[House Hearing, 109 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL MODEL FOR
TODAY'S MILITARY EDUCATION
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERALISM
AND THE CENSUS
of the
COMMITTEE ON
GOVERNMENT REFORM
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
JULY 29, 2006
__________
Serial No. 109-240
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/
index.html
http://www.house.gov/reform
______
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COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM
TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut HENRY A. WAXMAN, California
DAN BURTON, Indiana TOM LANTOS, California
ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida MAJOR R. OWENS, New York
JOHN M. McHUGH, New York EDOLPHUS TOWNS, New York
JOHN L. MICA, Florida PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania
GIL GUTKNECHT, Minnesota CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York
MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland
STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE, Ohio DENNIS J. KUCINICH, Ohio
TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois
CHRIS CANNON, Utah WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri
JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee DIANE E. WATSON, California
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland
DARRELL E. ISSA, California LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California
JON C. PORTER, Nevada C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland
KENNY MARCHANT, Texas BRIAN HIGGINS, New York
LYNN A. WESTMORELAND, Georgia ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of
PATRICK T. McHENRY, North Carolina Columbia
CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania ------
VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont
JEAN SCHMIDT, Ohio (Independent)
BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
David Marin, Staff Director
Lawrence Halloran Deputy Staff Director
Teresa Austin, Chief Clerk
Phil Barnett, Minority Chief of Staff/Chief Counsel
Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census
MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio, Chairman
CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania WM. LACY CLAY, Missouri
CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut PAUL E. KANJORSKI, Pennsylvania
VIRGINIA FOXX, North Carolina CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York
BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
Ex Officio
TOM DAVIS, Virginia HENRY A. WAXMAN, California
John Cuaderes, Staff Director
Ursula Wojciechowski, Professional Staff Member
Juliana French, Clerk
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on July 29, 2006.................................... 1
Statement of:
Bowlds, Major General Ted, Commander of the Air Force
Research Laboratory; Brigadier General Mark Matthews,
Commander of the Air Force Institute of Technology; Hon.
Kevin DeWine, Ohio State Senator; Dr. Daniel Curran,
president of the University of Dayton; Dr. Jay Thomas, vice
president of research and Dean of Graduate Studies at
Wright State University; and Dr. Elizabeth Downie, director
of the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute.............. 10
Bowlds, Major General Ted................................ 10
Curran, Dr. Daniel....................................... 37
DeWine, Hon. Kevin....................................... 30
Downie, Dr. Elizabeth.................................... 52
Matthews, Brigadier General Mark......................... 20
Thomas, Dr. Jay.......................................... 43
Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by:
Bowlds, Major General Ted, Commander of the Air Force
Research Laboratory, prepared statement of................. 14
Curran, Dr. Daniel,president of the University of Dayton,
prepared statement of...................................... 39
DeWine, Hon. Kevin, Ohio State Senator, prepared statement of 33
Downie, Dr. Elizabeth, director of the Dayton Area Graduate
Studies Institute, prepared statement of................... 55
Matthews, Brigadier General Mark, Commander of the Air Force
Institute of Technology, prepared statement of............. 22
Schmidt, Hon. Jean, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Ohio, prepared statement of....................... 7
Thomas, Dr. Jay, vice president of research and Dean of
Graduate Studies at Wright State University, prepared
statement of............................................... 46
Turner, Hon. Michael R., a Representative in Congress from
the State of Ohio, prepared statement of................... 4
THE AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL MODEL FOR
TODAY'S MILITARY EDUCATION
----------
SATURDAY, JULY 29, 2006
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census,
Committee on Government Reform,
Dayton, OH.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11 a.m., in
Carney Auditorium, National Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, 1100 Spaatz Street, Dayton, OH, Hon. Michael R.
Turner (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Present: Representatives Turner, Schmidt.
Staff present: Juan Cuaderes, Staff Director, Ursula
Wojciechowski, Professional Staff; Juliana French, Clerk.
Mr. Turner. A quorum being present this hearing of the
Subcommittee on Federalism and the Census will come to order. I
want to welcome all of you to the subcommittee's oversight
hearing entitled, ``The Air Force Institute of Technology: An
Intergovernmental Model for Today's Military Education.'' I am
pleased to have with us today my colleague, Congresswoman Jean
Schmidt, who sits also on the Government Reform Committee with
me. We are a subcommittee of the full Committee of Government
Reform.
Before we begin I want to thank all of you for
participating and I want to also acknowledge the hard work that
Congressman Hobson, who is not with us today, has done in
ensuring that AFIT have very quality resources, quality
facilities, and provide a quality education for supporting the
Air Force and the Air Force's mission and the mission of DOD.
We all know that Congressman Hobson has been a strong
advocate of AFIT and we appreciate that some of the things that
we are going to hear about today are the result of his hard
work and accomplishments.
Congresswoman Candace Miller and Congressmen Thad McCotter
and Geoff Davis from Kentucky who had initially indicated that
they were going to be attending had schedule changes. As you
may all be aware, this hearing has changed and moved as a
result of Congress being in session until 2 a.m. last night.
I want to emphasize my sincere appreciation for Jean
Schmidt being here seeing that the House adjourned at 2 a.m. as
a result of passing a minimum wage hike and a State tax relief.
As a result of our staying until the morning, we have lost a
few members of the committee who do have an intent interest in
what we are going to be talking about today which is the
private/public partnership and the ways in which we can support
Federal initiatives.
The Air Force Institute of Technology is an establishment
of immense value. It proudly provides the resources and
expertise to advance Air Force research and technology at a
reasonable cost to taxpayers. This morning's hearing is an
opportunity to understand how AFIT interacts with Federal,
State, and local governments to ensure continued support and
success.
The subcommittee will also explore the arrangement among
the Ohio-based universities, AFIT, and the Air Force Research
Laboratory. This cooperative effort espoused by the Dayton Area
Graduate Studies Institute [DAGSI], creates a synergistic
educational environment greater than the sum of the parts. We
will examine how this cooperation maximizes utilization of
research resources and educational expertise, enhances graduate
education in the Air Force and in Ohio, and ultimately benefits
the war fighter.
Many of you know that the 2005 Defense Base Realignment and
Closure Commission, or BRAC, targeted the Air Force Institute
of Technology for closure in the Commission's most recent
recommendations. During BRAC hearings last year, testimony was
given advocating AFIT's numerous contributions. Collectively,
the Air Force, Congress, State and local governments, and local
universities convinced the BRAC Commission not to close AFIT.
The 2005 BRAC selection criteria used by the Defense
Department to make recommendations for the closure or
realignment of military installations were as follows: The
current and future mission capabilities and impact on
operational readiness on DOD's total force; the availability
and condition of land and facilities at existing and potential
receiving locations; the ability to accommodate contingency,
mobilization and future total force requirements; the cost of
operations and the manpower implications; the extent and timing
of potential costs and savings; the economic impact on existing
communities; the ability of both existing and potential
receiving communities infrastructure to support forces,
missions and personnel; and finally, the environment impact.
In publishing the final selection criteria, the Defense
Department specifically stated that ``the Department must focus
on the existing, demonstrated ability of a community to support
its installation, especially as potential investment actions
may not translate into reality.'' I am eager to hear today from
our distinguished witnesses why AFIT must remain at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base and what efforts have been made to
meet the Commission's recommendations.
We welcome remarks from our distinguished panelists. We
will hear from Major General Ted Bowlds, Commander of the AFRL,
and Brigadier General Mark Matthews, Commander of the AFIT. We
will also hear from Ohio State Representative Honorable Kevin
DeWine. Then we will hear from Dr. Dan Curran, President of the
University of Dayton and Dr. Jay Thomas, Vice President of
Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at Wright State
University. Last, we will hear from Dr. Elizabeth Downie,
Director of DAGSI.
With that, I welcome my colleagues and we all look forward
to your testimony. I now yield to my colleague Jean Schmidt for
any opening remarks she may wish to make.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Michael R. Turner follows:]
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Ms. Schmidt. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for
holding this very important hearing and for all of you
panelists who have been waiting patiently for us to get here.
As Chairman Turner noted, we were working on some extremely
important issues in the wee hours of the morning in addition to
raising the minimum wage and helping folks all across the
spectrum in working to repeal the death tax so that farmers and
other family businesses can keep their valued assets and a
valued asset to the community.
We also worked on a pension reform plan which I believe
helps folks in the greater Dayton area and certainly helps
folks in the greater Cincinnati area, most importantly Delta.
Speaking of Delta, they are a great airline but sometimes
you have a little mechanical issue and our flight that was
supposed to take off at 6 a.m. took off at 7:30 a.m. so I am a
little more tardy than I had hoped to be but arrived safe here.
I especially want to thank my former colleague, Ohio House
of Representatives Kevin DeWine for coming here on a Saturday
morning and presenting testimony. We used to work together in a
past life and I can tell the folks in his district you can't
have a better champion for your southern Ohio valleys than
Kevin DeWine.
Mike Turner and I share Warren County. I am proud to share
it with Congressman Turner because we worked well together on
many, many issues. In fact, I have several constituents that
actually work here on this base and I am pleased to work with
him on this initiative.
The Dayton and Cincinnati area with Wright-Patterson and
the GE jet engine facilities in Evandale and Peebles, which is
in my district, is a national leader in aerospace innovation
and our highly educated work force keeps us at the forefront of
the industry. The advancements made at these facilities have
spawned many companies creating thousands of jobs and have
helped keep the economy in southern Ohio in better shape than
it is in other parts of our own State.
The Air Force Institute of Technology is a true asset to
the area and I am grateful it survived the BRAC process. With
its innovative public and private funding and cooperation
between Federal, State, and local governments it is the
symbolism of how federalism has made America great. Again, I
commend Chairman Turner for pulling an all-nighter with me and
being brave enough to stay awake this morning and I look
forward to all of your testimony.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Jean Schmidt follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you, Congresswoman Schmidt.
We will now start with our witness and each witness has
kindly prepared written testimony which will be included in the
record of this hearing. Witnesses will notice that there is a
timer with a light on the witness table. The green light
indicates that you should begin your remarks and the red light
indicates that your time has expired.
It is the policy of this committee that all witnesses be
sworn in before they testify. If you would all please rise and
raise your right hands.
[Witnesses sworn.]
