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NORMAN, OKLA. – Community leaders gathered at the University of Oklahoma’s Max Westheimer Airport on Wednesday to break ground on the site of a new facility for the Oklahoma Aviation Academy.
The academy, administered by Norman Public Schools, integrates state-of-the-art STEAM education, industry partnerships and academic standards with a focus on aviation and aerospace.
Speaking to the crowd during the groundbreaking celebration, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said of the academy, “When you think about what takes place here, now we have a pipeline from K-12, into college, into graduate work.
“We have the No. 1 Aviation School, the No. 1 meteorology program in the world. We’re also world-class in severe storm prediction; No. 1 academic program in the world in radar...so when you think about this ecosystem, it’s not just about one component, it’s about being strategic and seeing how you lift the lives of individuals, how you lift the lives of a community, how you lift the national security for a country so you can provide peace and security for the world,” he said.
Aerospace and defense is the fastest growing industry in the state of Oklahoma. Through collaborations between the private sector, city and state government, OU and Moore Norman Technology Center, the Oklahoma Aviation Academy provides industry-connected education pathways for Oklahoma students to connect directly with higher education, career tech, and industry partners, ensuring career readiness in the high-demand areas of aviation and aerospace.
“Working with the University of Oklahoma, Moore Norman Technology Center and industry partners from both the public and private sectors helped us create this dedicated space that will benefit our students for years to come,” Justin Milner, associate superintendent and chief operating officer at Norman Public Schools, said.
Learn more about the Oklahoma Aviation Academy.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Three University of Oklahoma graduate students have been named winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges participants to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Sarah Sharif, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to create innovative light detectors that pick up mid-wave and long-wave infrared signals at higher temperatures than previously considered achievable.
A team from OU and WVU recently earned a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how concept cigarillos influence the potential for addiction. The results will be used to inform the FDA’s impending flavor ban on cigar products and could have wider-reaching implications for other tobacco products that come in flavors, such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
