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Inspecting a RAAVEN drone.

Members of the team in the human centrifuge lab.

Personnel from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) at Wright-Patterson Airforce Base, Dayton, Ohio visited Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences October 7, 2024.Ìý

AFRL members met with faculty, researchers, and students pursuing human factors and space research in the department.Ìý

The Co-Learning team, led by Dr. Lorraine Borghetti, is pursuing novel methods for developing effective human-machine teaming systems in space domain awareness (SDA). The interdisciplinary team consists of experts from a wide range of backgrounds, including cognitive engineering, psychology, computer science, and data analysts.Ìý

The visit day was hosted by Prof. Marcus Holzinger’s Vision, Autonomy, and Decision Research (VADeR) Lab. Researchers in the VADeR Lab are developing a comprehensive SDA virtual reality (VR) wargaming environment to train Space Force cadets to operate spacecraft in cislunar space – the area between the Earth and Moon.Ìý

The partnership also includes subject matter experts from the CU Center for National Security Initiatives (NSI) and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). AFRL/RH and the VADeR Lab have plans to conduct joint human subject experiments related to space wargaming on campus.

The AFRL RH team and the VADeR lab also discussed space workforce development. Dr. Marcus Holzinger serves as the Principal Investigator on the STARLIT award; STARLIT focuses on advancing SDA research and expanding the space talent pipeline. The discussion encompassed student recruitment strategies for AFRL internships, as well as information dissemination on AFRL’s postdoctoral opportunities through the National Academy of Sciences.

For more information on the AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate,

For more information on Dr. Marcus Holzinger and the VADeR Lab, please visit their website.

Contributing authors: Casey R. Heidrich, Meaghan Allyn