Sep. 2—A downtown Dayton defense contractor is working with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to put graduate student research to work for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC).

Barbaricum and AFIT's recent Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) are sponsoring graduate student research to address NASIC challenges, the company said.

The Dayton business has put one graduate student to work at NASIC already, an executive told the Dayton Daily News.

"He is doing a phenomenal job and finished out his first half-year with his graduate program," Mike Engle, Barbaricum executive vice president, said in an interview. "His sponsors and professors are very pleased with him and the work he is doing, and we are very pleased to be able to help that young man be able to pursue his dream of advancing aerospace."

The CRADA research will investigate new ways for cube satellites to collect intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) data, Barbaricum said.

"The effort will expand the national talent pool by preparing graduate students to fulfill NASIC technical requirements and, ultimately, drive mission success across the U.S. Air and Space Forces," Barbaricum said in a release.

The company has more than 80 jobs, with a $7.2 million in annual payroll, in Dayton.

Both AFIT and NASIC are located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of the nation's largest and most important Air Force bases, and the largest single-site employer in the Ohio.

Barbaricum has offices in Washington, D.C., Tampa, and Dayton. The company opened an office in The Manhattan Building, off East Third and Sears streets downtown, last year.