AGP Executive Report

AI Research: The University of Alabama is joining a 15-university Southeast partnership to share advanced computing resources and expand access to AI research infrastructure. Military Technology: Fort Rucker has been selected as the Army’s center for unmanned aircraft and autonomy efforts, bringing a new focus on drone technology to Alabama. Huntsville Tech: Kontron has begun producing a new computing system in Huntsville, while MAD Security has opened a headquarters and security operations center there and donated $100,000 to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. Medical Research: Southern Research won an $8 million NIH grant to build a national hub for developing new research methods. Power and Resilience: A $581 million federal-TVA grid project will upgrade transmission across eight states, including Alabama; separately, research on coastal restoration suggests it can reduce projected flood losses.

Healthcare Technology: Birmingham’s 8 Bridge Group acquired a majority stake in 340BIntel, adding software that helps hospitals and clinics identify savings under the federal drug-pricing program. Defense Innovation: The Army named Fort Rucker its UAS and Autonomy Center of Excellence, expanding Alabama’s role in developing and testing unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems. Power Grid: A $581 million federal-TVA initiative will add 2.5 gigawatts of transmission capacity across eight states, aiming to improve reliability and reduce outages. Cybersecurity: Huntsville-based MAD Security opened a new headquarters and security operations center and donated $100,000 to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering. Biomedical Research: Southern Research won an $8 million NIH grant to build a national hub for developing new approaches to biomedical research.

Defense Technology: The Army has named Fort Rucker its UAS Autonomy Center of Excellence as its new Futures and Autonomous Systems Command develops autonomous capabilities for battlefield use. Advanced Manufacturing: Opelika will host an integration and test facility for the Army’s XM1776 mobile cannon; the service has ordered nine prototypes, with an option for nine more. Power Grid: TVA will receive $250 million in federal funding for 84 grid projects across eight states, including upgrades expected to add capacity and support about 800 jobs. Biotech Research: A $2 million federal investment will upgrade Southern Research’s Birmingham labs with advanced imaging, chemistry, pathology and bioanalysis equipment. Space Workforce: Alabama has put Huntsville forward as the proposed U.S. Space Academy site, citing NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Space Camp and the region’s aerospace expertise. Science Education: Jackson County’s Kevin Dukes Career & Innovation Academy will hold an open house Oct. 20, showcasing hands-on career and technical programs.

Space Education: Huntsville is vying to host the proposed U.S. Space Academy. Alabama points to Marshall Space Flight Center, Space Camp and the city’s growing aerospace presence as strengths. Alabama Research: UAH astrophysicist Sukanya Chakrabarti was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society for work developing new ways to map dark matter. Biomedical Science: Southern Research won an $8 million NIH grant to build a national hub for advancing new research methods. Coastal Resilience: A study of a restored 60-acre Dauphin Island marsh found it cut projected annual flood losses for nearby properties by 9% to 18%. STEM Access: The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama received a $150,000 grant to expand space missions and STEM opportunities for Title I students. Aerospace Industry: PPG announced a $70 million investment to expand aerospace manufacturing in Alabama.

Space Science: UAH astrophysicist Sukanya Chakrabarti was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society for research advancing understanding of dark matter. Biomedical Research: Southern Research won an $8 million NIH grant to build a national hub for developing new approaches to scientific testing. Advanced Manufacturing: PPG plans to invest $70 million to expand aerospace manufacturing in Alabama. STEM Education: Alabama’s statewide AI education initiative and a $150,000 grant to the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama aim to widen students’ access to technology and space science. Marine Science: A Gulf Shores teacher joined a NOAA research crew surveying sharks in the Gulf.

Biomedical Research: Birmingham’s Southern Research won an $8 million NIH grant to build a national hub for testing human-relevant lab and computational methods that could speed drug development and reduce reliance on animals. AI and Engineering: A three-year NSF project led by the University of Alabama with UAB will develop an AI-assisted digital twin to help assess buildings and plan energy-efficiency upgrades. STEM Access: The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama received a $150,000 grant to expand space missions and STEM programs for Title I students, while Alabama A&M is growing a space-industry partnership focused on workforce training and research. Alabama Innovation: PPG plans a $70 million investment to expand aerospace manufacturing in the state, and Alabama schools are advancing a statewide AI education initiative.

STEM Workforce: Skilled-trade shortages are delaying construction as data centers drive demand and immigration enforcement tightens the labor supply. Alabama’s Austal USA faces similar challenges, with shipbuilding constrained by a shortage of trained workers. Aerospace Manufacturing: PPG plans to invest $70 million to expand aerospace manufacturing in Alabama, a boost for the state’s advanced-manufacturing sector. Space & STEM Access: The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama received $150,000 to expand space-mission programs and STEM access for Title I students; Alabama A&M is also expanding space-industry workforce training and research. Health Research: A UAB researcher helped lead early human trials of CBL-514, an experimental injection that reduced visceral fat; larger studies are needed to establish its safety and effectiveness. Storm Technology: AI hurricane models drew attention as Isaias approached, while Southern Company said storm-intelligence tools helped guide power restoration across the region.

Health Research: UAB’s W. Timothy Garvey says an experimental injection that destroys fat cells showed promise in Phase 2 trials. The idea that it could help prevent weight regain after GLP-1 drugs is based on animal studies and needs human testing. Longevity Science: UAB and the University of Sassari are studying Bolotana, Sardinia, as a possible hotspot for women’s longevity. Storm Technology: Southern Company utilities used AI-powered storm intelligence to guide Hurricane Isaias recovery, restoring about 420,000 customers by Saturday evening; Alabama was among the hardest-hit areas. Space & Workforce: Alabama’s bid for the U.S. Space Academy cites NASA contracts, Artemis software and UA aerospace research. Alabama A&M also expanded its Morningbird Space partnership for workforce training and research. Aerospace Manufacturing: PPG announced a $70 million investment to expand its Alabama aerospace manufacturing.

