Visit from LMI leadership follows UAH invitation to join firm’s Academic Partnerships program

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) was pleased to welcome Mr. Ed Stanton, senior vice president of strategic growth at LMI, for a daylong tour of the UAH campus and its research facilities on Tuesday, June 13.

Mr. Stanton’s visit followed UAH’s recent invitation to join LMI’s Academic Partnerships program, which was launched by LMI Research Institute in 2011 to provide universities with structured, funded research projects that expose students to real-world challenges faced by the federal government. Currently, the partnership comprises 10 academic institutions in addition to UAH, all of whose coursework and research align closely with LMI’s strategic research interests and expertise in the areas of acquisition and financial management, infrastructure management, information management, organizational improvement, and policy and program support.

"We are honored to be invited as an academic affiliate of LMI Research Institute. There are only a few formal affiliates that have been invited to partner with LMI since the program’s inception, and UAH is the only one in Alabama," says Dr. Ray Vaughn, UAH’s vice president for research and economic development. "Given the applied nature of UAH’s work and its long-standing support of the Department of Defense and NASA, the affiliation is a strategic partnership opportunity. We are pleased that Mr. Stanton took the time to visit UAH and to do a deep dive into our capabilities."

Mr. Stanton’s visit included a working lunch with Dr. Gary Zank, director of UAH’s Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research; Dr. John Christy, director of UAH’s Earth System Science Center; and Dr. Sara Graves, director of UAH’s Information Technology and Systems Center; as well as dinner with UAH president Dr. Robert Altenkirch.

Throughout the day, Mr. Stanton also toured the majority of UAH’s research centers and labs, including the Reliability and Failure Analysis Lab, the Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center, the Johnson Research Center, the Propulsion Research Center, the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, the Information Technology and Systems Center, the Severe Weather Institute – Radar and Lightning Laboratories, the Center for Cybersecurity and Research Education, and the Aerophysics Research Center, which is a subordinate of UAH’s Research Institute located on the Redstone Arsenal.

"UAH represents a fantastic partner for LMI as we both have decades behind helping solve government’s most complex problems and some of the smartest folks developing what’s possible in the future," says Mr. Stanton, a retired lieutenant general of the U.S. Army whose current responsibilities include implementing LMI’s strategic growth initiatives while strengthening client relationships in the financial and resource management community. "I was prepared to be impressed, but after spending a full day looking, I am simply amazed at UAH’s breadth of experience and capabilities helping government develop advanced solutions."

LMI’s invitation to UAH was extended earlier this spring, solidifying several years of warm relations between the university and the firm’s Southeast headquarters. More recently, Dr. Vaughn attended the program’s 2017 Government–University Forum, which was held May 24 at LMI Tysons. The forum provides insight into the challenges facing government clients, informs LMI’s academic partners about LMI, allows LMI’s academic partners an opportunity to discuss their work and share ideas for exploration, and makes connections among LMI staff, academic researchers, and government representatives. "LMI’s Government–University Forum is becoming a premier conference to bring the leading minds and practitioners together," says Mr. Stanton.

Going forward, UAH will compete with the program’s other academic partners in an annual competitive funding process. Once funding is awarded, staff members of LMI Research Institute will collaborate with university teams to ensure that the work is applicable to their clients’ needs. "LMI’s approximately $250 million in annual revenue affords many opportunities for UAH engagement, and their business areas align closely with UAH’s strengths," says Dr. Vaughn. "We look forward to working with LMI."

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