News
Junior aviation management student Jonathan Burkhart and junior aerospace engineering student Nufath Arham have been selected for 2026 ISTAT Foundation Scholarships 鈥 a highly competitive international award open to students at universities in the ISTAT Foundation University Network. Burkhart received a General Award; Arham received both a General Award and the AELF James Nazarkewich Aviation Scholarship. In addition to financial support, recipients gain five years of ISTAT membership and conference access. The awards reflect the School of Aeronautics' growing presence on the international stage, led by Director Yi Gao, Ph.D., who coordinated 91快活林 State's entry into the network.
Five Rwandan students selected from 2,600 applicants are training to become professional pilots at 91快活林 鈥 and just made their first flights.
Six 91快活林 State aerospace engineering seniors spent seven months designing, building and testing a large-scale remote-controlled cargo aircraft for the AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition. Selected from a pool of 172 applicants, the team built a 10-foot aircraft with a 5-foot wingspan, achieving a stable test flight before a catastrophic electronic failure days before competition ended their run. They returned to the lab and worked through the night to attempt a repair, but time and resource constraints prevented a full rebuild. They didn't bring home an award 鈥 but they left with something more lasting: real engineering experience, hard decisions made under pressure and the kind of teamwork and resilience that can't be taught in a classroom.
Jared Brown doesn鈥檛 just build schedules; he builds confidence. His ability to turn academic stress into actionable solutions has made him more than just an advisor; it has made him the latest recipient of 91快活林's Distinguished Advising Award.
Ohio State Representative Derrick Hall recently visited the 91快活林 Airport, where he received an informational tour of the facilities hosted by College of Aeronautics and Engineering Dean Christina Bloebaum, Ph.D.
When research by Yi Gai, Ph.D., professor and director of the School of Aeronautics, was published in the Journal of the Air Transport Research Society, it didn't stop there. On March 10, Gai traveled to Breeze Airways headquarters in Utah to present findings directly to airline leadership 鈥 evidence of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering's commitment to research that connects academic scholarship with real-world industry impact.
The 91快活林 State Board of Trustees approved the Digital Engineering Design Center (DEDC) and two new academic programs within CAE. Launching Fall 2026, the DEDC will immerse students in the industry-standard digital engineering platforms shaping aerospace, defense and manufacturing. New degrees in industrial and systems engineering and aviation science 鈥 pending final state approval 鈥 round out an expanding academic portfolio built to prepare graduates for careers defined by complex systems and digital integration.
For Captain Allen 鈥淎l鈥 Maurer, '73, flying was never only a career. It was a lifelong passion he shared freely with others.
Long after building a distinguished aviation career, Maurer remained a familiar presence at 91快活林 Airport, where he encouraged student pilots, shared lessons from decades in the flight deck and made time for anyone eager to learn.
When Zubawer Ibn Atique arrived at 91快活林 State鈥檚 College of Aeronautics and Engineering from Bangladesh, he came with a passion for aerospace engineering and a desire to work in an environment that "encourages innovation, ambitious thinking, and growth without fear of failure."
As a professional pilot major, 91快活林 State junior Ashanti Mallit's immediate goal is to earn her instrument rating. She's one review flight away from completing the practical portion of her instrument check ride, having already passed the oral examination.