The Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) is among more than 20 universities and organizations across the U.S. to receive a $100,000 grant from NASA to support scientific and technical research projects.

The awarded project will be conducted at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and led by Han Hu, an assistant professor of engineering and mechanical engineering. Hu will serve as the head science investigator, while Constance Meadors, director of the ASGC, will serve as the principal investigator and facilitator of the grant.

Led by the University of Arkansas Power Group, the project will use acoustic emission sensing to detect electrical forces, Hu said. During the performance period, Hu’s team will develop a diagnostic tool that detects and addresses the reliability concerns of electric aircraft and advanced air mobility vehicles.

“The technology was originally developed for thermal detection,” Hu said. “[NASA] wants to use it to detect electric motors in advanced air mobility vehicles.”

The team will consist of two faculty members, Hu and Alan Mantooth, the director of the power group, along with two graduate students and two undergraduate students. A NASA collaborator will be involved, and Meadors will work closely with the team to handle administrative requirements and reporting.

After the performance period, the results will be shared with NASA. “Hopefully, Hu’s research will expand to further his lab and the NASA research of Arkansas,” Meadors said.

The ASGC is a partnership of 17 four-year affiliate institutions in the state.

The one-year grant was awarded through NASA’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, and funded by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement. The program is directed at regions that have traditionally been underrepresented in competitive aerospace and aerospace-related research activities. In the past, Arkansas “has fared quite well” with EPSCoR research, Meadors explained. The ASGC has received approximately eight awards since the inception of R3 in 2020.

“All NASA research conducted in the state is important as it must support and align with NASA’s mission and specifically meet one of NASA’s mission directorates,” Meadors said. “This is an excellent demonstration of Arkansas’ research capabilities and our contribution to NASA’s mission, which is the purpose of EPSCoR.”