Carthage to lead NASA-funded AI workforce project for Wisconsin aerospace pipeline

Carthage College, through the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium, will lead a new NASA-funded workforce development initiative designed to prepare Wisconsin students for emerging roles in machine learning and artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, aerospace systems, and smart manufacturing.

The three-year, $600,000 project, Project FUSE: Workforce Training in AI Sensor Fusion for Wisconsin’s Aerospace Pipeline, will connect community college technician training, undergraduate research and capstone experiences, graduate research, and employer engagement across the Wisconsin Space Grant network.

Project FUSE focuses on AI-enabled sensor fusion, the process of combining data from multiple sensors and systems to support more reliable decisions in complex environments. The same capabilities are increasingly important for NASA mission systems, spacecraft health monitoring, autonomous diagnostics, defense electronics, and advanced manufacturing.

The project’s NASA mission context centers on two real-world aerospace sensing challenges: modal propellant gauging (MPG), which uses sensor data to estimate spacecraft fuel levels in microgravity, and environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS), which rely on integrated sensing to monitor spacecraft cabin conditions. Students will work with data and scenarios connected to Intuitive Machines’ upcoming lunar mission that will make use of the MPG technology and Sierra Space’s ECLSS hardware, giving them applied experience with AI-enabled sensing problems tied directly to current mission needs.

Read the full article on carthage.edu

Author Credit: Kevin Crosby

Image Credit: Canva Stock

Original Post Date: 9.1.26