Mr. Turner. Please let the record show that all the
witnesses have responded in the affirmative. I want to
emphasize again my appreciation for each of you doing this. In
addition to your written testimony and your statements today
and the questions that we have, the importance of this hearing
is that the testimony will be entered into the congressional
record of this subcommittee. From my reading of your written
testimony, and I know certainly from the experience of being in
this community and the support AFIT and the DAGSI program, this
is a model private/public partnership. It goes directly to one
of the elements that the BRAC commission looked at as to a
community support for its facility.
It is a great opportunity for the research labs and for
AFIT to again tell the story of their importance and their
functions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. I just greatly
appreciate your doing this and the opportunity for us to
highlight this within the Government Reform Subcommittee. With
that I will begin with you, General.
STATEMENTS OF MAJOR GENERAL TED BOWLDS, COMMANDER OF THE AIR
FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY; BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK MATTHEWS,
COMMANDER OF THE AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY; HON. KEVIN
DEWINE, OHIO STATE SENATOR; DR. DANIEL CURRAN, PRESIDENT OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON; DR. JAY THOMAS, VICE PRESIDENT OF
RESEARCH AND DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES AT WRIGHT STATE
UNIVERSITY; AND DR. ELIZABETH DOWNIE, DIRECTOR OF THE DAYTON
AREA GRADUATE STUDIES INSTITUTE
STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL TED BOWLDS
General Bowlds. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of
the committee, Representative Schmidt. My name is Major General
Ted Bowlds. I look forward for the opportunity to speak to you
today. I am the Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory
and have the opportunity to lead a 5,400 person organization
with a $1.4 billion budget in the discovery, development, and
delivery of advanced technologies that ensure the battlefield
superiority of the U.S. military forces. Our mission is greatly
enhanced by the close collaboration with the Air Force
Institute of Technology. Both organizations enjoy healthy
support from the greater Dayton community.
The Air Force Research Lab, AFRL, and the Air Force
Institute of Technology, AFIT, have a 50-year history of
collaborative activities and engagement motivated by a common
interest in maintaining advancing technology superiority of the
U.S. Air Force.
The breadth and depth of cooperative activities is on the
upswing. The increase in collaboration has been recently
codified with the consolidation of 10 individual agreements and
to a single corporate memorandum of agreement. Disagreement
cleared the path for streamline access and resource sharing
among AFIT and AFRL's numerous sites across the United States.
Key elements of the agreement include joint development of
personnel expertise and competencies and research areas of
mutual interest and definition of the support required for
major collaborative research programs and shared facilities.
The agreement also includes regular review and highlighting
of partnership accomplishments along with the identification of
opportunities for multi-partner teaming with other
organizations to accomplish research objectives. Overall the
agreement solidifies the long-standing relationship and common
goals that both organizations share and allows each
organization to fully leverage our world class resources.
AFRL and AFIT take advantage of multiple opportunities to
leverage resources. A vital part of the collaboration is the
inflow of AFIT graduates to AFRL upon completion of their basic
and advanced degrees. This inflow of students brings program
managers, scientists, and engineers in various stages of their
career to work in AFRL thus providing a critical part of our
work force.
One hundred and seven new AFIT graduates were assigned to
AFRL in the fiscal year 2005, a threefold increase from fiscal
year 2003 is a trend that we would like to see continued. The
exchange of personnel between AFIT and AFRL has not been a one-
way street. AFRL lab personnel have held adjunct faculty
positions in AFIT, sponsored research, and served as advisers
to AFIT on a wide-range of academic and research issues.
AFRL currently holds 27 adjunct faculty appointments with
AFIT. Three to seven courses are taught by these adjunct
annually. These adjuncts provide guest lector participation and
serve on many thesis committees. Additionally, AFIT students
research supports AFRL research programs and AFIT faculty
members develop research and education programs to support the
AFRL community.
The two groups co-share libraries and research facilities.
Each organization has interest in enhancing collaboration by
establishing a holistic approach including developing
repeatable processes with specific goals that are assessed at a
strategic partnership review on a regular basis.
While AFIT and AFRL technology directorates have performed
coordinated research programs for many years, AFIT and AFRL
continue to seek increase in mutual benefits that can aid in
our partnership.
With regard to funding resources AFRL provides AFIT nearly
$4M in annual research funding across our Technology
Directorates. This amount has more than doubled over the past
several years. In addition, the AFIT Research Support Fund
agreement provides AFIT with resources that allow AFIT faculty
and students to contribute to the Air Force basic research
program. The agreement also facilitates new faculty startups
and development of new areas of research.
As part of that research each AFRL solicits thesis and
dissertation topics of Air Force relevance for use by AFIT
graduates. AFRL sponsored 60 plus in fiscal year 2005 and 2006
research projects. For example, AFRL sponsored 33 theses, four
dissertations involving the air domain, 14 theses, one
dissertation in the space domain, 24 theses, five dissertations
in the cyber domain, and four theses in the logistics and
management.
Average cost avoidance per thesis dissertation is about
$118,000. AFRL and AFIT routinely share facilities. For
example, AFRL uses 13 of AFIT's facilities and AFIT uses eight
of AFRL's facilities this past year for various research
efforts. AFRL and AFIT also share laboratory facilities on the
AFIT campus providing 571,000 cost avoidance by eliminating
duplicate journal subscriptions, computer support and
facilities.
Significant sharing of library and laboratory resources
between AFRL and AFIT provide ongoing cost containment for both
organizations. Participating institutions are the AFIT academic
library and the AFRL Wright site technical information division
comprised of the technical library and the technical editing
groups.
Both organizations encourage ad hoc usage of facilities and
equipment on a non-interference basis with mutual agreed-upon
support and incremental cost. AFRL and AFIT conduct key
periodic events to stimulate constructive interaction between
personnel. The most significant event called the Partnership
Summit is an annual meeting between the AFIT Commandant and the
Commander of the Air Force Research Lab to review activities,
assess the progress of initiatives, and review the appropriate
new initiatives.
AFRL and AFIT also hold annual interchange meetings to
provide AFRL researchers and AFIT faculty with orientation
briefings, information about concurrent research thrust and new
initiatives, opportunities for collaboration, and facilities
tours.
Additionally, Tech Days is an annual event designed for
AFIT students to provide an overview of current AFRL
technologies, research agendas, present thesis topic requests,
and discuss science and engineering career management
opportunities.
A partnership working group composed of AFRL chief
technologists, AFRL chief scientists, AFIT School of Deans and
department heads or their representatives review these thesis
topics and presentations, review personnel exchanges
opportunities and identify opportunities for collaborative in-
house research initiatives and faculty sharing.
AFIT and AFRL continue to develop third party and local
community partnerships. One example is the DAGSI, the Dayton
Area Graduate Studies Institute and Ohio Student Faculty
Engineering Research Group. AFIT faculty collaborated on 35
programs sponsored by DAGSI, most tied to AFRL topics.
Finally, the Advanced Navigation Technology Laboratory has
21 AFIT faculty members from three different departments with
43 active projects and about 30 students with sponsorship from
AFRL, NASIC, and other DOD agencies. Central themes are
Inertial Navigation System Exploitation and Precision
Navigation--anywhere, using anything. This will be critical to
the Air Force's new Technology Vision to ``anticipate, find,
fix, track, target, engage and assess anything, anytime,
anywhere.''
How does this benefit AFRL? By increasing inter-directorate
collaboration, promoting external collaboration and, enhancing
AFRL's in-house research capabilities. The program will also
impact AFRL's Focused Long-Term Challenges. These are the
fundamental research efforts that will provide the capabilities
to the Air Force over the mid and long-term.
Technology challenges being solved by ANT include vision-
based navigation, collision avoidance, vision-based control and
stabilization, wide-field of view sensing-situational
awareness, human supervision of time-critical control systems,
agile micro vehicles, and cooperative path planning in
adversarial environments.
A new effort titled the AFIT/AFRL Center for Rapid Product
Development is underway to allow graduate students to work on
real Air Force operational problems in conjunction with AFRL
scientists. Particular focus areas will be on rapid technology
transition and product development cycle-time reduction.
Students will learn the principles of project management
and demonstrate the ability to develop and field new products
and systems. This process merges AFIT's need to educate Airmen
on key problems with AFRL's new Rapid Reaction Process to
provide real-time solutions to urgent warfighter needs within
18 months. Two pilot efforts are underway and are being
successfully demonstrated today.
The bottom-line is that AFRL and AFIT have a very effective
partnership and are working to make it even greater. Both
organizations have a critical role in creating the Air Force of
the future, and together are solving future technological
challenges.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on a
vital teaming between AFIT, AFRL, and the greater Dayton
community. I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Major General Bowlds follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you very much.
General Matthews, I want to particularly thank you for
preparing and attending today, especially recognizing the fact
that you will be leaving AFIT on Monday. Thank you so much as
you have so many other duties and issues that you are preparing
for in the transition that you be present and spend some of
your time here with us today.
STATEMENT OF BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK MATTHEWS
General Matthews. Thank you, sir. I would like to thank all
the members for this opportunity to speak about the institution
that has been an integral part of this country's air and space
dominance for almost 90 years, the Air Force Institute of
Technology, or AFIT.
Despite its history and contributions, however, as was
pointed out, at times some have questioned the need for a
defense graduate school. It was shortly after assuming command
of AFIT just over a year ago that I learned that the Base
Realignment and Closure Commission's decision to review whether
it would be most appropriate to align AFIT with the Naval Post-
Graduate School in Monterey or close it.
While facing potential closure was not the way I would have
chosen to start my new job, the review proved to be a great
benefit as it affirmed the unparalleled value of AFIT in
providing responsive defense focus education and research to
not only the Air Force but all elements that provide for the
security of our Nation including our sister services, coalition
partners, and defense affiliated civilians.
Quite simply, knowledge is power and it is knowledge that
makes us the most powerful military in the world. Though
validated, other challenges have loomed for AFIT. The cost of
the ongoing war and modernization are forcing tough choices
most prominently reflected and previously announced Air Force
personnel cuts. AFIT, too, will have to adjust to these fiscal
realities.
This does not mean our Air Force leadership is not strongly
committed to education. In April of this year Secretary of the
Air Force Wynne and our Chief General Moseley issued a joint
``Letter to Airmen'' where they stated ``to succeed, our
expeditionary Air Force will need all the cultural, political,
and technical skills available. One of the most effective ways
to develop this knowledge is through advanced education.''
