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.

In Orange County, a health educator teaches students in schools and after-school programs how to eat nutritious foods and be more active, helping lower their risk of obesity and chronic disease. In Pennsylvania, infection preventionists work to contain a measles outbreak by isolating affected patients, ensuring healthcare staff use appropriate protective equipment and tracking new cases. In Indonesia, hospital leaders and public health officials mobilize practitioners, establish clean-air sanctuaries and deliver supplies to communities threatened by wildfire smoke.

These are just a few of the many health challenges being addressed and mitigated around the clock.

“We’re training the people who make sure [public health work] never stops. That’s a badge we wear with pride.” — Michael Rovito, 91�Թ��� MPH program director

Public health professionals plan for them every day. Beginning Fall 2027, 91�Թ���’s new Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the College of Health Professions and Sciences will prepare students to prevent disease, respond to emerging threats and lead efforts to build healthier communities in Central Florida and around the world.

“Public health is the work nobody notices until it stops,” says Michael Rovito, director of the program and associate professor of health sciences at 91�Թ���. “We’re training the people who make sure it never stops: the people who keep our communities healthy, who make sure children understand their own bodies and who help cancer survivors live full lives after treatment. That’s a badge we wear with pride.”

Across the nation, public health departments work to prevent disease and injury, contain outbreaks, monitor community health, provide scientific expertise and respond to emergencies. Meeting those demands requires a skilled workforce. A 2021 analysis by the de Beaumont Foundation and the Public Health National Center for Innovations estimated that state and local public health departments needed at least 80,000 additional full-time positions — an increase of nearly 80% — to provide foundational public health services nationwide.

“91�Թ��� has a really comprehensive focus on … making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier.” — Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the MPH program’s Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track

91�Թ���’s program will prepare the next generation of public health professionals to meet that need through research, policy, leadership and collaboration with communities. Central Florida provides a unique training ground where students can confront a range of challenges. Florida ranks among the top 20 states for the number of residents age 65 or older, second for projected new cancer diagnoses, fourth for reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases and third for HIV diagnoses.

“91�Թ��� has a really comprehensive focus on health, both in making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier,” says Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the program’s Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track and instructor of health management and informatics. “Public health is a really natural fit with something we’re already doing really well and with great success.”

Researchers in the College of Health Professions and Sciences are already addressing many of those challenges, with work spanning health policy, substance use and more. Rovito and 91�Թ��� Associate Professor Keith Brazendale are leading a study to improve the quality of life of testicular cancer survivors. 91�Թ��� Assistant Professor Jacob Bleasdale is studying the health-related needs of older patients living with HIV. 91�Թ��� Assistant Professor Latarsha Chisholm is working to improve end-of-life care for dementia patients.

“There’s a lot of good work to be done here in Central Florida, and 91�Թ��� is uniquely positioned to lead in public health by collaborating with partners on campus and across the region and drawing on our strength as one of the most innovative universities in the nation,” Rovito says.

Built for the work ahead, the program offers two tracks:

• Health promotion and behavioral science: For students who want to work directly with communities to improve access to health resources, reduce chronic disease risk and strengthen well-being.
• Health policy, planning and leadership: For students who want lead public health organizations, influence policy and turn evidence into solutions for complex health challenges.

Applications are open now through May 1 for the Fall 2027 class. The program will be offered primarily in person on 91�Թ���’s main and downtown campuses, with some courses offering a synchronous online option.

For more information, visit .

A one-hour virtual information session about 91�Թ���’s MPH program will be held Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m.

When Nilver Tovar-Ospina ’26PhD came to 91�Թ��� to pursue a doctorate in environmental engineering, he expected to continue studying the environmental challenges he had explored in Colombia during his graduate studies. Instead, the Colombian native opened a new avenue of research in 91�Թ���’s .

In Summer 2026, Tovar-Ospina became the first graduate of 91�Թ���’s integrative anthropological sciences doctoral program with a concentration in environmental anthropology. His research in environmental engineering examines how flooding and sea-level rise affect vulnerable communities in South Florida.

Tovar-Ospina found that while high-income, tourist-focused areas received substantial flood-protection infrastructure, historically lower-income communities continued to experience recurrent flooding that, in some places, had persisted for decades. He connected these contemporary disparities to earlier drainage and canalization projects, environmental changes and uneven infrastructure investment.

“Understanding what these communities are experiencing today is essential for developing more equitable risk assessments and adaptation strategies,” he says.

