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JANUARY

RITA Celebrates Our 2nd Anniversary

RITA celebrates two years since its designation as the 15th UARC, recognizing its evolving role in tactical autonomy research and its impact across the DoW community.

AIAA Class of 2025 Associate Fellows Includes Four of Our AFRL Partners

Four AFRL engineers were honored as 2025 AIAA Associate Fellows: Dr. Dean Bryson, Dr. Michael R. Gregg, Dr. Rachelle Speth, and Dr. Isaac E. Weintraub. The recognition highlights their exceptional contributions to aerospace research and engineering.

FEBRUARY

Howard University Receives R1 Carnegie Classification

Howard University achieved the prestigious R1 Carnegie Classification, recognizing its research excellence and cementing its position among the nation’s top research institutions.

MARCH

RITA Hosts Annual Program Review with our DoW Sponsors

RITA leadership and researchers met with Department of War sponsors to share progress, highlight research advancements, and discuss priorities for the year ahead.

APRIL

Research Presentations & Publications

Lee, R., Cooper, C., Feng, M., & Mao, J. (2025, April). EEG epoch classification using Fourier transform and LLM transformer [Conference abstract]. Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM, Atlanta, GA.
College: Tougaloo College

Cooper, C., Lee, R., Feng, M., & Mao, J. (2025, April). EEG epoch classification with Fourier transform and LLM transformer: Insights into Parkinson disease [Conference abstract]. Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM, Atlanta, GA. College: Tougaloo College

MAY

Our Executive Director, Dr. Sonya T. Smith Receives the Presidential Award

At Howard University’s inaugural Research & Leadership Awards, our Executive Director was recognized with the Presidential Award for her outstanding leadership and impact

JUNE

RITA Hosts Two Summer Interns

RITA’s summer internship program brought in two emerging scholars who immersed themselves in research, collaborated with PIs and researchers, and sharpened their skills through real-world projects.

JULY

RITA HQ Welcomes New Staff Members

This year we expanded our team with a number of talented new hires, strengthening our capabilities across research, administration, and communications.

AUGUST

The RITA HQ Staff Retreat

This August, RITA HQ staff took a moment to step away from the office and connect during our team retreat. From strategy sessions to meaningful conversations, it gave us a chance to reflect, recharge, and realign around our mission.

RITA Hosts a Site Visit at Tuskegee University

On August 28th, the RITA UARC hosted Ms. Susan Davenport, DAF Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer, for a site visit at Tuskegee University. The visit included members of the RITA executive leadership team and Dr. Daniel Eckhardt, DAF TA UARC Program Manager. During the visit, participants discussed current projects, toured the campus and research laboratories and met with Tuskegee University President, Dr. Mark A. Brown.

SEPTEMBER

RITA Holds its Annual Meeting Hosted by Jackson State University

More than 60 attendees from across the consortium gathered at JSU to share research updates, align priorities, and collaborate on the year ahead.

OCTOBER

RITA Celebrates the Opening of our New Autonomy Lab at Norfolk State University

RITA and NSU unveiled its new autonomy research lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that highlighted RITA’s growing commitment to innovation, collaboration, and student research.

We Launched our Social Media Channels

RITA made its official debut on LinkedIn and Instagram, expanding our digital presence and sharing our mission with a wider audience.

Research Presentations & Publications

Langrin, R., & Blackstone, J. (2025, October). A hybrid DTN/NDN Middleware Gateway Controller for UAV Applications- Workshop on Disruptive & Enabling Technologies for NATO and Other Coalition Operations, presented at the 2025 IEEE Military Communications Conference (MILCOM), Los Angeles, CA, United States.

NOVEMBER

RITA Participates in the DARPA UARC Fair

Our team joined fellow UARCs at the annual DARPA UARC fair, showcasing RITA’s research strengths and building connections with the broader defense research community.

DECEMBER

RITA Closes Out a Year of Accomplishments

From new partnerships to expanding research efforts, we end the year with significant momentum and a growing impact across the consortium.

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