In fact, AFIT is working with our headquarters to revamp
the system by which we determine those competencies needed by
our Airmen to include advanced education.
In conjunction with this restructured requirements process,
we at AFIT are also pursuing a fundamental change in our
traditional business model as we seek to diversify the AFIT
student population with more sister service, civilian, and
coalition partner students. Not only does this provide our
students a richer learning experience but sustains an
educational capacity while the Air Force adapts to a smaller
force size.
Supporting this business transformation is an expanded AFIT
research program. While AFIT has seen a doubling in its
sponsored research over the last 5 years, thanks largely, as
General Bowlds pointed out, with our special relationship with
our neighbors in the Air Force Research Laboratory, I think for
many reasons we should do more.
Foremost, we have an outstanding faculty, military and
civilian, who are well versed in the operations and needs of
the Air Force and the Department of Defense. The fruits of
their research pay a direct and immediate dividend to our
Nation's security. Additionally, a strong research program
underpins the excellence we bring to bear in the classroom.
Finally, strengthening AFIT's reputation as a premier
research organization increases its attractiveness to the
potential students and faculty among whom we find ourselves
increasingly in competition from our sister institutions.
By using research funding to sponsor student tuition we
leverage the faculty and facilities of AFIT and AFRL while
creating a talent pool many of whom will elect to continue
their efforts right here in the Miami Valley. Additionally,
reaching out more to civilian students is a natural progression
for AFIT as the Air Force continues to transform itself by
focusing our military members on expeditionary operations and
relying more on the total force including civilians to execute
traditional state-side mission.
Here I think our involvement in the Dayton Area Graduate
Studies Institute, or as we all know it DAGSI, is most
constructive. With DAGSI there already exist a structure that
provides scholarships and brings students to AFIT. I envision a
natural synergy as we grow research funding to augment DAGSI
scholarship funds. More students means more research and more
research funding which together better enables AFIT to sustain
recent growth.
Additionally, the diversity of programs offered among the
institutions of the DAGSI coalition provide an opportunity for
the Air Force to broaden the educational experience of AFIT
students in consonance with the Air University goal of
producing expeditionary airmen ready to deploy, operate, and
communicate with people of other cultures in reaching any
region of the world.
Let me repeat, knowledge is power. It was knowledge that
innovatively married Air Force Combat Controllers on a wooden
saddle with a GPS receiver to guide the devastating destruction
of the Taliban just a few weeks after September 11th. It was
that knowledge that found Zarqawi and introduced him to
whatever awaits him in the next life, courtesy of your U.S. Air
Force and our Joint team.
It is that knowledge that will allow us to penetrate and
provide precise combat defense against any future adversary.
And it will be knowledge that will sustain those who follow as
they battle unanticipated threats to our Nation's security
whether through the air, space or cyberspace 90 years hence.
I thank you for your support.
[The prepared statement of Brigadier General Matthews
follows:]
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Mr. Turner. I appreciate your connection of what you do
here directly to what is going on on the battle field of today.
When I read your paragraph making that connection, I got
goosebumps and I did again when you said it. It is absolutely
what Americans see on Fox News and CNN--the advantage the
United States has. Many times we forget that it is the result
of direct work that is being done here at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base or other research areas that are necessary in order
for us to be ahead and in order to be able to defend ourselves
so I appreciate how you are highlighting that.
Representative DeWine, I thank you for being here also. I
know that not only are you no stranger to testifying. Certainly
being in the House of Representatives you have been a leader in
receiving testimony. I appreciate your commitment to Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base because on a State level you have been
a strong advocate for Wright-Patt.
The private/public partnership that represents DAGSI I know
is not the only private/public partnership in which you're
involved in making sure that the State is a supporter of what
is the largest single-site employer in the State. Your
knowledge and expertise that you have garnered by your work at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base I know enhances our success at
the State level so thank you for being here today.
STATEMENT OF HON. KEVIN DEWINE
Mr. Dewine. Super. Thank you. Mr. Chairman and
Congresswoman Schmidt, thank you for holding this hearing today
and for providing me the opportunity to testify about the Air
Force Institute of Technology and its consortium with the
Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute.
My name is Kevin DeWine and I represent the 70th House
District in the Ohio House of Representatives, which includes
most of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base all except for this
museum right here. Mr. Chairman, as the base's principal
representative in the Ohio House, I want to thank you for your
strong record of leadership and support for Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, particularly last year during the BRAC process.
I also want to recognize the entirety of Ohio's congressional
delegation, including Congresswoman Schmidt, especially
Congressman Hobson for its tireless work to protect and enhance
Ohio's varied and diverse military defense installations.
As you may know, and as many of you know, Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base is the largest single-site employer in the State
of Ohio with about 22,000 employees and hundreds of millions of
dollars spent every year on construction, equipment, supplies,
and local contracts. The base has an estimated impact of almost
$3 billion a year which is why most of us pay a little bit of
attention to what goes on over here.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is no surprise to any of you that
Ohio's economy is changing. In order to ensure that we are
ready to meet the challenges of the new economy, we need to
better prepare our work force of today and tomorrow by giving
the tools and skills necessary to compete for high-tech, high-
paying jobs.
In the legislature my colleagues and I recognize this and
we are actively working to provide today's students with an
education that prepares them for future success. To that end we
are looking at ways to increase the number of students who
pursue degrees in the STEM disciplines: science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics. We know that these fields
represent growing trends and by increasing the number of
graduates in these areas we can provide the types of employees
that companies are looking for today and tomorrow. Notably,
this is part of DAGSI's mission.
Since it is creation in 1994 DAGSI's mission has been to
increase and improve the quantity and quality of graduate,
educational, and research opportunities, particularly in the
STEM disciplines, and to promote economic development in Ohio.
Working closely with AFIT it has become a critical
component of our emerging high-tech economy by providing a
needed focus on highly specialized fields of research.
DAGSI allows member schools to combine resources including
faculty and facilities to meet the evolving needs of the Air
Force and to offer greater value to their students as well as
our community.
Since its inception, the State of Ohio has provided more
than $50 million for the DAGSI/AFIT consortium demonstrating
the deep and long-term support of AFIT and the Air Force by the
State of Ohio.
The intellectual capital brought to Ohio and developed
within AFIT has become an important resource as we continue the
pursuit of a technology based economy. It is a key asset in our
effort to keep Dayton and Ohio in the forefront of technology
development with its near 1,000 students and a faculty of close
to 700.
Keep in mind in this case, a ``student'' is usually an Air
Force officer and is equivalent to a high-value, high-wage job
in terms of economic development. AFIT's presence in Ohio
represents a significant positive economic impact.
As you well know, and has been highlighted already, AFIT
has been threatened by two previous BRAC processes. In both
instances, the base closure commission rejected the proposals
to close AFIT, in part, because we have been able to articulate
the success story that we have created in Dayton for AFIT
through DAGSI.
Our success has been rooted in meeting the needs for high-
quality graduate technical education while recognizing today's
budget realities. This unique consortium creates a best of
breed education that meets the changing needs of today's war
fighter while providing significant economic development and
intellectual benefits for our region and for Ohio.
We in the Dayton region, home to the Wright brothers and so
many other technology pioneers, are proud of our heritage. We
know, however, that we cannot rest on the achievements of the
past. We need to show that we are still home to creativity and
cutting-edge technologies. The DAGSI and AFIT partnership has a
decade-long track record of benefiting the Air Force and the
State of Ohio. It is in the best interest of all of us that we
continue to foster the success of this partnership now and for
years to come.
Thank you again for holding this hearing on this important
component of our Nation's defense and Ohio's changing economy.
I would be happy to take any questions when the chairman deems
appropriate. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Kevin DeWine follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you, Representative DeWine.
Dr. Curran, I also want to thank you for taking your time
to be here today, especially on a Saturday. I want to thank you
for your leadership in continuing the history of the University
of Dayton looking beyond its campus.
Dr. Curran. Thank you.
Mr. Turner. Your university has a long history of taking
responsibility for ways to contribute to the community.
Certainly your partnership in looking at ways to develop the
NCR property around you is a great example of that, the
redevelopment along Brown Street, the neighborhood
redevelopment and revitalization that has occurred around Miami
Hospital and, of course, DAGSI and your UDRI here at Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base. We appreciate you being here and
hearing about your participation in this.
STATEMENT OF DR. CURRAN
Dr. Curran. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Representative
Schmidt, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to
address you this morning. My name is Dan Curran and I am the
President of the University of Dayton. The University of Dayton
is a Catholic University founded in 1850 by the Marianist
religious order and, at over 10,000 students, it is the largest
private university in the State of Ohio.
The university has a well-earned reputation for academic
excellence and a national reputation for high-caliber research.
It is these two traits that I would like to discuss with you
here today, specifically, in terms of how the University has
leveraged these sources of pride, as well as educational
partnerships, to meet the needs of the Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, the U.S. Air Force, and ultimately our Nation's
defense.
To speak to the matter before us today, the University is a
proud partner with AFIT. Through the recent BRAC processes, the
significance of having an institution like AFIT in our midst
became clear to the entire Dayton region. through making the
case to keep AFIT at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Federal,
State, and local leaders realized that there were numerous
educational opportunities to not only strengthen AFIT, but to
enhance the learning opportunities for students drawn to the
Dayton Region from all over the country and, in fact, across
the world.
The Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute, DAGSI, plays a
central role. DAGSI is a consortium of graduate education
schools including AFIT, University of Dayton, and Wright State.
Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati are affiliate
members while Miami and Ohio University are associate members.
Dr. Downie, the Director of DAGSI, can best answer the
questions you have on membership levels.
The University's educational partnership with AFIT through
DAGSI builds on a long and beneficial partnership with the Air
Force that has taken place since the late 1940's. In 1956, 7
years after UD secured the first Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base contract to translate aircraft flight-load data, the
University of Dayton Research Institute, commonly referred to
as UDRI, was born.
Since then the UDRI has become a globally recognized leader
in research and development of technologies which have not only
advanced science but benefited mankind. The UDRI performs
approximately $70 million in research annually and is ranked
second nationally in materials research according to the
National Science Foundation.
UDRI remains headquartered at the University of Dayton but
has significant operations at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
where we have about 140 employees; Robins Air Force Base,
Arlington, Virginia; and Washington, DC, as well as Utah. I
would like to take the opportunity to add that the UDRI will
celebrate its 50th anniversary on August 23rd.