From Colombia to 91�Թ���

Tovar-Ospina’s interest in the field began years ago while working for a company that conducted environmental studies in Neiva, Colombia. His experience evaluating how hydrological companies, construction and projects can impact biodiversity and societies dependent on biodiverse resources deepened his interest in how environmental and social changes affect communities. It prompted him to explore these connections further from home, which led him to the 91�Թ��� Global Intensive English Program and eventually his doctoral program.

Focus of Research

During his doctoral studies, Tovar-Ospina began examining how flooding and sea-level rise affect communities in Miami-Dade County and why flood vulnerability is distributed so unevenly. Through 91�Թ��� Coastal, one of 91�Թ���’s Faculty Cluster Initiatives (FCI), he connected his anthropological research with broader interdisciplinary conversations about coastal vulnerability and climate adaptation.

“I wanted to go beyond conventional flood-risk models and understand how flooding is actually experienced by the people living with it,” Tovar-Ospina says. “That meant combining ethnography and community knowledge with historical research, participatory mapping and GIS to understand not only where flooding occurs, but why vulnerability is so uneven.”

Tovar-Ospina’s dissertation, Architectures of Flooding: History, Power, and the Production of Flood Risk in Miami-Dade County, examined flooding not simply as a natural hazard but as a condition shaped by history, infrastructure, environmental transformation and funding. His research combined ethnography, interviews, participant observation, participatory mapping, historical research and GIS to connect residents’ lived experiences with the broader processes that have shaped flood vulnerability across Miami-Dade County.

To his surprise, some communities identified as highly exposed by conventional flood-risk models reported relatively limited experiences with recurrent flooding. Sea walls, coastal barriers and improved drainage systems helped protect some coastal communities, revealing a disconnect between modeled flood exposure and the lived experiences of residents.

Farther inland, Tovar-Ospina found lower-income communities experiencing recurrent flooding, including residents still recovering from hurricanes of the previous years. These experiences showed that elevation or proximity to the coast alone could not explain how flood risk was lived across Miami-Dade County.

Through participatory mapping, residents identified places where they repeatedly experienced flooding, allowing Tovar-Ospina to compare community knowledge with official representations of flood risk. The maps revealed recurrent flooding, drainage problems, mobility disruptions, and household impacts that conventional assessments did not always capture.

“Living with these low-income communities, I learned that residents were often offered ‘palliative solutions’ or short-term responses, like sandbags and water bottles, while they continued to call for longer-term adaptation strategies and infrastructure that could better protect them,” Tovar-Ospina says.

Awards and Accolades

Over the course of his doctoral program, Tovar-Ospina built an exceptional record of research and scholarship, receiving recognition at the university, national and international levels.

In 2026, his peer-reviewed article, “Tangible and Intangible Impacts of Flooding in Miami-Dade County: A Human-Centered Analysis,” was published in Human Ecology. He also received a Judges’ Choice Award at 91�Թ���’s 2026 Student Scholar Symposium and the Best Paper Presentation Award at the International Conference on Environmental Anthropology and Sustainability in Paris.

Among his other recent accomplishments, he received the 2026 Laura Bassi Scholarship for his book manuscript, Architectures of Flooding: Unequal Ground in a Drowning County and was selected as one of nine international participants for the 2025 Climate Politics and Autocratization Conference at the University of Bergen in Norway.

A Pathway to Strengthen Florida’s Coastal Communities

Tovar-Ospina hopes his work will help direct greater attention and resources to those most affected.

“Communities need to be included in discussions, studies and assessments when developing climate-related policies to ensure their concerns are understood and addressed,” he says.

Tovar-Ospina also feels proud for paving the path for future students who are interested in environmental anthropology at 91�Թ���.

“Florida and other coastal areas have been affected by hurricanes and flooding,” he says. “We need more environmental anthropologists to ensure the knowledge and experiences of the most impacted communities are part of how these challenges are understood and addressed.”

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

91�Թ��� Professor Anish Roshi Damodaran is investigating a new approach for a virtual super telescope that could allow scientists to observe planet formation and the early universe in unprecedented detail.

Damodaran previously led radio astronomy for the Arecibo Observatory, which 91�Թ��� began co-managing in 2018 under an agreement with the U.S. National Science Foundation. Following the telescope’s structural collapse in 2020, he continued to advance his research activities at 91�Թ���.

Damodaran is now one of 18 researchers in the U.S. selected for Phase I of NASA’s 2026 Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The nine-month, $175,000 award funds early development of technologies that demonstrate transformative potential and possible feasibility for eventual implementation.

“Having the opportunity to explore such a bold idea at its earliest stage, and to do so with the support of NASA and the NIAC community, is both professionally and personally inspiring,” Damodaran says.

