The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; UT Space Institute; and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce formally announced the opening of the UT Space Institute (UTSI) Research Center in Cummings Research Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the facility on Tuesday, April 5.

Chancellor Donde Plowman and Huntsville/Madison County Chamber Board Chair Greg Brown

This facility is a further extension of the UT Space Institute, a research, education, and innovation center at the Tullahoma satellite campus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Located at 210 Wynn Drive NW, the new research center will connect federal agencies and industry with UT talent and infrastructure to solve complex aerospace and defense challenges. Its four key focuses are research and development, technology translation/transition, workforce, and undergraduate and graduate education.

Speakers at the ribbon cutting included UT Space Institute Huntsville Research Center Interim Director James Simonton; University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman; UT Knoxville’s Tickle College of Engineering Dean Matthew Mench; and Board Chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Greg Brown.

“UTSI has a long and deep relationship with NASA, the United States Air Force, and the aerospace and defense industries in general,” said Simonton. “We are here to connect our experts with industry leaders to provide educational and workforce development opportunities and establish partnerships that benefit communities here in northern Alabama and Tennessee and beyond.”

Plowman stressed the importance of the new center: “Our faculty are doing fundamental research in laboratories, but the research doesn’t just stay there–our faculty are taking what they’ve learned, their discoveries that they make in their labs where they solve problems, and they’re really working hard at making your and my lives better here in Alabama, Tennessee, and around the world.”

20220405 132145 “I’ve been reading and learning a lot about Huntsville–scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, business and community leaders, all in this community, trying to answer the same questions and solve the same problems. And so we are thrilled and honored to be part of that community,” Plowman said. “The talent, the ingenuity, the leadership right here in Madison County is really inspiring and it’s an honor to be in this space with you…I’m thrilled to contribute to the vibrant ecosystem of research and innovation.”

“I know that we’re going to do big things together,” Plowman continued.

Following Plowman’s address, Brown presented a commemorative plaque to Chancellor Plowman on behalf of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce and Cummings Research Park, welcoming the Institute to the community and to Cummings Research Park.

The UT Space Institute Research Center will offer research opportunities not only to UT students, but to Huntsville area college students as well.

“We’ve reached out to UAH, Auburn, and Alabama A&M to see how we can all work together…to get the best solutions out for the federal government an the companies that are in the area, so that’s our approach and they’ve been great so far,” said Dr. Bruce Lamattina, Senior Director for Space and Defense Programs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Photo Credits: Dawn Suiter, Huntsville Business Journal