Auburn Research & Economic Development

Today marks a momentous milestone as we celebrated the next chapter for Auburn in Huntsville. Surrounded by hundreds of our friends, partners and national leaders, we opened the new Applied Research Institute Laboratory to significantly expand Auburn University's ability to support our military and industry partners.

Our sincere appreciation for the attendance and remarks of support:
-Asst. Secretary of War for Science and Technology, the honorable Dr. Joe Jewell, U.S. Department of War

-Maj. Gen. Jason Cothern, Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency

-Senator Tommy Tuberville

-Congressman Mike Rogers

-Representative Dale Strong

-Congressman Robert Aderholt

Turning underutilized farmland into a bio-based ecosystem…
That’s how the BRIDGES Engine aims to make a major impact on Alabama's rural economy.

🎧 Listen to Troy Public Radio's InFocus with Carolyn Hutcheson to hear why Dr. Steve Taylor says this project is a perfect match for Auburn University's land-grant mission→ https://www.npr.org/podcasts/946279880/in-focus-with-carolyn-hutcheson

Leaders from Auburn University and Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base are exploring new opportunities to advance our shared national security mission. During a recent meeting, university leaders discussed new ways to collaborate on professional military education, expand applied research partnerships and prepare the next generation of leaders in support of United States Air Force and United States Space Force readiness. Keep Reading → https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/News/Display/Article/4550440/air-university-hosts-auburn-leaders-for-partnership-discussion/

📸: Stefan Alvarez

Air University hosts Auburn leaders for partnership discussion Air University leaders hosted a delegation from Auburn University July 10, 2026, to discuss how Auburn’s academic and research capabilities could support professional military education and future

Farnborough Day 2: Communities meet with existing partners, seek new - Made in Alabama LONDON, England – At GE Aerospace’s display at the Farnborough InternationalAirshow, a large digital map displays the company’s investments in Alabama.About 750 employees between its Auburn and Huntsville facilities. Investments of more than $100 million last year alone. Sixty in-state supplie...

Exciting news for Auburn! 🚀 DPC Holdings PLC (Doncasters), a leading U.K.-based manufacturer of superalloys and high-precision components for the aerospace, energy and automotive industries, has announced that it will open a new superalloy manufacturing facility right here in Auburn.

This $50 million investment will create about 70 new jobs over the next three years, strengthening our local economy and expanding opportunities for our community.

Doncasters’ expansion into Auburn will help meet growing demand for advanced materials used in aerospace and industrial gas turbine engines.

We’re proud to welcome Doncasters to Auburn and look forward to the innovation and growth this partnership will bring!

Learn more about what this means for Auburn at openline.auburnalabama.org/article/9783/

Auburn University to co-lead $160M project boosting rural economies Auburn University will co-lead a National Science Foundation-funded project called BRIDGES Engine, receiving up to $160 million over 10 years to convert underutilized farmland into high-value biobased products.

We're building something that hasn't existed before—a rural innovation engine to connect farmers, manufacturers and communities to create new markets, new jobs and new opportunities across Alabama and Tennessee.

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has brought together the best in the business: Auburn University, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Volkswagen, and AGgrow Tech to transform Alabama and Tennessee fields into everyday products. Think car parts, takeout food containers, and pavement.

Learn more about how the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s $160 million grant is making the BRIDGES engine possible → https://wire.auburn.edu/content/research/2026/07/14bridgesengine.php?utm_source=auburn-today&utm_medium=web

HOT OFF THE PRESS: The newest edition of The Season magazine is out now!

Highlights include:
🌤️ Alumni launching a career in drone technology
🐜 Research exploring how ants use natural antibiotics to fight pathogens
🌿 Efforts to combat the emerging threat of the cotton jassid
⛳ The Auburn-developed turfgrass at Bent Brook Golf Course
And more!

Read the issue today: https://theseason.agriculture.auburn.edu/issue/2026-volume-1/

85% of teachers believe students spend too much time on screens during class. That's according to a national study by Auburn University College of Education Associate Professor David Marshall and Christopher Newport University Associate Professor Tim Pressley. Dr. Marshall talks about possible solutions, cell phone bans, and AI in the classroom in an interview today with WBRC 6 News' Clare Huddleston WBRC.

Expert discusses screen time in the classroom Expert discusses screen time in the classroom

Can pressure “blind” cells to their surroundings?
A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances by researchers from Auburn Chemical Engineering, in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Cyprus, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Binghamton University, reveals that prolonged exposure to elevated hydrostatic pressure impairs a cell's ability to sense and respond to its physical environment, fundamentally changing how it moves.

Even more remarkably, cells remember that pressure. Researchers found that long after the pressure is removed, cells continue to move differently—uncovering a previously unknown form of mechanical memory.

This discovery reveals an unexpected role for pressure in controlling cell behavior and could advance our understanding of development, wound healing, and cancer progression.

👏 Congratulations to the research team:

Ayuba Akinpelu
Abby Weaver
Farnaz Hemmati
Ethan Coker
Farshad Amiri
Chrystalla Stylianou
Ravi S. Vaghasiya
Matthew T. Garnett
Daniel Nweze
Maria Kalli
Symone Alexander
Triantafyllos Stylianopoulos
Yizeng Li
Panagiotis Mistriotis

📖 Read the paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aed0981