The concept is known as PHOENIX — short for Photonics-Enabled Heterodyne Submillimeter/Far-Infrared Interferometer.

PHOENIX proposes using advanced photonic technologies to connect up to 25 spacecraft into a powerful space-based interferometer. Working together, the spacecraft could effectively function as a much larger telescope, capable of producing ultra-high-resolution observations at submillimeter and far-infrared wavelengths.

The project also brings together expertise in astronomy, photonics and space instrumentation from 91�Թ��� and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This includes CREOL Pegasus Professor Peter Delfyett; CREOL professors Guifang Li and Stephen Eikenberry; Florida Space Institute researcher Julie Brisset; College of Sciences Professor Yan Fernandez; and JPL researchers Jacob Kooi and Jonathan Kawamura.

Jumpstarting a New Wave of Space Technology

Some of the most important stages in the evolution of the universe are also among the most difficult to observe. Stars, planets and galaxies often form from cold gas and dust that are invisible to the human eye.

Falling between infrared and radio wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum, submillimeter astronomy gives scientists a window into this otherwise hidden universe.

But observing these phenomena at extremely high resolution requires capabilities that are difficult to achieve with a conventional space telescope. A single telescope with an aperture measuring tens or even hundreds of meters would face significant launch constraints. Dividing that observing power across multiple smaller satellites presents its own challenges, including precisely synchronizing the spacecraft, and processing and transmitting the enormous amounts of data they collect.

“While existing facilities can detect cold gas and dust associated with planet formation, star formation, and galaxy evolution, they cannot directly resolve many of the critical structures where these processes occur,” Damodaran says.

Seeing the Universe in New Detail

PHOENIX could also provide new insights into how stars form within dense, dust-enshrouded environments. By combining high-resolution imaging with spectroscopy — an observation technique that uses light to analyze the chemical composition of matter — the observatory concept could allow astronomers to examine how turbulence, gravity and gas dynamics interact where stars form.

“One of the most exciting applications would be the direct observation of planet formation in protoplanetary disks around young stars,” Damodaran says, referring to the rotating disks of gas and dust which form planets. “PHOENIX could resolve structures on scales comparable to the size of the inner solar system — allowing scientists to observe how water, water ice, molecular gas and dust are assembled into planets, identify the signatures of newly forming worlds, and investigate the conditions that lead to potentially habitable planetary systems.”

On a larger scale, observations of gas and dust within distant galaxies could help researchers examine how star formation and supermassive black holes have influenced galaxy evolution over billions of years.

“One of the most exciting applications would be the direct observation of planet formation in protoplanetary disks around young stars.” — Anish Roshi Damodaran, Florida Space Institute professor

Testing an Ambitious Idea

The nine-month Phase I study represents an early step toward determining whether that vision could eventually become technically achievable. Rather than building the observatory itself, Damodaran and his collaborators will use the NIAC award to develop a more detailed mission architecture, identify critical enabling technologies, evaluate performance requirements, assess technology readiness and further define the scientific capabilities PHOENIX could provide.

Following his selection, Damodaran attended the NIAC orientation and symposium, where he met other NIAC fellows and learned about the range of early-stage concepts being pursued through the NASA program.

“In many ways, the process feels like undertaking a second Ph.D. thesis,” Damodaran says. “It requires questioning assumptions, exploring alternative approaches, identifying critical technology gaps and developing a compelling scientific case. As a scientist and instrument developer, I find that immensely rewarding.”

Future Stages of NASA’s NIAC Program

NASA’s NIAC program supports visionary aerospace concepts through progressive phases of study. Eligible Phase I recipients can propose for Phase II, which provides up to $750,000 for two years of further concept development and requires researchers to prepare a roadmap for continued development.

Phase III provides up to $2 million for another two years of exploration and development, with the goal of strategically transitioning concepts with the highest potential impact for NASA, other government agencies or commercial partners. NASA plans to make six to eight Phase II awards and one Phase III award annually.

The PHOENIX project is supported by a $175,000 Phase I award through NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program. 

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.

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.

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

Whether it’s solving the world’s biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at 91�Թ��� are on the edge of scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the , student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights plan to improve our world.

Name: Hansjorg Schwertz, M.D., Ph.D.

Position(s): Assistant professor of aerospace medicine; associate director for translational aerospace medicine research at the 91�Թ��� Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine (CASEEM)

Why are you interested in this research?
We study some of the smallest and most overlooked cells in the blood. Platelets are famous for stopping bleeding and forming blood clots, but they also talk to the immune system, help initiate and control inflammation, and play roles in conditions from infection to cancer. They are made by much larger cells in the bone marrow called megakaryocytes, which grow to an enormous size, pack themselves with the machinery for making proteins, and then extend long, branching arms from which thousands of platelets are released. What makes these cells especially intriguing to us is that platelets have no nucleus, yet they carry RNA blueprints and can finish processing them and build new proteins when they are activated. Understanding that hidden layer of platelet behavior has been the thread of our work for years.

