Facility will allow University of Oklahoma to expand radar program, officials say

OU's $15 million Radar Innovations Lab is at the center of the university's efforts to expand its radar program into other applications beyond predicting the weather. The university broke ground on the facility Tuesday.

The OU College of Engineering also recently hired four faculty members to join the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The new faculty members bring with them research interests in other applications, such as the use of radar to distinguish a military targets from clutter.

The new facility will include a high-bay garage designed to accommodate taller radar trucks that are fitted for storm chasing. The building also will include classified research space designed for U.S. Defense Department programs.

Other features will include two precision anechoic chambers, which are chambers that produce few or no echoes, a machine shop and a so-called ideas room designed to foster collaboration.

Kelvin Droegemeier, OU's vice president for research, said the construction of the new lab is a good recruiting tool for new faculty members. One of the keys to advancing the radar program is bringing in the best researchers in the world to work at OU, he said, and a top-notch facility can be a major selling point.

The building is designed to bring together faculty members and students from different areas to work together in the same building, Droegemeier said, meaning weather radar engineers will work alongside others who specialize in areas like defense and security. Putting different groups under one roof fosters collaboration and intellectual energy, he said.