Embry-Riddle, NASA Enact Agreement to Advance Research, Educational Opportunities

NASA’s Langley Research Center Acting Director Dr. Trina Marsh Dyal (left) and Dr. Jeremy Ernst, vice president for Research and Doctoral Programs at Embry-Riddle, complete the signing of a Space Act Agreement during a ceremony held at the facility in Hampton, Virginia.
NASA’s Langley Research Center Acting Director Dr. Trina Marsh Dyal (left) and Dr. Jeremy Ernst, vice president for Research and Doctoral Programs at Embry-Riddle, complete the signing of a Space Act Agreement during a ceremony held at the facility in Hampton, Virginia. (NASA/Mark Knopp)

Caroline Duda /

Sep 12, 2025, 10:29 AM

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and NASA’s Langley Research Center have formed a partnership to advance research, educational opportunities and workforce development to enable the next generation of aerospace breakthroughs.

The collaborative work will happen through a Space Act Agreement NASA Langley and Embry-Riddle signed during a ceremony held Sept.11 at NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia. The agreement will leverage NASA Langley’s aerospace expertise and Embry-Riddle’s specialized educational programs and research to drive innovation in aerospace, research, education and technology, while simultaneously developing a highly skilled workforce for the future of space exploration and advanced air mobility.

Dr. Trina Marsh Dyal, NASA Langley’s acting center director, and Dr. Jeremy Ernst, vice president for Research and Doctoral Programs at Embry-Riddle, presided over the ceremony.

“NASA Langley values opportunities to partner with colleges and universities on research and technology demonstrations that lay the foundation for tomorrow’s innovations,” said Dyal. “These collaborations play an essential role in advancing aeronautics, space exploration and science initiatives that benefit NASA, industry, academia and the nation.”

In addition to forging a formal partnership between NASA Langley and Embry-Riddle, the agreement lays the framework to support Embry-Riddle's development of an augmented reality tool by using NASA sensor technology and data. Using computer-generated elements to enhance a user’s real-world environment, AR can help users better visualize data. The tool will incorporate model and lunar landing data from Navigation Doppler Lidar, a technology developed at NASA Langley. It will enhance visualization and training for entry, descent and landing — as well as deorbit, descent and landing systems — all of which advance capabilities for future moon and Mars missions.

“As we work to push the boundaries of what is possible and solve the complexities of a sustained human presence on the lunar surface and Mars, this partnership with Embry-Riddle will not only support NASA’s exploration goals but will also ensure the future workforce is equipped to maintain our nation’s aerospace leadership,” Dyal said.

Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students through its residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott, Arizona, and through online programs offered by its
Worldwide Campus, which counts more than 100 locations across the globe, including a site at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.

“We are thrilled that this partnership with NASA Langley is making it possible for our faculty, students and staff to engage with NASA talent and collaborate on cutting-edge aerospace applications and technology,” said Ernst of Embry-Riddle. “This partnership also presents an incredible opportunity for our students to augment direct research experiences, enhancing career readiness as they prepare to take on the aerospace challenges of tomorrow.”

Posted In: Space