During spaceflight, astronauts experience changes in blood clotting and immune regulation, and surprisingly little is known about what happens to megakaryocytes and platelets during a mission. That gap is what drew us in. I should be clear that this is not my research. It is our laboratory’s research, carried forward by many hands. We all run the experiments — technicians, students and collaborators — and often analyze the data through nights and weekends. The flight experiment on the International Space Station was simply the next question we got to ask together.

Who inspires you to conduct your research?
Family comes first: My wife and our daughters are my inspiration, my support and honestly my drivers. They push me and motivate me on the days when experiments fail, which is most days in research. I also want to show them, by example rather than words, that everything is possible if you are willing to work for it.

My mentors are the other half of the answer: Guy Zimmerman and Andy Weyrich at the University of Utah. They taught me how to do science, but more importantly how to treat people in science. Whatever our laboratory accomplishes rests on what they built, and the fact that our collaborations are still active says a lot about the kind of environment they created.

Furthermore, the students — whether I am talking to schoolchildren or university students — watching someone encounter the beauty of megakaryocytes and platelets for the first time is a reminder that the work matters beyond the laboratory.

And finally, within the MOON study itself, [University of Utah researchers and collaborators] Marina Tristao and Neal Tolley are the core team. We do the heavy lifting as a team, and none of this flies without them.

How does 91�Թ��� empower you to do your research?
91�Թ��� has built something rare: a Division of Aerospace Medicine whose research goal is to understand how microgravity, radiation, and isolation affect the human body, and to turn that knowledge into better care for people in space and on Earth. As a tenure-track faculty member in the division and associate director for translational aerospace medicine research at the Center for Aerospace and Extreme Environments Medicine, I have an institutional home that is committed to exactly this kind of work. “Translational” is a word I care about: it means the path from a cell in a dish to an astronaut on orbit to a patient in a hospital should be short, and 91�Թ��� is organized around making it short.

Just as important, 91�Թ��� lets the collaboration continue. The MOON study began at the University of Utah and depends on partners there, on BioServe Space Technologies, whose hardware keeps our cells alive on orbit, and on the astronauts who perform the experiments themselves. Being able to keep that team together while growing new collaborations here is the real empowerment.

What major grants and honors have you earned to support your research?
The MOON study is supported by a NASA research award, and our laboratory has been fortunate to receive support over the years from the Volkswagen Foundation through a Lichtenberg Professorship, the German Research Foundation, the American Heart Association, and others. I say “our laboratory” deliberately because grants are written by teams and carried out by teams, and the funding belongs to the work, not to one person.

The honors I have received, including young investigator awards from the thrombosis and hemostasis community early in my career and fellowship in the occupational and aerospace medicine colleges more recently, mean the most as recognition of the mentors who trained me and the colleagues who did the work alongside me.

Why is this research important?
Because astronauts’ blood changes in space, and one of the more sobering possibilities is an increased risk of blood clots on long missions. We do not yet completely understand why, because no one has watched the cells that control clotting — the megakaryocytes and platelets — develop and function over the course of a spaceflight. Our experiment was the first to grow megakaryocytes on the International Space Station, and by comparing those cultures with blood samples taken from crew members before and after flight, we hope to connect what we see in a dish to what actually happens in a person.

Whatever comes of it will be a team accomplishment in the fullest sense: our laboratory on the ground, Marina, Neal, and myself running the experiments, collaborators in Utah, the engineers who built the hardware, and the astronauts who gave their time and their blood. If the findings help protect crews heading to the moon and Mars, that is the goal. And because the same cells misbehave in sepsis and clotting disorders here on Earth, there is a good chance the work helps patients who will never leave the ground.

Florida’s wildlife is closely connected to the environments it has inhabited for generations. But as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, those conditions are changing, creating new challenges for species across the state.

For white-tailed deer and Florida panthers, those challenges may look very different. Southern deer populations could face greater pressure as rising temperatures and shifting water conditions alter their habitat, while Florida panthers’ limited genetic variety may restrict their ability to respond to future environmental change.

“The main goal is putting this research on … the radar for wildlife managers so they can use it to implement conservation measures. ” — George Zaragoza ’26PhD, postdoctoral scholar

Research conducted by 91�Թ��� College of Sciences postdoctoral scholar George Zaragoza ’26PhD combines genomic data with habitat suitability models to examine how suitable habitats may change and whether individual populations have the genetic variety and adaptive potential needed to respond.

