AGP Executive Report

Aerospace Growth: Tulsa’s aerospace and defense sector generates more than $11 billion a year and supports nearly 43,000 regional jobs, as leaders eye growth in commercial space and advanced aviation. Research Pathways: OMRF is accepting applications for paid, eight-week summer biomedical internships, with free housing available to some students. Nuclear and Data Centers: At the Tar Creek Conference, Oklahoma environmental advocates raised concerns about nuclear waste, large data centers and limited public information as the state pursues a nuclear development campus. Drone Safety: Oklahoma City-based Vigilant Aerospace won a Fast Company technology award for software that helps drones detect and avoid aircraft. Wildlife Design: OU students earned an award for building WildCare Oklahoma a recovery space with separate areas for bats and chimney swifts. Impact Crater: New reporting on an Oklahoma meteor crater points to a revised estimate of when the impact occurred.

AI in Schools: Oklahoma districts are setting classroom guardrails as students and teachers adapt to new technology. Aerospace: State leaders say Oklahoma’s aerospace industry has grown by $9 billion since 2017, highlighting the sector’s rising economic impact. Surveillance Tech: A federal judge ruled a Tulsa County deputy’s warrantless search of Flock license-plate data unconstitutional and threw out evidence in a drug case. Data Centers: The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes voted to halt data center construction for three years, as Oklahoma City projects invest in off-grid power. Oklahoma Science: New zircon dating suggests the Ames impact crater may be about 370 million years old, revising its estimated age; September also set a record as Oklahoma’s hottest on record.

AI & Education in Oklahoma: Deer Creek Public Schools hosted a “Screenagers: AI” event and panel to help families use AI responsibly, with mental health experts urging guardrails. Local AI Policy: Oklahoma schools are “building the airplane while it’s flying,” setting limits on how students can use AI for brainstorming and writing without letting it replace learning. STEM Pipeline: Science Museum Oklahoma’s Innovation Week drew 1,300 seventh graders for hands-on robotics, electricity, and virtual reality demos aimed at STEM careers. Aerospace Growth: Oklahoma’s aerospace and defense industry hit $52.5B in annual economic impact and supports 250,000+ jobs, with leaders citing drones, MRO, and military demand. Drones & Safety Research: The FAA awarded $12M to 19 companies to advance drone integration tech, including avoidance, satellite links, and counter-drone sensing. Privacy Fight: A federal judge ruled a Tulsa deputy’s Flock license-plate search was unconstitutional “mass surveillance,” raising pressure on automated plate tracking. Energy & Data Centers: Oklahoma City’s data center campus is pursuing off-grid power, while tribes like the Cheyenne and Arapaho approved a 3-year data center ban on tribal lands. Workforce & Trades: More Oklahoma women are entering skilled trades programs, with hands-on training in automotive, welding, HVAC, and electrical work. Food Safety: FDA recalled Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread in multiple states, including Oklahoma, over undeclared milk. Policy & Health Costs: New research links post-Dobbs abortion bans to higher out-of-pocket premium costs for women, with larger impacts for Black and Hispanic women.

FAA Drone Funding: The FAA awarded $12 million to 19 companies for drone research and testing to help safely expand drone operations in the national airspace. AI Infrastructure Watch: Hitachi Vantara says the AI buildout is “rhyming” with the 1990s fiber boom—capacity is growing, but enterprise demand and trust in outputs still lag. Privacy in Oklahoma: A federal judge ruled Oklahoma police use of Flock license-plate readers for 30 days of location tracking was “indiscriminate mass surveillance,” violating the Fourth Amendment. Opioid Prevention Grants: Oklahoma’s Opioid Abatement Board opened a new grant round for schools and tech/higher-ed programs, funding prevention and naloxone efforts. Workforce & Disability: Oklahoma’s Department of Rehabilitation Services says its programs helped more than 1,100 Oklahomans with disabilities find work last year as October’s Disability Employment Awareness Month kicks off. Local STEM/Health: OU honored two medicine residents with the Lloyd Rader Award for clinical and research excellence. Education & Trades: Oklahoma Technical College highlights more women entering skilled trades programs, with hands-on training aimed at filling workforce needs. Food Safety: Flowers Foods recalled Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread in multiple states, including Oklahoma, due to undeclared milk.

