UAH ranked fifth nationally in federally financed aeronautical/astronautical engineering research and second in Alabama in federally funded research expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) fiscal year 2011 data, which are the most recent available. Only Johns Hopkins University, Utah State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Colorado-Boulder were listed ahead of UAH in the national aeronautical/astronautical engineering research expenditure ranking. Following UAH were MIT, the University of Maryland and Texas A&M. "The National Science Foundation research expenditure rankings clearly show the strengths of UAH in science and engineering disciplines," said UAH Vice President for Research Ray Vaughn. "This is a also a sign of a very healthy research program and a hard-working research faculty. I am continually amazed at the high level of research performance of a small university like UAH and very proud of our accomplishments."