Now home to 24 research centers and institutes researching areas from warfighter effectiveness to high-performance computing, research at the Academy reflects the evolving needs of the Air Force and a more technology-driven world.
As an Air Force research pioneer and former high school chemistry teacher, Col Frank J. Seiler labs was a strong advocate of in-house research and the effective use of young scientific officers and officer-candidates. Civilian university students had always participated in research, and Seiler envisioned that if Air Force Academy cadets could be involved in real-world research efforts, they would be better prepared for their future assignments.
In 1963 the Chemistry Research Center became part of the Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory, which had been renamed to honor Seiler after his death. The Seiler Lab also included the Aeronautics Research Center and the Laser and Optics Research Center. Over the next several decades, the Academy’s research efforts continued to grow with the view that technically curious cadets would become better officers and leaders in the Air Force.