Semiconductor R&D in the Midwest: EMD Electronics (Merck KGaA) opened a new 38,000-square-foot research center in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, to develop materials for next-gen chip manufacturing, part of a $200M investment that also includes work in California and Oklahoma. AI + education pipeline: Oklahoma schools are setting guardrails for AI in classrooms, while NSU’s online Master of Education in Science Education earned a No. 8 national ranking. Privacy vs. tech policing: A federal judge ruled Oklahoma deputy use of automated license plate readers without a warrant violated the Fourth Amendment, calling it “indiscriminate mass surveillance.” Local STEM career pathways: Tulsa Public Schools expanded its partnership with Tulsa Tech to turn Central High into Oklahoma’s first polytechnic high school, adding health, automotive, tech, and infrastructure tracks. Space science tie-in: Researchers say an ancient crater under Ames, Oklahoma, is nearly 100 million years younger than thought and may connect to a major mass extinction event. Food safety: Nature’s Own Hawaiian Bread was recalled in multiple states, including Oklahoma, due to undeclared milk.

AI in Oklahoma classrooms: Oklahoma districts are setting guardrails for student use of AI, with leaders warning that tools can enable cheating and pushing schools to rethink assignments since AI-detection software is unreliable. Education research pipeline: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is accepting applications for 2027 summer biomedical research internships, including a Fleming Scholar track for Oklahoma high school seniors and early college students. Space & STEM outreach: Oklahoma Space Week brings NASA astronaut John B. Herrington and NASA engineer Naia Butler-Craig to northeast Oklahoma schools and a free community night at Discovery Lab. Local tech + privacy: A federal judge ruled a warrantless Flock license-plate reader search violated the Fourth Amendment, throwing out drug evidence and raising broader surveillance concerns. Oklahoma science discovery: New zircon dating suggests the Ames impact structure may be ~370 million years old, potentially near a major extinction boundary. Health & policy: OMRF internships and a national STREETS program are expanding research and addiction-care access, including a Cherokee Nation site. Weather & resilience: Oklahoma’s Mesonet reports September as the hottest on record, while the state is preparing fortified-roof grants for storm season.

Privacy & Courts: A federal judge in Oklahoma tossed a drug case after ruling a Tulsa deputy’s warrantless search of Flock Safety license-plate location history violated the Fourth Amendment, calling it “indiscriminate mass surveillance.” Space Education: Oklahoma Space Week is bringing aerospace professionals to students across 12 districts, with NASA astronaut John B. Herrington and NASA engineer Naia Butler-Craig among the featured speakers and field trips. Semiconductors & AI Memory: Micron says the memory boom still has legs, citing long-term customer agreements and AI-driven demand as it positions for multi-year growth. Tech Policy & Surveillance Backlash: The Flock ruling adds momentum to broader calls to rein in automated tracking tools, with courts scrutinizing how long location data can be collected and used. Health Tech: Elevate Holistics launched a telehealth platform for at-home, low-dose ketamine care, pairing virtual evaluations with monitoring and pharmacy fulfillment. Geology Update: New UT research dates Oklahoma’s Ames meteor impact structure to ~370 million years ago—nearly 100 million years later than previously thought.

Fourth Amendment Fight: A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled a Tulsa deputy’s warrantless Flock Safety license-plate reader search was “indiscriminate mass surveillance,” suppressing evidence in a meth case and calling the practice unconstitutional. Tribal Governance: Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal citizens voted for a three-year moratorium on data center construction on tribal lands, citing water, environmental, economic, and transparency concerns. Space & Science: UT Austin researchers dated Oklahoma’s Ames meteor impact structure to about 370 million years ago—nearly 100 million years later than previously thought—potentially tying it to a major mass extinction era. Ag Tech in Oklahoma: NASA Acres brought space-enabled agriculture tech to a milo field near Alva, connecting researchers and farmers through hands-on demonstrations. Public Health Recall: PepsiCo recalled multiple Gatorade flavors sold in 37 states after FDA flagged undeclared Yellow No. 5 and/or Yellow No. 6. Tech Policy & Power: Trump defended Ohio’s AI data center expansion, warning that blocking projects could push them to China.