Through UDRI and the UD School of Engineering the
University has been involved in a number of research areas
critical not only to the Nation's defense, but the development
of new technologies that can have significant commercialization
opportunities. Some of these areas include nanotechnology,
alternative fuels, advanced materials, computational
aerodynamics, systems analysis, electro-optics, non-destructive
inspection, and aging systems sustainment.
I think the key to our relationship is what it brings to
students. Currently the UDRI employs about 250 students, 40
percent undergraduate, 60 percent graduate. Dozens of these
students are located on the base. The ability to have UD
students and DAGSI students to do world-class Air Force
research is really the key to building a high-caliber group of
employees in the future.
The presence of student researchers on the base and working
on Air Force initiatives resulted in a number of graduates
taking Federal jobs and also jobs with defense contractors in
the area. Such students have experience with Federal
Government, work backgrounds specifically related to the
research at hand, and often have the necessary clearances to
start working immediately.
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has been a critical
component for UD, as well as other members of DAGSI, in
developing the engineers and scientists to ensure America's
international leadership in science and technology, as well as
to ensure ever-increasing experts in complicated defense areas.
The University looks forward to being a partner in the
relocation of the Air Force's aerospace medicine operations.
Through partnerships built on and around DAGSI's success, as
well as local universities' longstanding experience in the
areas of medicine, nursing, and human factors and
effectiveness, we can mirror the successes we have seen in
other areas in the aerospace medicine area.
In closing, I would like to thank the Ohio delegation, in
particular Representatives Turner and Hobson, for all the
things that they have done for the research labs, AFIT, and the
base over the years. Your help has been invaluable, especially
last year during the BRAC process. Once again, I thank you and
I look forward to any questions you have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Curran follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you.
Dr. Thomas, obviously our focus is on AFIT and the support
of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base but inherent in all the
testimony we have from Representative DeWine and Dr. Curran and
yourself is the impact that your focus has on the economy of
our community. Prior to your testimony I just wanted to
highlight an example of the way that is all interrelated.
My sister while attending Wright State University in the
graduate masters degree program in biology worked for UDRI in
the labs here at the Air Force Base in the composite area
ultimately graduating from Wright State with her masters in
biology and then continuing to work with UDRI in the labs and
working on research and development with respect to the
structure of insects and what might be learned from material
structures and how that might be applied to airplanes.
As Dr. Curran was saying, one of the most important things
that you do, and that I appreciate also for Wright State
University and the University of Dayton, is the ability for
investment in people and the knowledge base that occurs for our
community.
I want to thank you for your dedication to that and it
certainly is inherent in your testimony of the fact that in the
end although we are talking of supporting Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base and the ways that we can have ingenuity, we also are
talking about changing people's lives and their abilities and
their educational stature. I want to congratulate you and
Wright State on your efforts in that.
STATEMENT OF DR. THOMAS
Dr. Thomas. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and good morning, Mr.
Chairman and also Member Schmidt. That is a wonderful example.
I will have to capture that for the future.
My name is Jay Thomas. I am the Vice President for Research
and Dean of the Graduate School at Wright State. I am very
pleased to have this opportunity to testify about Wright State,
its interactions with AFIT, and its participation in the Dayton
Area Graduate Studies Institute.
Next year in 2007 Wright State will celebrate 40 years of
service to the Dayton region, the State of Ohio, and the
Nation. Wright State has grown up with Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base as a supportive neighbor, influencing program
development, partnering in research, and hiring our graduates.
Particularly close ties have developed with AFIT and the Air
Force Research Laboratory.
In engineering and computer science these ties have been
facilitated and strengthened by the development, beginning in
1994, of the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute.
Wright State's College of Engineering and Computer Science
offers undergraduate and graduate programs keyed to Air Force
needs. Program such as electrical and mechanical engineering
featuring research emphasis such as target recognition and
design optimization which have received continuous Air Force
funding and benefited from those close working relationships
between Wright State faculty members and Air Force staff.
Wright State has offered one of the few programs in the
country in Human Factors engineering, a program targeting
human-machine systems including aircraft pilot performance.
Wright State also has programs in its School of Medicine and
College of Science and Mathematics such as environmental
toxicology and cognitive science that interact strongly with
the AFRL. Wright State owns and operates a virtual environment
CAVE which is housed in the AFRL Human Effectiveness
directorate.
You have heard about DAGSI from President Curran. We'll
learn more from Dr. Downie in the follow testimony. Among the
three of us I am the only one who has been in my position since
pre-DAGSI times--too long--so I can comment on some of the
history.
In 1993 the Deans of Engineering at Wright State, the
University of Dayton, and AFIT were called together by Dayton
region industry leaders and urged to cooperate rather than
compete, and to develop world class programs. We have worked to
do so. AFIT has always offered unique programs keyed to Air
Force needs.
Since the 1993 time period, the University of Dayton has
become a national leader in Materials research and Wright State
has developed leading programs in computer science and related
computational design. These complement each other as well as
AFIT programs providing the region a breadth of programs of
recognized excellence.
At the same time that regional leaders were encouraging
cooperation, the Ohio Board of Regents, the State agency that
coordinates higher education, embarked upon several initiatives
to promote program excellence and collaboration. The OBR
realized that carrots were better than sticks to achieve such
goals and had demonstrated a willingness to fund such
initiatives.
With this background, the three engineering deans began to
meet regularly, in fact every week for more than a year, to
develop DAGSI. They learned that collaboration is hard work,
must be built on a foundation of trust, and must be win-win for
all involved. Through this process, Wright State, and the
University of Dayton, became much better acquainted with AFIT.
Wright State very much values its interactions with AFIT.
These take many forms. Through DAGSI engineering students at
either school can take sources at the other, courses that would
not be available at their home institution. For doctoral
programs, there is a practice of including an external DAGSI
faculty member on each doctoral student's dissertation
committee.
AFIT faculty members bring unique knowledge and
perspectives to these activities which greatly benefits the
student. Such sharing of faculty expertise also promotes
quality of the research and the overall doctoral experience. At
the same time, the interaction of faculty members around a
specific research topic enables collaboration on future
research projects.
These programmatic features are of mutual benefit to Wright
State and AFIT. For AFIT, State and regional resources leverage
AFIT's Federal funding and bring an extra measure of excellence
to AFIT programs.
It has been demonstrated that DAGSI is an effective
organization in bringing Ohio University resources together to
leverage Federal resources at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
DAGSI has provided student support, research funding,
educational enrichment such as course sharing, and numerous
collaborative programs.
An opportunity over the next several years is the expansion
of aerospace medicine at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as
mandated by the recent BRAC Commission along with the
establishment of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine to include
the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine.
Wright State University offers the oldest civilian Master
of Science in Aerospace Medicine in the United States as well
as the Master of Public Health and numerous biomedical science
graduate programs. Wright State University is well positioned
to lead an expansion of DAGSI to meet the education and
training needs of the expanding aerospace medicine work force
at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Thank you very much and I look forward to answering any
questions you might have.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Thomas follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you, Dr. Thomas.
Dr. Downie, I appreciate in your testimony that you have
given us some great facts and figures on the process and how it
works and its impact. Also you have a great coordinating job to
do so we look forward to hearing about DAGSI and your work with
it.
STATEMENT OF DR. DOWNIE
Dr. Downie. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and
Congresswoman Schmidt. My name is Elizabeth Downie. I am the
Director of the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute, which
you have heard a lot about already this morning, and I am here
to testify about the DAGSI consortium and AFIT's role and
impact as a partner of the consortium.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak before you today.
DAGSI is a not-for-profit consortium of graduate
engineering and computer science schools at UD, Wright State,
and AFIT. The consortium is unique in that it unites a private
institution, a stated-assisted institution, and a Federal
institution in a successful partnership that has enhanced the
educational and research base as well as the technical work
force in the region.
Our impact is not limited to Dayton, however. The
University of Cincinnati, the Ohio State University, Miami
University, and Ohio University are affiliated with DAGSI and
our major research program, which supports AFRL, is open to any
Ohio research university. DAGSI's mission is to promote
education-based economic development in Ohio through the
development and support of world-class graduate engineering and
computer science education and research programs.
DAGSI has been funded by the State of Ohio, through the
Board of Regents, since 1995. DAGSI's funding supports student
and faculty research in technologies aligned with several
initiatives critical to the future of Ohio and its economy. We
have two major program areas: First, we offer competitive,
merit-based scholarships and fellowships to Masters and
Doctoral students in engineering and computer science at UD,
Wright State, and AFIT. We support part-time as well as full-
time students, which means that employers in the region can
leverage their education and training dollars by having their
engineers pursue a graduate degree through DAGSI.
Most of our students are Ohio residents when they apply for
a scholarship, but due to growing awareness of DAGSI out there
we also are drawing students from across the Nation,
particularly through our fellowship program. Typically we
support close to 200 students annually.
Second, we sponsor a joint research program between DAGSI
and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB.
Each year, AFRL provides DAGSI with research topics, and
students and faculty from any Ohio research university may
submit proposals for research on these topics. Students who are
awarded a research fellowship are required to work on base in
the AFRL labs; therefore, they must be U.S. citizens. Currently
we have 40 active projects in this program.
DAGSI's key objectives are: To train and retain advanced
engineering students in the State of Ohio, with the goal of
creating a critical mass of talent in targeted technologies; to
fund graduate students who study and undertake research in
areas critical to Ohio's future; and to work collaboratively
with research institutes, private and government laboratories,
corporations, and others seeking to build Ohio's capabilities
in key technology focus areas.
Let's look at several aspects of DAGSI and its programs in
terms of the value brought by the consortium to various
stakeholders. In particular, I will focus on AFIT's
participation in the consortium as well as the impact of DAGSI
on the Air Force to illustrate the successes of the program.
One, through DAGSI and our Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement [CRADA] with AFIT, civilian students now
can enroll at AFIT. Over the years, 37 percent of DAGSI
students at AFIT have been nongovernment students. These
students, who would be in school elsewhere if not for DAGSI, do
research that ultimately supports the warfighter. In DAGSI's
elite Fellowship program, AFIT has attracted an impressive 10
of the 26 students enrolled to date. They make that decision
based on their visit to AFIT. All civilian students with
exceptional academic and research credentials who have chosen
to pursue their doctoral studies at AFIT and contribute to the
warfighter.
