5/14/97

Contact: Doug Vickers, Avionics Engineering Center, 614-593-1514

ATHENS, Ohio -- The Avionics Engineering Center at Ohio University is one of three centers to receive the Excellence in Aviation award from the Federal Aviation Administration for its aviation research and development efforts in the FAA/NASA Joint University Program for Air Transportation.

The Joint University Program (JUP) is a collaborative research effort between Ohio University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University. The award, which was created by the FAA this year, was given to the program and its participants for research advances made over the last 26 years.

"Although this is not a monetary award, its value is in bringing national recognition to the quality research at Ohio University, especially in the Avionics Engineering Center," said Doug Vickers, assistant director of the Avionics Engineering Center in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University. "Dividends are paid to the center, which is supported only from grants and contracts, by the boost this award will give to fund-raising activities with both governmental agencies and industrial firms."

Started in 1971, the JUP is supported by research grants from the FAA and NASA. Each university partner focuses on a different area of aviation research and development.

Recent work at Ohio University has centered around the use of Global Positioning System technology in the development of new instrument landing systems for aircraft. Research areas include the development of software-based GPS receivers that have greater flexibility and fewer interference problems than conventional receivers..

Through the JUP at Ohio University, students in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science work with faculty on the development of new uses for GPS technology.

"The program provides practical application of the theoretical concepts presented in the classroom. It also is a tremendous asset in developing communications skills through quarterly technical presentations and yearly status reports given to leaders in academia, government and industry," said Dennis Akos, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science and coordinator of Ohio University's part of the Joint University Program.

The Excellence in Aviation designation is a competitive, non-monetary award to be presented annually to individuals or institutions whose past research benefits the aviation community today.