Pediatric Health Access: A new national Medicaid study finds kids’ sleep apnea testing varies up to fourfold by location, with neighborhood racial makeup tied to whether children get the gold-standard overnight test. Surveillance & Privacy: A federal judge ruled a Tulsa deputy’s warrantless search using Flock automated license-plate cameras violated the Fourth Amendment, suppressing drug evidence and calling the system “indiscriminate mass surveillance.” Oklahoma Space Science: Zircon dating suggests an Oklahoma meteor crater formed nearly 100 million years later than previously thought, potentially aligning with a major ocean die-off. Autonomous Tech in OK: University of Oklahoma researchers showed autonomous vehicles research to federal partners, aiming at logistics support for rural and tribal areas. Water & Mental Health in OK: East Central University highlighted water-focused work in Ada and a ranked clinical mental health counseling degree program. Local STEM/Policy Watch: Oklahoma’s marijuana industry is leaving behind abandoned grow sites, raising concerns about environmental cleanup and groundwater risk.

Autonomous Vehicles Research: U.S. DOT’s Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology visited the University of Oklahoma to review its autonomous vehicle work on freight logistics for rural and tribal areas along I-40. Environmental Cleanup & Public Health: Oklahoma is grappling with the environmental costs of its marijuana boom, including thousands of abandoned grow sites that can leave behind trash, chemicals, and equipment that may leak into soil and groundwater. Cybersecurity for Oklahomans: Oklahoma is rolling out Cybersecurity Awareness Month resources, including a 31-day checklist from the state’s information sharing and analysis center focused on safer passwords, multifactor authentication, and scam-spotting—now with AI in mind. Surveillance Tech Under Fire: A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled a police officer’s warrantless search using Flock automated license plate readers violated Fourth Amendment rights, calling the network “indiscriminate mass surveillance.” STEM Education & Workforce: Oklahoma City’s John Rex Polytechnic High School charter (opening fall 2027) will offer engineering, entrepreneurship, and biomedical tracks, aiming to boost hands-on STEM pathways as district enrollment declines. Healthcare Access: A new internal medicine physician joined St. Bernards Clopton Clinic in Jonesboro, expanding primary care options.

Oklahoma STEM in action: OU students built a wildlife rehab structure for WildCare Oklahoma, creating separate recovery spaces for injured and orphaned bats and chimney swifts; the C.O.M.M.A. project won OU’s inaugural Architecture-Design Award at the Kirkpatrick ANIMAL Conference. Mobility policy: The U.S. Senate cleared the Choices for Increased Mobility Act, which would create new Medicare billing codes for manual wheelchair bases made with lightweight materials like titanium or carbon fiber. Healthcare costs: The Treasury began sending one-time $500 ACA refund checks to nearly 1 million enrollees in 30 states, tied to federal HealthCare.gov user fees. Semiconductor R&D: EMD Electronics opened a new 38,000-square-foot R&D facility in Wisconsin to accelerate advanced semiconductor materials development. AI and policing: ACLU reports many communities are cutting ties with Flock Safety after concerns about automated license plate reader surveillance and tracking. Energy bills: A think tank projects U.S. households could pay about $6,500 more for energy through 2040 due to recent federal policy shifts. Wildlife safety: AAA warns deer-related crashes rise as nights cool, noting higher repair costs from modern vehicle sensors and cameras.

Oklahoma Education & Health: Oklahoma public schools, tech centers, and state colleges can now apply for opioid abatement grants from the state Opioid Abatement Board, with awards from $105,000 to $900,000 over three years; applications are due Nov. 30. Higher Ed Data Use: Oklahoma State University is reshaping how it shares NSSE results, pushing unit-specific data, building an internal data/report site, and helping faculty use NSSE findings in workshops and research. Workforce & Aviation Training: Shenandoah University launched an air traffic control certificate designed to feed students into the FAA’s Oklahoma City academy pathway, aiming for an evaluation and job offer soon after completion. Tech Policy Watch: Oklahoma lawmakers held a study on regulating data centers as AI demand grows, weighing utility bill and water-use concerns alongside operator needs. Public Safety Tech: FAA hiring progress continues as the agency surpasses its controller trainee goal, reaching record trainee hires and higher certified staffing levels. Energy Costs: OG&E is seeking a residential base rate increase tied to new generation and grid investments, including replacement of aging units and added customer support programs. Community STEM/Science Events: Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center will host Archaeology Day Oct. 17 with hands-on artifact sorting, atlatl throwing, and soil flotation demos.