Two, through DAGSI, engineering or computer graduate
students enrolled at AFIT, UD, or Wright State can cross-
register for classes at the other partner schools. This
capability broadens and enriches the students' programs of
studies and builds in collaboration. Many AFIT students have
taken classes at the other schools and many students at the
other schools have taken courses at AFIT as long as they are
U.S. citizens. Also, AFIT faculty have served as dissertation
committee members for UD and Wright State students, and
likewise AFIT students have had committee members from the
other schools.
Here is what one student, now an aerospace engineer
employed by the Air Force, has to say about opportunities
arising from consortium collaboration: ``DAGSI's relationship
allowing the three Dayton-area graduate schools to cross-enroll
has been the only way I would have been able to complete my
degree in my field, because none of the three schools alone
offered classes necessary for my major. With DAGSI's help, I've
been able to craft a program that is unique but valuable to my
employer, the USAF.''
Three, 26 percent of DAGSI's scholarship awards have gone
to students connected with the Air Force when they start their
graduate program and employed by the Air Force when they
graduate. Most are at Wright-Patt so DAGSI has had a tremendous
impact on Ohio's largest single-site employer.
Four, nearly two-thirds of DAGSI graduates are employed in
Ohio, contributing to the economy with their technology
knowledge and skills. Close to 40 percent of these are employed
at Wright-Patt or by defense contractors in the region.
Five, DAGSI has sponsored 93 projects in the AFRL/DAGSI
research program since the program's inception 7 years ago. In
addition to the seven DAGSI members and affiliates, several
other Ohio universities, Case Western, Kent, Toledo, and Akron,
have had teams funded through this program. AFIT faculty and
students collaborated in 35 of these projects--that's 38
percent of the total--14 as the lead institution and 21 as a
partner.
Clearly, AFIT has been a vital contributor to university
research collaborations across the State of Ohio. This program
not only has benefited AFRL by effectively expanding the lab's
research base and tying it to the university community in Ohio,
it has fostered collaboration among individual faculty members
from different institutions.
Many of these collaborations have continued after getting
their start in our program, with follow-on funding obtained
from the Air Force and other government agencies. Faculty early
in their careers at AFIT as well as the other schools have been
able to build a research base with colleagues in the region,
leading to a positive impact on tenure decisions.
In closing, DAGSI is a model of collaboration that we
believe others can look to for replication. Through the success
and contributions of our graduates, DAGSI's impact reaches far
beyond the universities themselves. Thank you for providing
this opportunity to give you my perspective on DAGSI and AFIT's
role as an integral, vital member of the partnership.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Downie follows:]
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Mr. Turner. Thank you, Dr. Downie.
I realize that we are benefiting from the patience from all
the panel members that we had to move this hearing to a later
time and you have personal schedules so I want to thank you for
your patience and your cooperation.
I have made a commitment to Dr. Downie because of her
schedule that we would ask Dr. Downie questions first and allow
her to excuse herself with Dr. Curran and Dr. Thomas filling in
for coordinating questions that we might have after its
operations. We will begin first with questions to Dr. Downie
from Congresswoman Schmidt and then I will ask my questions for
Dr. Downie and then you can be excused. Gentlemen, if you don't
mind, we will then turn to you for questions.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you, and thank you for some very
compelling testimony. I have a couple of question for you, Dr.
Downie. Does DAGSI plan to expand the consortium and are there
plans to integrate DAGSI associate and affiliate member schools
into the course sharing program?
Dr. Downie. Well, we have no immediate plans to expand. I
think, first of all, through the AFRL DAGSI program we already
do have an impact across the State through participation by
several other universities beyond those in this region. I think
if one divorces the course-sharing capability from the awarding
of scholarships, we are certainly open if there is a demand to
sharing courses, cross-registration, among all our members and
beyond.
Logistics is the obvious hurdle so there really hasn't been
a tremendous demand for Ohio State students, UC students, to
take courses here and vice versa. We are certainly open to it
and if there is a telling reason, a demand out there,
especially perhaps as distance learning opportunities spring
up, we would certainly be open to setting up an administrative
process to allow for that sharing of courses.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you. One more question. DAGSI is a
tremendous cooperation. Have other organizations in other
States inquired about or followed the DAGSI consortium model to
support their local areas?
Dr. Downie. I believe so, and I am going to need some
assistance maybe from General Matthews. I hope I am not putting
you on the spot.
General Matthews. No.
Dr. Downie. I believe that AFIT has worked with educational
institutions around other Air Force bases and have established
some similar working relationships.
General Matthews. Yes. I can address that later, if you
like, or now.
Ms. Schmidt. Fine, in the interest of time. Do you have any
suggestions, Dr. Downie, on how other organizations in other
States could accomplish the same as DAGSI for the benefit of
their State and local universities and the military?
Dr. Downie. Well, we are happy to provide whatever
information we can on DAGSI and how we got through the blood,
sweat, and tears that Dr. Thomas has spoke about in making this
happen. We have talked, and we have talked very preliminarily
but we haven't carried it very far yet, but we have talked
about capturing how DAGSI was established and what was needed
to get it going and what our key value is and sort of wrapping
that up as a model to offer to other organizations to take and
run with.
I think there is opportunity there and that is something as
we move forward in the future because we will be revamping our
business model, that is something that we are seriously looking
at as a contribution that we can make to other regions. It
takes time for reputations to be built and that is happening
with DAGSI. The vision has always been there that we would be a
national model for collaboration and now I think the word is
getting out. I think as that happens it will be an opportune
time for us to take that model and run with it elsewhere.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you. I yield back.
Mr. Turner. Thank you. Dr. Downie, an important function
obviously that DAGSI provides is funding and then the
interrelationship between educational institutions. To what
extent does DAGSI operate as a forum for the educational
institutions to discuss areas in which they might have solely
expertise or areas in which there are gaps that they might seek
to provide additional educational opportunity?
Dr. Downie. That is certainly a key aspect of DAGSI. It is
an opportunity to take a look at us as a bundle and identify
where we overlap and can be more efficient by eliminating some
things where we do have gaps. If you look at what the focus
areas and key majors at each of our institutions are, you do
find kind of a natural grouping that is pretty distinct. We
actually haven't had to do tremendous gap-filling and
elimination of overlap because overtime I am sure it has
evolved because of this collaboration to be this way where we
don't overlap tremendously and we have synergies we can
exploit.
Dr. Curran. I would just add, the way I look at it, we are
working closely with the labs and working closely with the labs
we identify the emerging areas that we have to maintain. I
think at that point all the faculties react to that and hear
what the base needs, hear what the lab needs, and we start
moving into that area. That leads into DAGSI so it is the
interaction with the labs that is key and informs the
universities where they have to go, both the members and the
affiliates in the research area so it's a process of close
interaction between the labs, the universities, and DAGSI.
Mr. Turner. Doctor, the statistics you provided as an
appendage to your testimony, of course, will be part of the
record also and they are very impressive. I just wanted to
highlight some of them. I think in your testimony you had
already indicated that over 500 DAGSI students have graduated
with advanced degrees.
Then you go on to highlight that close to two-thirds of the
graduates remain in Ohio and at least four of DAGSI graduates
have started their own companies in Ohio and you give us the
number of 40 percent as the estimate of those DAGSI graduates
that are either working directly for Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base or are working with defense contractors thereby continuing
the capture of that knowledge base and its support for DOD.
As an impressive economic engine you have then performed a
return on investment of statistics where you indicate that more
than $18 million in follow-on funding to date is new money to
the State of Ohio with total project value of $32 million which
far exceeds the investment by the State of Ohio. Could you talk
about some of the ways that you can see the dividends that the
return on investment expands for both our local community and
for Ohio as these graduates enter our economy?
Dr. Downie. I think success begets success. As an example,
you mentioned specifically follow-on funding to seed money that
DAGSI has provided through the AFRL DAGSI program. We fund
teams of a certain size to do some preliminary work and get
themselves far enough along to know whether their approach is
going to work and that is going to attract more and more
students through our program.
Then as follow-on funding comes in, the teams will grow.
Often times these ideas will then move closer to a product or
service stage. There may be small business relationships,
patents, invention disclosures that come out, and ultimately
new business coming out of what started as a seed project
through the DAGSI program. It is sort of a seed that grows and
blossoms over time.
It does take time but certainly as more and more students
come here, we all hope that they continue to stay in the Miami
Valley, or at least in Ohio, and contribute further to the
economy but even though that leave the State it is actually
good to export some of your talent because they take the word
out that there is really neat stuff happening here.
We generate more excitement and more people that want to
come here go to school. Hopefully we'll keep them here and they
will continue to contribute to the economy. I think of it as a
seed that is growing and blossoming overtime and our success
will continue to breed that continued success.
Mr. Turner. Dr. Downie, thank you for your preparation of
your testimony. Thank you for participating today and for your
hard work at DAGSI to make certain that you contribute to what
is a wonderful public/private partnership that we are
highlighting today.
Dr. Downie. Thank you.
Mr. Turner. Thank you for being with us.
With that we will turn to Congresswoman Schmidt's questions
for General Bowlds.
Ms. Schmidt. Oh, thank you. General Bowlds, what are some
of the benefits of bringing AFIT graduates to AFRL immediately
following the completion of their degrees?
General Bowlds. The first thing you get from anybody who
comes into the lab fresh out of a degree program is their
degree is fresh. We are dealing with technologies that have
certain life expectancy because some of those fields are moving
so fast so having a student who has graduated and their diploma
is fresh, they come right into the lab.
Then you are getting the latest and greatest thinking on
whatever technology area they might be in. I look at it as the
other part of the ledger sheet, a return on investment the Air
Force makes in those advanced degrees.
Once you've got that advanced degree putting it to work is
where the real payoff is so that is why we enjoy having those
folks come. Plus in many cases they have done research that was
for their master thesis or their dissertation that was part of
the lab so they get to come into the lab and maybe finish that
work that they started as a student so it's a very nice way to
put that degree to work.
Ms. Schmidt. And to followup on that, does the cooperation
between AFIT and AFRL benefit the local work force?
General Bowlds. I think it does because you get those
students who stay in the area. Obviously that's people who are
contributing to the local economy. Many times the research that
they have started when they were a student and finished when
they come to the lab is a new field, a new endeavor that takes
the Air Force down a new path that in turn we have to
capitalize and build new lab facilities, bring in new
researchers and reach out to the local university communities
you have heard this morning to capitalize on. It does grow that
local community.
