Franciscan undergraduates work on Air Force Research Laboratory challenges.
Franciscan engineering and computing students are taking on real defense-technology challenges through the Baron Crow Project, an undergraduate partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. Their work includes software-defined radio systems, drone-related technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and hands-on modeling, simulation, design, and testing of radio signals and sensors. Students also discuss the moral implications of technologies used in military settings. Joshua Ham ’25 served as the project’s student manager during its first semester, gaining experience coordinating technical work and considering how Catholic ethics apply to engineering decisions. After graduation, he went to work for InfiniteTactics, a defense contractor serving the Air Force and other agencies. The Fall 2026 Franciscan Magazine feature also describes an ongoing $300,000 Air Force Research Laboratory commitment to the partnership.