The research revealed a latitudinal pattern among Florida’s white-tailed deer, with southeastern populations more vulnerable than those farther north. For Florida panthers, the concern is their low genetic variety and limited adaptive potential despite a genetic rescue program in the 1990s.

“The main goal is putting this research on these interconnected species on the radar for wildlife managers so they can use it to implement conservation measures that will help these species thrive in the future,” says Zaragoza, who earned a doctorate in integrative conservation biology at 91�Թ���.

South Florida Deer Face a Hotter, Drier Future

The greatest concerns for white-tailed deer are concentrated in South Florida and the greater Everglades, where projections indicate increasingly dry conditions over the next 50 to 100 years.

“The ecology of the South Everglades relies a lot on water dynamics and how populations respond to higher or lower water levels,” Zaragoza says.

For deer, those changes can affect the plants they rely on for food.

“If water levels are lower than historically expected, those nutrient-rich food sources may become less available,” he says. “Too much water can create a different challenge by making low-lying areas unreachable to deer.”

Central and northern Florida deer populations are projected to face similar conditions, though the shift is expected to be less pronounced than in South Florida.

Genetics Reveal How Deer Are Adapted to Their Environment

Zaragoza’s research also examined genetic characteristics that may help explain how Florida deer have adapted to their environments.

Two genes of particular interest related to circadian rhythm are THADA, associated with metabolism and thermoregulation, and PROK2, associated with the timing of nocturnal activity.

Zaragoza says the findings may point to a role in regulating seasonal metabolic energy use and reproduction-related physiological processes.

“There are consistently these sort of genes that are involved in the timing of these physiological processes that have to do with how deer are storing energy,” Zaragoza says.

Zaragoza also identified genes associated with immune processes more often than expected by chance. This may be particularly important in Florida, where deer are exposed to a wide range of viruses, including those transmitted by arthropod vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes and biting flies.

The research may also help explain why Florida deer have a different reproductive timeline than populations farther north. Differences in sunlight, temperature and other environmental conditions may have contributed to adaptations in these cycles.

Florida Panthers Face a Different Challenge

For Florida panthers, the primary concern is whether the species has enough genetic variety to respond to future environmental conditions.

The population experienced a severe genetic bottleneck, leading to a genetic rescue program in the 1990s that introduced Texas pumas into the Florida population.

While subsequent research has shown that Florida panthers remain a distinct population, Zaragoza’s research indicates that genetic variation remains low.

“With limited genetic variation, Florida panthers have limited adaptive potential, especially as their habitat is also threatened,” he says. “It highlights the importance of suitable habitat and ensuring that it remains for the future.”

The research identified genetic variants involved in regulatory processes, including how and when genes are expressed. While this does not provide direct evidence of epigenetic mechanisms, it raises questions about whether epigenetic mechanisms could contribute to the panthers’ ability to respond to environmental changes despite their limited genetic variety.

“If a population with low genetic variation is able to use these epigenetic mechanisms to respond to future change, then that gives that population another potential way to adapt to future change that we’d like to better understand,” Zaragoza says.

For now, habitat protection remains particularly important for the species. Some South Florida habitats remain at risk of development or conversion, including in protected areas and wildlife refuges.

Connecting Genetics and Habitat

A central part of Zaragoza’s research brings together two types of information often studied separately: genetics and ecology.

By comparing projected changes in suitable habitat with genetics and adaptive potential, researchers can begin to prioritize populations based on vulnerability.

A population experiencing a substantial shift in suitable habitat may be better positioned to respond if it has high genetic variation and adaptive potential. Conversely, a population facing a similar environmental shift but lacking genetic variation could be at greater risk.

Zaragoza says this approach could give wildlife managers another tool for making decisions about Florida’s wildlife.

“There has been some work before, but especially in terms of environmental change, there really haven’t been these vulnerability assessments done with white-tailed deer and Florida panthers in the past,” Zaragoza says.

Making this information accessible could help managers identify populations that may need additional support, minimize habitat loss and consider strategies to protect vulnerable species.

An Integrative Approach to Conservation

For Zaragoza, the work also demonstrates the value of combining disciplines to answer complex conservation questions.

“There are so many tools and technologies available that really help us merge ecology and genetics into more of an integrative perspective,” Zaragoza says.

For him, understanding wildlife is ultimately about using science and technology to improve humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

“It comes down to realizing that we’re part of this greater ecosystem and we have a responsibility to steward it,” Zaragoza says.

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.