grow.

“Dr. Nelson Lerma … constantly pushes me to grow my technical skills and diversify my experience while also staying grounded and making the right decisions,” Meyers says.

Meyers values computer engineering’s range of applications and wants to use that versatility to address emerging challenges through machine learning.

“My goal is to continue research into machine learning topics and develop cutting-edge solutions to new and emerging problems,” Meyers says. “By furthering my knowledge and building connections to both professors and my fellow students, I believe I have a better chance of achieving this goal while also making great friends along the way.”

Jean Bernard Pierre: Returning to Service, Equipped for Digital Threats

For Pierre, the SMART Scholarship connects his next chapter to the mission that started his career.

Before pursuing his master’s in digital forensics, Pierre served as a U.S. Navy information systems specialist and worked at the FBI Computer Forensics Laboratory.

“My interest in computing grew from a desire to see how intelligent systems can automate complex tasks while remaining secure,” Pierre says. “During my time in the Navy and supporting the forensics lab, I saw firsthand how essential digital evidence and secure networks are to both public safety and national defense.”

Pierre sees the scholarship as a bridge between that operational background and his future in digital forensics and threat mitigation.

“It allows me to transition back seamlessly into the Department of Defense workforce, where I can apply digital forensics and threat mitigation to safeguard critical national security systems.”

He chose 91�Թ��� for its strong cybersecurity programs and integration with the National Center for Forensic Science.

“91�Թ��� integrates high-level technical rigor with practical, real-world application,” Pierre says. “It gives me access to advanced forensic tools and testing platforms that both challenge and prepare me for the complex demands of the defense sector.”

After earning his master’s degree, Pierre hopes to help detect, analyze and neutralize digital threats, building on his military service with new expertise.

“The SMART Scholarship is far more than funding; it is a truly transformational career engine, a direct pipeline back to the mission [that] began years ago in the U.S. Navy — back to where it all started.”

A 91�Թ���-led research team will receive a $19.2 million, five-year award from the U.S. Army Research Office to investigate how light travels through complex, changing environments — and how researchers can control it.

Led by Guifang Li, a professor in 91�Թ���’s College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), the program brings together researchers from CREOL and 91�Թ���’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, the University of Dayton and the University of California, Berkeley, alongside industry partners.

The award will also support a new chapter for CREOL’s Townes Laser Institute under Li’s leadership. Established at CREOL in 2007 and named for Nobel laureate and laser pioneer Charles Townes, the institute advances laser technologies and their potential applications. Li plans to expand its focus on multidisciplinary projects that apply advances in lasers and photonics to practical challenges.

“Townes Laser Institute will translate multidisciplinary scientific advances into solutions that aspire to benefit society as profoundly as the laser itself, to honor the legacy of Charles Townes,” Li says.

Understanding Light in the Real World

Light traveling through the real world rarely behaves as it does in an ideal laboratory.

Atmospheric turbulence, scattering materials, biological tissue and other complex media can scramble an optical wave, degrade an image or prevent light from being precisely delivered to a desired location. The new program seeks to develop ways to measure these distortions remotely and correct them rapidly, particularly when a sensor, beacon or other measurement device cannot be placed at the far end of the optical path.

Although partly motivated by challenges involving directed-energy systems, the research could also inform imaging through biological tissue, laser-based medicine, remote sensing and free-space optical communications.

“We are interested in a very fundamental problem: How do you understand and control light when the environment between you and where you want the light to go is unknown, changing and inaccessible?” Li says. “That question appears in many different forms — from atmospheric propagation to looking through scattering tissue. If we can develop new ways to measure the optical environment and adapt to it in real time, the underlying science could have an impact across many fields.”

Learning About an Environment from the Light Itself

One of the program’s central questions is whether researchers can determine what happened to light during its journey without directly accessing the other end of its path.

One group of techniques will examine the extremely small amount of light naturally scattered back as an optical wave travels through a medium. By combining coherent optical measurements with advanced computational methods, the team will study whether these weak returning signals can reveal how conditions vary along the optical path.

Other approaches will use carefully designed patterns of light and mathematical inverse methods to simultaneously learn about an unknown object and the medium obscuring it.

The team will also explore using artificial intelligence to analyze optical measurements and gain a better understanding of complex environments.

Correcting Distortions in Complex Media

Understanding how light has been distorted creates a second challenge: How can the distortion be undone?

The team will investigate multi-plane light conversion, which manipulates an optical wave across a series of controllable planes rather than relying on a single optical element to correct complex distortions.

In principle, the approach could give researchers greater control over both the amplitude and phase of an optical field, allowing a system to address distortions that conventional single-plane methods cannot easily correct.

For light traveling through the atmosphere, the technique could provide new ways to compensate for rapidly changing turbulence. Related principles could help researchers recover images obscured by biological tissue or improve the precision with which lasers deliver light through complex biological environments.

Bringing Optics and Computation Together

The program combines traditionally separate fields, including coherent optical sensing, computational imaging, inverse methods, artificial intelligence, adaptive optics and programmable photonics, to investigate systems capable of characterizing and adapting to a complex optical environment.

The multidisciplinary approach also reflects Li’s vision for the Townes Laser Institute: bringing researchers together to develop solutions for specific applications.

Preparing the Next Generation of Optical Scientists

The program will also train students from 91�Թ���, the University of Dayton and UC Berkeley to work across optical physics, photonics, computation and engineering. Students will gain experience in optical sensing, wavefront control, computational imaging, artificial intelligence and advanced photonic systems.

“An award of this scale gives us an unusual opportunity not only to pursue ambitious scientific questions, but also to train students across institutions and disciplines,” Li says. “The students will learn to think about optics as a complete system — combining physics, devices, computation and experiments. That workforce development is an important part of the program.”

Moving Discoveries Beyond the Laboratory

Industry partners will explore potential applications for discoveries emerging from the research.

Meadowlark Optics Inc., Caelight Inc. and Holodyne LLC will help commercialize technologies emerging from the research. Texas Instruments will support the program by providing the research team with prototypes of microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS, before they become publicly available.

“This award reflects 91�Թ���’s growing leadership in optics and photonics and demonstrates the impact that fundamental university research can have on technologies of national importance,” CREOL Dean says. “Just as importantly, the program will educate the next generation of scientists and engineers needed to advance these technologies.”

This research is supported by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory through the Army Research Office under award number W911NF262A129.