Nuclear Energy Watch: Oklahoma officials held a briefing on a potential Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, describing a three-node plan (reactor/isotope work, enrichment via recycling, and used fuel management) and saying multiple communities are interested as the DOE narrows selections later this year. AI & Jobs: A new U.S. map shows where AI exposure is highest, with Washington leading by share of workers in highly exposed roles and California topping the total number of such jobs. Weather & Flood Risk: Hurricane-fueled storms are driving a major flash-flood threat across eight states, including Oklahoma, with the National Weather Service warning of life-threatening flooding through Friday evening. Oklahoma Tech/Industry: Tulsa-based Ten-Nine Technologies announced a China distribution partnership to scale its battery-boosting nano-additive TENIX through Shanghai Jiaohang Trading. Public Safety Tech: Alert 360 launched DroneDog™, a ground-and-video robotic patrol service aimed at covering areas where fixed cameras and aerial drones can’t. Local STEM/Research: Oklahoma State University is reshaping how it shares NSSE results—pushing unit-specific data, improving faculty access, and training instructors to use the findings.

Nuclear Ambitions in Oklahoma: Oklahoma officials say the state is a finalist for a U.S. Department of Energy “nuclear lifecycle innovation campus,” a research-and-manufacturing hub that could cover reactor deployment, isotope production, enrichment via recycling, and used fuel management—potentially with multiple Oklahoma communities competing to host it. AI for Public Safety: Oklahoma City firefighters tested an AI/augmented-reality helmet from Qwake Technologies designed to help crews navigate through smoke, find victims faster, and stream visuals to commanders outside the danger zone. Tribal Broadband & Sovereignty: A discussion highlighted how tribal nations are using fiber and other connectivity to support language programs, telehealth, education, and long-term economic development—emphasizing that tribes need control over network decisions. Health Care Oversight: The Trump administration began mailing $500 ACA refund checks to nearly 1 million enrollees in 30 states, tied to claims of overcharged federal exchange user fees. Hepatitis B Gap After Transplants: New research reports only 60% of liver transplant recipients are vaccinated against hepatitis B, leaving many at risk for severe complications. STEM Outreach for Youth: CSU’s STEM 4 Kids program is offering free hands-on science and engineering events for 4th–8th graders, aiming to make STEM feel less intimidating and more fun. Autonomous Flight in Oklahoma’s Orbit: Joby Aviation’s remotely supervised autonomous aircraft landed in Utah as part of a coast-to-coast tour; Utah is leading a uFLY initiative that includes Oklahoma.

Oklahoma School Enrollment Crunch: Oklahoma districts are planning closures as the state hits its largest public school enrollment drop in decades, with Tulsa Public Schools flagging potential shutdowns and an analysis finding most districts saw declines. AI Transparency Push (OK): Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma backs a bipartisan AI Systems Transparency Act that would require certain AI companies to disclose data use, safety steps, and risks, with FTC enforcement. AI in the Classroom Debate: Parents across Oklahoma are organizing to cut screen time, arguing tech is harming attention, while education officials say tools can support learning when used well. STEM Research in Oklahoma: OU researchers report three cell subclusters driving pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia, pointing to new therapeutic targets. Data Centers Under Scrutiny: Oklahoma lawmakers hold a study on regulating data centers amid worries about utility bills and water use. OSU 3D Printing Breakthrough: OSU and Mississippi State are building a continuous-fiber, polymer 3D printer with machine-learning quality checks, funded by NSF. Planetary Stress Update: A new “Planetary Health Check 2026” finds 7 of 9 Earth system boundaries already crossed, signaling rising risk. Weather Watch: Oklahoma braces for heavy rain with flooding risk and a possible tornado threat.

AI for public safety: Oklahoma City firefighters tested a helmet-mounted C-THRU system that lets them see and navigate through heavy smoke, feeding real-time visuals to incident commanders. Cancer research: The University of Oklahoma identified three cell clusters driving pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia, pointing to new therapeutic targets. Autonomous transport: OU researchers are working on autonomous trucks and AI tools for freight safety and efficiency along I-40 and I-35. Workforce development: Great Plains Technology Center highlighted Workforce Development Month with training pathways across healthcare, skilled trades, and industry certifications. Health funding: Harold Hamm donated $150M to the University of Oklahoma to expand diabetes research and healthcare training, including a renamed Harold Hamm Health Campus. Rural care access: SWOSU received $223M for rural health transformation, funding mobile resources and expanding specialty care like robotic-assisted surgery. Data center policy: Oklahoma lawmakers held an interim study on regulating rapidly growing data centers amid concerns about utility bills and water use. STEM in the air: Joby Aviation’s pilotless aircraft stopped in Oklahoma City as part of its “Electric Skies” tour.