Ms. Schmidt. Yield back.
Mr. Turner. I think General Matthews can attest to this. I
think one of the most fun moments, if there are fun moments
during any BRAC review process, was when we went up to the roof
of the AFIT building. When we got up to the top of the roof and
we looked out over the sea of buildings that represent Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base, the discussion turned to the
integration between the research labs and AFIT.
You could hear from the BRAC commissioners that were here
the shift in tone of their expectation because I think that
their expectation when they raised the issue of the graduate
programs would be that they might be a stand-alone building
with stand-alone programs and stand-alone students that could
be picked up and moved anywhere.
When we got to the roof of AFIT and looked out over the
research labs and over Wright-Patterson Air Force Base it was
clear that the campus wasn't the building that we had our first
meeting on but the campus was Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
There were several aspects of that which you highlighted in
your testimony that I think are important to focus on.
The first thing I am going to ask you is the fact that AFIT
students are employed in research functions that are occurring
at the research labs both in directing them in research and
thesis they should undertake. The cost effective benefit of
that for the research labs, in addition to what you indicated,
if they come pretrained if they then stay, represented both an
educational benefit and a cost-effective benefit for the
research labs. Could you speak about that for a moment?
General Bowlds. Sure. We would always like to have more
research dollars for the lab. The problems that are out there
presenting our warfighter and our Air Force far outweigh the
amount of dollars that we have. So for us to be very effective
and be very efficient and get the most out of those dollars, we
have to figure out how to do partnerships. We have to figure
out how to collaborate with companies, with universities, with
our home court, the students at AFIT.
What I get from that partnership bringing those students
from AFIT into the lab to do research is two things. I get the
ability to capitalize on fresh, young talent and it doesn't
come out of any one budget. We share that burden, both General
Matthews and I.
The other thing that you really get is some of these things
that we're asking our researchers to do, some of the fields we
are in you need brand new fresh ideas and the young students
who come in who are at AFIT who come into the lab bring that
fresh look to an old problem that may be the key to an answer.
When you take that fresh young mind and couple it with a
mentor who has been around and know where the problems are,
where the skeletons are, things you can't do, you can really
then start to solve problems very, very quickly. You get to
come about with new technologies that people weren't thinking
about. The sum of the parts is better than the individuals is
what we get by having those students come into the lab.
And, in turn, having researchers from the lab go into the
university to go over to AFIT to teach because, and I'm going
to put words in General Matthews' mouth, but I am sure he would
like to have more professors than his payroll allows and so it
allows him to get the expertise I got and keep people fresh on
both sides of it. It is both hands scratching each other's back
that we get from it. I hope that answers your question.
Mr. Turner. Yes. In fact, you went into what was my second
question and that is the fact that you have staff from the
research labs that then take on professor duties at AFIT
itself. One of the things in addition to just straight
staffing, as you mentioned, and resources that I think might be
a benefit from that and I would like you to speak about is that
many times people say that when you go to teach a subject
matter within which you work that you also not only are
refreshed in the review that you undertake in teaching it but
also that you learn more about the process yourself in teaching
it to someone else.
Then there is the important function of the transfer of
technology, making certain that the knowledge that you have
here of a work force that has deep experience is passed on as a
baton to the next generation and those individuals who are
coming forward. Could you speak of the importance of that
cross-pollination that occurs by your staff taking on teaching
responsibilities at AFIT?
General Bowlds. Certainly. Having a researcher who is fresh
in the field who knowledge base is most current is how we can
ensure that the research they do is then going to be world
class. The term we use in the lab in the game-changing, that we
are going to get game-changing kind of results out of that
research.
My experience through colleagues and stuff is that one way
a researcher may go and get their knowledge base back up to
date is they take a sabbatical. They disappear for a period of
time. Maybe go to a university or go to an industry and
disappear for a year while they get up to date on the latest
and greatest in both the body of knowledge, the research
techniques, and what has gone on.
From the lab perspective I lose that individual for a year.
Not that they don't come back that much more productive but I
lose them for a year. The better way, or the way that works
equally well, is what you just talked about, is having those
researchers in the lab go over to AFIT and teach the new
students into a field of materials or electrical engineering
because it helps them in their mind refresh what it is that
their expertise is.
They have to get current on the latest body of knowledge
because they are going to teach it. Plus they get asked the
hard questions. They get asked the hard questions from those
young minds that says, just like our children do, ``How come?
How come we have to do it that way?'' It forces them to be on
their toes and sharp. They do that before they go teach a class
at AFIT.
They are gone for an hour a couple times a week plus the
time they have to go to get into it but I still have them in my
home court advantage. They are still doing research back in the
lab and I think that is probably the start of that relationship
of bringing those young researchers, those students from AFIT
then back into the lab to help that researcher move their
endeavor along.
Mr. Turner. Congresswoman Schmidt, questions?
Ms. Schmidt. Yes, I would like to go to the Honorable Kevin
DeWine.
Dr. Downie illustrated the fact that 75 percent of DAGSI
graduates have degrees and experience directly relevant to the
Third Frontier technologies. As we all know, Ohio has made a
commitment to Third Frontier. I have a two-part question. Will
this project benefit from Third Frontier dollars from the State
of Ohio?
Mr. DeWine. Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman Schmidt, I think
the answer is yes. Whether it is directly or indirectly I might
look down here to my partners to my left on direct benefit.
Surely when we see investments in collaborations amongst
universities on high-tech, Third Frontier initiatives, those
are things that certainly benefit the economy.
They benefit the intellectual capital that exist here. We
think that is a nice partnership, another program that partners
well with the AFIT DAGSI consortium. All of those things are
things that are going on here. There are Third Frontier
programs being run through Wright State, being run through the
University of Dayton. Again, it is the collaboration of the
infrastructure of the faculty and the students and the private
sector doing that work here whether it's directly through DAGSI
or whether it's through the Third Frontier that I think is
acredive to the technological and educational gain of the
region.
Ms. Schmidt. I would like another question if I may.
Mr. Turner. Sure. Please.
Ms. Schmidt. As you and I both know, Ohio is a term-limited
State and you have a wealth of knowledge in this which is very
beneficial to this program but, unfortunately, nothing lasts
forever. My concern with projects like this is when the next
group comes in to govern the State of Ohio where are we going
to have the security that this level of commitment will
continue? Is there any mechanism that you can establish in
order to ensure that whoever follows in your footsteps will be
as committed to this program as you obviously are?
Mr. DeWine. Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman Schmidt, term
limits, as we have often talked about, there's good and bad.
You and I were beneficiaries of term limits. We were able to
get elected in 2000 and be able to spend some time working
together in the Ohio House of Representatives in part because
of term limits. I recognize that I am in the general assembly
today because of term limits.
I also recognize that soon I will be out of the general
assembly because of term limits. I think that is a problem with
term limits that affects not just this program. It affects
every last bit of every program that has any sort of State
support. Clearly from the first time I got elected Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base has been something that I have spent a
great deal of legislative time both trying to understand
because it is huge.
It is organizationally complex and it is difficult to
understand so you have to commit your time and your energy to
be able to understand all the moving parts here. I have spent a
great deal of time doing that. Part of what we have to do is
figure out how to continue that. As it relates to DAGSI and the
AFIT partnership I think the great thing is you have wonderful
community partners in the universities who take a very active
role in working with their local members of the general
assembly.
So not only does it become my job to pass the baton to
whoever follows me, I think then we also as a community have to
rely on folks like President Curran and Dr. Thomas and the
members of that board, as well as our members of the Air Force
to make sure that things don't get lost, that things don't lose
priority, and that we keep a focus on the things that should
move and should be supported because they will move our economy
forward. That is clearly the case with this AFIT and DAGSI
partnership.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you.
Mr. Turner. General Matthews, I am going to give you an
opportunity to do a commercial. On page three of your testimony
you speak of General Moseley's statements of the fiscal
constraints that the Air Force will be facing as a result of
the ongoing war on terror, modernization, and its impact on Air
Force personnel cuts. You indicated for us that AFIT will have
to adjust to fiscal realities.
You also indicate underlying in your comments the
importance of investing in our educational programs. If you
would, take a moment and give us your description of why we
should, of course, look first to our educational programs for
our future as we look to investment opportunities.
General Matthews. Yes, sir. Again, Mr. Chairman and
Congresswoman Schmidt, I appreciate this opportunity to address
the committee because of the education requirements for the
U.S. Air Force are very important to Secretary Wynne and our
Chief articulated in their Letter to Airmen back in April.
Again, the top three priorities are, first, to win the war
on terror. Also important is recapitalizing our fleet which is
aging significantly. Also critical as part of the
transformation year for us is the development of our airmen of
which advanced academic education is a critical part. I look at
it as the seed corn.
I was in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. What I
witnessed in the National Military Command Center firmly
imbedded in me an appreciation of the preparation of our
soldiers, sailors, and Marines. I guarantee you nobody who was
in that National Military Command Center had gone through a war
college class preparing for that moment for that eventuality.
What they had gone through was a lifetime of training and
education which broadly prepared them for any eventuality which
occurred which included that day and they performed
magnificently in taking control of our airways, securing our
Nation, and making sure that we were well prepared for those
actions that occurred just a few short weeks later. I think it
is interesting and that is why I put in my testimony in
retrospect to look at how quickly we were able to quickly react
to that situation and take down the Taliban in Afghanistan, and
also prepare forces for the eventual war in Iraq.
That is why I look at education as being critically
important, the preparation of our airmen because you can't
predict what the future is going to be 10, 15, 20 years from
now. I can't tell you what September 11, 2011 is going to be
like, or September 11, 2021 is going to be. I will tell you
that there will be threats to national security of the United
States. The U.S. Air Force will be prepared because of the
preparation of our airmen largely through the education of
those airmen through advanced education.
The problem we face obviously today is the fact that the
Air Force is downsizing. We have already announced personnel
cuts, 57,000 positions, 40,000 full-time equivalence, again is
a price that we feel we must pay now again to pay for the
needed modernization of our fleet and also to sustain the
ongoing cost of war which we must win.
What we are working with our headquarters on is a process
of refining exactly what that requirement is and what portion
of that the Air Force Institute of Technology will sustain
through our graduate education programs. That is in a state of
transition right now. We were in a program I referred to as
Vector Blue that was a vision of our former Secretary Roach and
our former Chief of Staff General Jumper which had a marked
increase of the student through-put through AFIT over the last
4 years or so, over a 70 percent increase in our production.
