The OHIO AEROSPACE INSTITUTE, a nonprofit research center, was established in 1989 to promote aerospace-related research. The organization facilitates collaboration among universities and the federal and state sectors. It was also planned to enhance Ohio's economic competitiveness, help transfer technology to industry, and attract outstanding graduate students to Ohio universities. First chairman of the board was John A. Flower, president of CLEVELAND STATE UNIV. He was succeeded in 1991 by Patrick S. Parker, chairman of the board of PARKER HANNIFIN CORP. Michael Salkind, a native of New York City, served as president until 2003, when he was replaced by William Seelbach, former president of Brush Engineered Materials (see BRUSH WELLMAN, INC.) and a founder of CLEVELAND TOMORROW.
The organization is a consortium of 9 Ohio universities that have engineering schools (including Cleveland State Univ. and CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV.), NASA, and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. It is also supported by the state and federal government and the business community including, in Cleveland, TRW, General Electric, and Parker-Hannifin. Graduate students are given the opportunity to work with researchers at NASA and Wright-Patterson, but the Institute also operates K-12 education programs. The Ohio Aerospace Institute is at 22800 Cedar Point Rd., adjacent to the NASA JOHN H. GLENN RESEARCH CENTER AT LEWIS FIELD in BROOK PARK. The Ohio Aerospace Institute's $10.7 million, 70,000 square-foot, 3-story building was constructed in 1993 and was recognized by the local American Institute of Architects when Cleveland architect Richard Fleischman won an award for the design.