Storm Response: After Isaias knocked out power across Alabama and the Southeast, Southern Company said its utilities had restored service to about 420,000 customers by Saturday evening, using AI storm-intelligence tools to guide response efforts. Aerospace Manufacturing: PPG announced a $70 million investment to expand aerospace manufacturing in Alabama. AI Education: Alabama schools are advancing a statewide AI education initiative. Space and Science: The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama received a $150,000 grant to expand space missions and STEM access for Title I students, while a UAH researcher won an NSF award to study how cloud droplets become raindrops.

Hurricane Science: Isaias made landfall near Destin before weakening over Alabama, bringing flooding, damaging winds and outages. Forecasters weighed traditional hurricane models against newer AI forecasts that initially pointed farther east, then blended the guidance as the models converged. Space and STEM Access: The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama received a $150,000 grant to expand space missions and STEM opportunities for Title I students. Alabama A&M also announced a partnership with Morningbird Space for workforce training and research. Alabama Research: A UAH researcher won an NSF award to study how cloud droplets form raindrops, with implications for weather and other planets. UAB received a grant to investigate a new brain target for opioid addiction. Tech Education: Alabama schools are advancing a statewide AI education initiative, while an Everett Symposium explored ethical AI use.

Hurricane Science: Isaias made landfall near Destin as a Category 2 storm, bringing damaging winds, flooding and power outages to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. It rapidly intensified over record-warm Gulf waters, which scientists say have been warmed by climate change; the storm has since weakened while moving inland. STEM Access: A $150,000 grant will help the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama offer simulated space missions and hands-on activities to Title I students in nine counties. Health Technology: Troy University received $178,070 for virtual-reality training that lets nursing and EMS students practice patient handoffs, plus a mentorship program for students from rural and underserved communities.

Hurricane Science: Hurricane Isaias rapidly strengthened to a Category 3 storm over unusually warm Gulf waters and was forecast to make landfall near the Alabama-Florida line, bringing dangerous surge, winds and flooding. Clean Energy: Plainview High School became Alabama’s first campus with a grant-funded solar system, installing 771 panels to generate electricity. AI Education: Alabama schools are advancing a statewide initiative to expand AI education. Space and Workforce: The UA System is supporting Alabama’s U.S. Space Academy bid with NASA contracts, Artemis software and aerospace research, while Alabama A&M expanded its space partnership for workforce training and research. Medical Research: UAB researchers are advancing precision imaging through multicolor MRI technology.

Hurricane Science: Isaias’s path toward the Gulf Coast pits unusually warm Gulf waters, which can fuel storms, against El Niño winds that may weaken it before landfall. Forecasters also warn of tornadoes across the region. AI in Classrooms: Alabama is expanding AI and data-literacy education through a state partnership with Birmingham-based QuantHub, with lessons aligned to course standards and used in Leeds schools. Space and Workforce: Alabama A&M has expanded its partnership with Morningbird Space for research and workforce training, while the UA System is backing Alabama’s bid for a U.S. Space Academy with NASA contracts and Artemis software. Research: A UAH researcher won an NSF award to study how cloud droplets become raindrops, with implications for weather on Earth and other planets. Defense Technology: Electro Optic Systems plans to start U.S. production of an upgraded counter-drone system at its Huntsville facility next year; the system is still in development, and no order has been announced.

Space Workforce: Alabama A&M is expanding its Morningbird Space partnership with online training and certification programs, alongside student research on emerging space technology. Alabama’s Space Academy Bid: The UA System points to NASA-used Artemis navigation software, a $37 million UAB contract for a lunar-sample freezer, and UAH propulsion research as strengths in the state’s bid. Regional AI Research: Auburn and the University of Alabama are among the partners in a new Southeast consortium planning shared investment in advanced computing for research. Immune Science: UAB researchers identified how the protein BACH2 helps CD4+ T cells balance antibody and cellular responses—a finding that could inform vaccine and autoimmune disease research. Gulf Coast Storm: Hurricane Isaias is forecast to approach the Mobile area late Friday or early Saturday, bringing risks of heavy rain, flooding and storm surge.

Medical Research: The FDA approved Zanvastro, the first treatment for Alexander disease. Research behind the drug included an international collaboration with UAB scientists. Classroom Technology: Alabama’s screen-based instruction commission is developing recommendations for K-12 classrooms, including digital-literacy training for students, parents and teachers. Research & Resilience: UAH researchers won NSF support to study how cloud droplets become raindrops, while a UAH-led disaster exercise tested drone technology. STEM Careers: Alabama community-college students can apply for $400,000 in scholarships for advanced manufacturing, robotics, engineering and automotive programs; the deadline is Oct. 30. Tech Growth: Alabama is bidding to host the U.S. Space Academy in Huntsville, and Decatur is set to house a statewide AI accelerator for entrepreneurs.

Atmospheric Science: A UAH researcher won an NSF award to study how cloud droplets become raindrops, with implications for weather and other planets. Defense Technology: The Alabama Shield 2026 exercise put drone technology to the test in realistic disaster scenarios. Environmental Engineering: Claros and Daikin are moving PFAS-destruction technology to full scale at an Alabama plant. AI Innovation: Decatur is set to host a statewide AI accelerator aimed at supporting Alabama entrepreneurs. Space Education: Alabama is pitching Huntsville as the home of a U.S. Space Academy.