We have leveled off that program currently which is
appropriate given the fact that we are actually downsizing the
force and we are not going to have the force that existed at
the time the program was instituted. Nonetheless, the Air Force
is firmly committed to the advanced education requirements of
the force and we are revisiting exactly what those requirements
are and we will continue to refine them. Again, I see great
opportunities in the DAGSI consortium to help provide a new
model of how we will provide that education for our airmen in
the future.
Mr. Turner. Since you have had a great deal of experience
with this as a model, can you tell us ways in which DAGSI might
be able to be improved or be more effective in assisting AFIT?
General Matthews. First of all, it has been very useful, as
Dr. Downie indicated earlier, as a model that we have been able
to export to other areas. Most notably at Kirkland Air Force
Base in New Mexico, University of New Mexico we have entered
into a DAGSI-like arrangement where we actually provide
aeronautical engineering classes to students at the University
of New Mexico to augment something that doesn't currently exist
within their system. That is a win-win situation for the Air
Force because then we provide that expertise back to the Air
Force and their graduates to our laboratory and other
facilities and defense-related industries in New Mexico.
We also have entered recently in the DAGSI-like arrangement
with Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles in the Systems Engineering
Program where our students at Los Angeles Air Force Base can
take our courses and then transfer those over to their
university for completion of a masters degree which is of great
benefit to the Air Force.
It is hard for me to envision improvements. Perhaps I would
like to see more opportunities to bring even more civilian
students into the Air Force Institute of Technology because,
again, I think that is of benefit to the Air Force and our
integration of the total force which includes civilians.
Because of the downsizing in the Air Force we have a
significant need for those in uniform to serve an expeditionary
role which means a lot of deployments overseas often times into
hostile combat arenas.
That has put a pressure on the number of students that were
able to bring to the Air Force Institute of Technology in
uniform. I would envision a time in the future where some of
the state-side requirements for those who are graduates of AFIT
programs could be fulfilled by civilians where they are
currently fulfilled by people in uniform.
We would still like to provide that education because of
our focus, defense focus, military focus, Air Force focus at
the Air Force Institute of Technology. DAGSI is a useful
construct to provide scholarship funds to bring those civilian
students to the Air Force Institute of Technology. Expansion in
that area would be of benefit, I think, to the Air Force and to
the country.
Mr. Turner. Conversely, the Federal partnership and role in
this do you see, especially as you are looking to Monday and
the end of your involvement with AFIT, are there things at the
Federal level that we should be doing differently that would
have aided you or you think would aid AFIT in the future other
than, of course, just funding that you see we might be able to
address as either impediment or enhancement to what you do?
General Matthews. As I mentioned in my written testimony,
we are reviewing the business model we currently have at the
Air Force Institute of Technology. We are a fully appropriated
activity, as you know, though we do have a small number of our
students specifically from sister services, Army, Navy, Marines
who come and now because of recent legislation largely
sponsored by the Ohio delegation, we are able to collect and
retain tuition from those sister services and roll that money
back into the Air Force Institute of Technology.
I see AFIT transforming similar to Naval Post Graduate
School to where a portion of the school is, in fact, a fee for
service. We can debate about what that percentage actually
ought to be but if we are going to bring more civilians in, I
would like a streamlined mechanism where we able to collect and
retain the tuition to offset cost associated with those
students coming into the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Now, exactly what those measures might entail I don't know
right now. In fact, we have IPT, a pining team together which
is reviewing that and we anticipate bringing forward to our
headquarters a package listing a series of needed changes in
policy or other perhaps restrictions that we currently have to
more fully encompass a student body I envision in the future of
AFIT so, again, we can not only educate these folks but we get
paid for doing it. I think that is useful for the Air Force and
useful for the country, too. It would help offset Air Force
costs because, again, our resources are very scarce.
Mr. Turner. That is a very excellent point. Thank you.
Congresswoman Schmidt, do you have a question?
Ms. Schmidt. I have one more and it is for Dr. Curran and
Dr. Thomas.
What would happen to your respective universities if this
public/private partnership ended as far as intellectual
capacity bringing in new students to be prepared in science and
math for the future, as well as the financial foundations of
the universities?
Dr. Curran. Well, I certainly think a relationship with Air
Force Research Labs over the years has led us into areas of
research that the University of Dayton probably would not have
pursued. For example, we mentioned that composites were ranked
No. 2 in the Nation. I don't know if we would be as strong in
that area because of something driven by our relationship again
with the labs.
I can probably say the same thing for our more currently
developed area of a nano characterization, nano research, that
we moved forward with the community and with the base to
establish a research program there. That probably would not be
at UD campus. Also, our students who participate through DAGSI
get a very unique exposure to be at the labs, some of them at
the labs and the base. You simply don't have that opportunity
to be exposed to this type of research.
They learn a lot about the Air Force culture and they are
aware of positions opening up. I think that is one of the
challenges that many of the positions at the base and at the
military facilities are at times classified. The research is
not well known. Top scientists do not get the exposure so
through DAGSI and AFIT I think we get a lot of students in.
Again, I think it keeps you on the cutting edge. Again, in
nano materials I don't think we would getting the National
Science Foundation Funds we would today if we would not move
forward with the questions by the labs and the various
directorates.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you.
Dr. Thomas. Yes, Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman Schmidt, the
DAGSI program is of tremendous benefit to Wright State,
particularly in the College of Engineering in computer science.
If that were to go away or be decreased substantially, it would
be a major impact on our research funding in those areas. We
would have to make up from other sources.
If AFIT were to go away to California or elsewhere, it
would take away from our faculty a large number of very
valuable collaborators that help us with our research programs
and help our students with their doctorate dissertations. We
have heard about the interaction between AFRL and AFIT.
Certainly Wright State Faculty and students benefit from that
by working in the teams on base in AFRL with AFIT students and
with AFIT faculty so I think that would all be very serious for
us.
Dr. Curran. Can I add one thing? I do think you have to
take it a step beyond the universities themselves, again in the
area of composites. Again, we follow the lead. The lab has a
discussion. We establish an expertise in this. We then go after
research money at Federal times, but it's what happens in the
next step.
If you look at logical progression in the date and area,
you can point to the national composite center, something that
I do not think would be in this area if it were not for
following the lead of the labs at the various directorates. I
think it is a key step in the tech commercialization process in
this region. Again, there is a number of companies that are
based in composites and other areas. I think it is very
important not for us, the universities, but the community
beyond.
Ms. Schmidt. Thank you.
Mr. Turner. Dr. Curran, Dr. Thomas, I am going to ask you
guys three questions that Dr. Curran can begin with and then,
Dr. Thomas, if you would follow on.
Dr. Curran, you began the discussion of this when you
highlighted your national ranking as No. 2 in materials
research by the National Science Foundation. First, do you see
that each of your universities have developed expertise that
you believe has distinguished you nationally, thereby
attracting students and other interest in the university beyond
just the research that is being done at the research labs and
at AFIT? In other words, what is the dividend affect of the
specific expertise that you developed through DAGSI?
Second, will you speak of the coordinated efforts between
the two universities and AFIT as to the type of programming
that is provided? Third, in your testimonies many of you
highlighted some of the success stories. Please just give us
some of your anecdotal thoughts on the importance of this
program. We will begin with Dr. Curran.
Dr. Curran. I think it has been very important for us to
track students. Again, we have a different portfolio of
graduate offerings than most institutions. Clearly students
look at UD to do different things.
I think it has been equally, if not more, important for the
recruting of top-level faculty to come to the university.
Earlier I referenced the area of nano characterization. We
brought in an endowed professor in this area, again, reacting
to identified needs by directorate. I do not think he would
have come to the University of Dayton if he could not have
worked with AFIT in the labs.
This was the key to recruting this individual. I can give
repeated examples of that whether it be in fuels, be it in the
area of aging aircraft. It is unique opportunities not only for
the students but for the faculty. It really is an advantage for
us out there.
The coordinated efforts between the two universities. There
was a question earlier about can you duplicate this in other
areas. I think we have just a tremendous relationship with
Wright State. We do collaborative research. We recognize each
other's strengths. We tend to have discussions about not
duplicating resources. Again, I think that is a challenge for
higher education in the future.
We have this wonderful relationship with Wright State and I
would add Sinclair College also that allows us to talk through
issues and then go out to the community. That is not a group we
talked about a lot. The Dayton Development Coalition and other
entities in the community come together and talk about a
logical progression. Again, it has been a wonderful
relationship and continues to be a good relationship. You asked
for an area of expertise.
Composites is one again. We have moved ahead. We are
nationally known. We are asking important questions. We have
been involved in Third Frontier projects. We were the research
institute's work that I think led to the first
commercialization of a project under the Third Frontier and
establishment of actual company around that. Again, I think it
has made us very compositive. Jay can speak to Wright State's
Third Frontier initiatives.
As a community we look for the possibility of again funding
around aerospace medicine, a mission that is being vetted now.
What can we do to contribute to the advancement of that mission
on the base? Again, it is about cooperation. It is about
requiring researchers who come to DAGSI to be on the base, to
teach the courses with AFIT on the base. That is one of the
logistical challenges.
I know you asked about opening this up. I think in the
research area we certainly should be opening up and we do have
relationships with universities around the State. But, again, I
think we just have to be responding to this great relationship.
One other question you asked earlier, Representative, you
asked Kevin. What would you do to keep this relationship? Let
me respond to it. I would invest in DAGSI. I think the State
should invest in DAGSI. If you look at the budget, Liz would
never say this herself but it has been a static budget for a
number of years. As the various missions are bedded down at the
base because of BRAC, I think we are going to have to seriously
look at how we can improve DAGSI and possibly diversify DAGSI.
In order for this relationship to continue, it is that
relationship between DAGSI and AFIT that is very important and
what we should be investing in.
Jay, I will turn it over to you.
Dr. Thomas. I mentioned that the formation of DAGSI was a
win-win since 13 years ago, which is a long time in the history
of Wright State. One of our wins in that process was the
establishment of a new doctoral program in the College of
Engineering in six research areas that were key to our
interactions with the base and also with UD, AFIT, and other
schools in Ohio.
That program was begun in 1996 and finally approved by the
regions in 2001. It now has over 100 students. It is
approaching something like 20 graduates a year. That is a large
doctoral program. That has been very important to us over the
years.
We are very proud also to have the Wright Center of
Innovation called Data Ohio in data management which has been
funded now for about 3 years. It is a good opportunity for
economic development for the region. The Third Frontier is not
a research program. It is an economic development program so
organizations like DAGSI that provide some research funding are
very important to sort of produce the seed corn that leads to
the economic development.
We have now through the Third Frontier programs and Data
Ohio been able to expand our College of Engineering. We have a
new addition to our Russ Engineering Center of 50,000 square
feet for Data Ohio being open in about 2 weeks. It is just
about finished. If you drive down Colonel Glenn Highway you
will see a large glass structure that I think should be a
mirror of the technological expertise of the area. We will have
a grand opening for that building on October 27th, I believe it
is. You all will hear from us for that shortly. That's just a
couple of things that have benefited Wright State through DAGSI
and also AFIT partnership.
Mr. Turner. Thank you. Representative DeWine, I am going to
ask you the question I asked General Matthews which is you have
had just a tremendous amount of expertise as you have made
certain you know what is going on at Wright-Patterson Air Force
Base. As you noted, the complexity of Wright-Patt as the
different organizations that are here and how they interrelate.
So you have expertise in not only advocating on the State level
successfully for what the State needs to do, but also knowledge
on what needs to be done on the Federal level.
I am going to ask you the same question that I asked
General Matthews of thoughts you might have of things that we
need to do on the Federal level to support this. After you
answer I am going to give anyone the opportunity who wants to
give us closing comments for the record to give us those
closing comments and then we will be adjourning.
Representative.
Mr. DeWine. Thank you, Congressman. I think I will defer my
remarks to echo General Matthews. I would never pretend to be
more knowledgeable than General Matthews on the things that can
be done to improve to the benefit of AFIT and DAGSI so I will
defer to General Matthews.
I will tell you, though, Congressman, I think this is a
good time and a good opportunity for DAGSI. As Dr. Curran said,
this is an opportunity for us to kind of figure out what the
future of DAGSI is, to diversify it. And I think a good
opportunity for us to invest a few more State dollars into this
alliance and this consortium partly because of what we hear
from our partners over here today.
As we have taken some time over the past 2 years in the
general assembly our focus has been very singular, and that is
to try to transform and revitalize Ohio's economy. Step one has
been to try and change the tax code that has long served as a
disincentive for investment. I believe we have done that so we
are creating that environment where people will not be driven
away from Ohio because of things like tax codes.
Our next step, as you and I talked about a little bit
before this hearing got started, I think the next step quite
honestly for us is to focus on the STEM disciplines: science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. Those are the
disciplines that are going to drive our economy for the future.
Those are things that are going to focus our limited State
resources on a growing economy.
I think this is a good time both in terms of getting some
attention from the Federal level. I think this is also a good
time for DAGSI to get some attention again from the State level
and try to partner with DAGSI to a greater extent than it has
in the past to support what we all know are significant
resources and benefits to the Air Force, but also to the State
of Ohio as well.
Mr. Turner. Excellent. Again, I want to thank all of you
for both your preparation, for your time today, and for your
patience and the time being moved as a result of the late night
that Congress had last night.
Whenever we have a hearing, I always want to give people
opportunity to put anything else on the record in the form of a
closing comment that they might have. As you have heard other
people answer questions, it may have caused you to think of
something that was important that you would like to have added.
Or perhaps there is a question that you had prepared for that
we did not ask that would have been important for us to ask
that you might want to have responded to get on the record of
this hearing today. With that before I close the hearing, I do
want to ask if there is anyone who would like to embellish
their testimony today?
General.
General Bowlds. Just some closing comments. First off, Mr.
Chairman, Congresswoman Schmidt, thank you very much for the
opportunity. What makes Air Force Research Lab a viable
institution is the collaboration we do on the DOD level with
the national labs there, the NASA, the Navy, the Army, industry
collaborations. But collaborations that we have talked about
here this morning with AFIT and the collaborations that we get
from the local university with DAGSI are very, very important
to us to keep our researchers fresh, to keep our ideas fresh
and keep the lab an exciting place to work.
You have heard it mentioned several times here today the
Institute of Aerospace Medicine, which we are soon to spin up
here and we are in the throes of figuring out how to make that
happen, I believe is going to introduce a whole new chapter to
that collaboration. Maybe to your comment, sir, in the change
of leadership what kind of viability does organizations like
DAGSI have?
My brief introduction to it is it is a win-win for all
participants. Those kind of organizations have staying power as
the leadership changed because those who come behind them
recognize the importance of things like DAGSI, the importance
of those partnerships. When you throw something into the mix
like the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, I think that will
only accelerate the level of collaboration and opportunity that
we will see for the date and region and for Ohio in general.
Thank you again very much for the opportunity to share my
thoughts with you today.
Mr. Turner. Thank you very much.
General Matthews.
General Matthews. Again, Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman
Schmidt, again, thank you for this opportunity to address a
committee. My family and I are greatly saddened to be leaving
the Dayton area. It is my first opportunity to visit Wright-
Patterson Air Force Base despite being in the Air Force 20
years. My wife is a mid-western girl and she especially hates
me now that with this first opportunity we are going to have to
leave again. But I am also looking forward to heading back a
little closer to my roots in North Carolina which is the actual
birth place of aviation, I would point out.
Mr. Turner. Now he says that.
General Matthews. Can we get that stricken from the record?
Is that possible?
Ms. Schmidt. Is that true?
Mr. Turner. General, go ahead. We will tolerate that,
especially since you have done such an incredible job.
Ms. Schmidt. Mr. Chairman, don't our license plates say the
birth place of aviation? Didn't we pass that, Mr. DeWine?
Mr. Turner. Thank you for giving us that bit of levity.
Continue.
General Matthews. I do appreciate and have especially come
to appreciate the genius behind DAGSI over my last year here
and the diversity and the opportunities it provides and
marrying my own graduate educational experience. Even though I
was enrolled in the engineering school I was able to take
classes as part of my major degree in the School of Public
Policy which greatly enhanced my effectiveness in my next
assignment working on your staff during the time of the first
Gulf War.
In fact, I recently was corresponding to a former squad and
commander of mine who was my civil engineering squad and
commander and an AFIT graduate who is currently in Baghdad
helping rebuild the Iraqi Air Force. The thing that struck me
is something that would enhance his capability was the broader
appreciation of the environment he works in. In fact, our
university initiative I mentioned in my opening remarks is to
provide our expeditionary airmen greater skills, language, and
cultural awareness.
I think there is an opportunity here for DAGSI, again,
because of the relationship we have. This is not an area of
expertise for the Air Force Institute of Technology. But I do
think there is a blending of these skills between science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics along with language
and culture which DAGSI offers a model of how we might be able
to bring those skills in without having to recreate that
capability in this operation here. I look forward to those
opportunities and the potential for that is something we will
be exploring with AFIT in the future in alignment with our
university initiative in that area.
Again, a small representation of that was a recent
competition we had with our management program where three of
our graduate students in their intermediate developmental
education program participated in a State Department
competition which they won first place in helping the State
Department in human resources development case study against
universities such as University of Wisconsin, Georgetown, and a
little place up here called Ohio State. Sorry we beat them out
but the fact is we are still an Ohio institution so the State
of Ohio should still be very proud as I am of our graduates and
their time here.
Again, thank you for this opportunity to address you.
Mr. Turner. I appreciate again your leadership of AFIT. I
know you will fully understand one of my favorite members of
the Armed Services Committee is Representative Hayes from North
Carolina. He and I have come to what I think is a distillation
of this dispute between North Carolina and Ohio and that is
that, as we are all aware, Ohio contributed the intellect and
North Carolina contributed the wind. Thank you for your
support, though, for North Carolina.
Anyone else for closing comments?
Mr. DeWine.
Mr. Chairman, Congresswoman Schmidt, thank you both for
holding the hearing today and coming here to learn a little bit
more about the important relationship and benefits of DAGSI and
AFIT. Thank you both for your commitment and your dedication to
the men and women in uniform. Thank you for coming.
Ms. Schmidt. May I add just one thing? Thank you so much
for your commitment to Ohio State and to the Wright Brothers in
the place of aviation.
Mr. DeWine. Thank you.
Dr. Curran. I thank you for the opportunity also. It has
been a pleasure to be here to talk really about a model of
collaboration. This is my 5th year in Dayton and I was
surprised to see a community that always came together around
issues. This issue in particular the relationship between
research labs and the universities is unique. We identify
issues and we move forward. DAGSI and AFIT then give us the
educational opportunities and the research opportunities, the
seed money. We talked a lot about that today.
I think the next step in the process then is so important
for the Dayton region is organizations like the Dayton
Development Coalition, Wright Brothers Institute, and certainly
our delegation in Washington and Columbus. These ideas, these
opportunities could pass by certainly if we did not have the
followup with the delegations.
The seed money from DAGSI is important for research but the
followup to establish the program in a directorate is very
important. Finally, I think our greatest challenge in this area
is how we successfully commercialize that. Again, this will be
a reflection of collaboration also. Again, I thank you for
being here and it has been a wonderful afternoon.
Dr. Thomas. I would just like to comment that I think we
are facing the next 5 years of tremendous excitement for the
Dayton region as we move through the BRAC process both in
aerospace medicine and censors and to comment that Wright State
is fully committed to supporting the Air Force through these
times and looks forward to increase the interactions with AFRL
and future aerospace medicine and other new units as well as
AFIT. Thank you very much for being here and for your support.
Mr. Turner. Thank you very much. I would like to thank our
distinguished panel of witnesses for their participation today.
I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge,
experiences, and your thoughts with us. I would also like to
thank you for your participation and, again, your patience for
the time being moved.
Clearly there is an exceptional amount of coordination
between all the institutions. As we have heard today, the
relationship between the Federal, State, and local governments
and the private institutions is a positive one for the country
and Ohio and, most importantly, our soldiers and airmen in the
field. For that reason it is important that we continue to work
together to further the goals of the Air Force and our local
institutions of higher education.
In the event there may be additional questions that we did
not have time for today or the members who were not able to
make it today, we would like to submit the record will remain
open for 2 weeks for submitted questions and answers.
I also want to thank the people of the Air Force Museum for
hosting us today, especially at this time where we have the air
show and they are faced with so many logistics. They have
always been incredibly helpful whenever we have had an event
here and I want to thank them.
With that we will be adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1:14 p.m. the subcommittee was adjourned.]