> Huntsville/Madison County Known as the Rocket City because of the important role it played in the nation’s earliest space missions, Huntsville serves as the seat of Madison County, Ala. More than 460,000 residents live, work, and play in these verdant foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where a temperate climate ensures that there’s no shortage of outdoor recreation. The area is blessed with a robust economy thanks to such federal and non-profit stalwarts as Redstone Arsenal, NASA, Cummings Research Park, and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Yet despite its growth over the years from a quiet agricultural town to a high-tech business hub, Huntsville and its environs have managed to retain a small-town charm and relaxed pace of life. That’s why so many come for their academic career – and stay for their professional one! Huntsville tops list of the South's Best College Towns With NASA in town and research opportunities galore, Huntsville offers the academic and training advantages of much larger cities with small-town benefits like a low cost of living and tons of charm. Community Outreach At UAH, our students and faculty are committed to sharing the knowledge they've gained through a variety of outreach projects in the Huntsville community and beyond. Learn More Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal is Huntsville’s largest employer, given its role as the center of the U.S. Army’s missile program and as the site of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. An estimated 44,000 people work for the 78 tenant organizations located on the 38,000-acre base. These include the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and the U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Research, Development & Engineering Center. Many UAH students pursue internships and other experiential learning opportunities on the Arsenal, due to its close ties with – and proximity to – the university. In turn, several UAH degree programs offer a curriculum that is complementary to the Arsenal’s research and technological objectives, ensuring that graduates have a competitive edge should they choose to seek employment with either a federal or contract organization on base. Cummings Research Park UAH is an anchor tenant of Cummings Research Park, which is the second-largest research park in the nation and the fourth largest in the world. Its 3,843 acres are home to more than 300 companies – among them ADTRAN, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Dynetics, and SAIC – which provide employment for more than 26,000 people. Like Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park offers abundant opportunities to current UAH students seeking real-world experience as a co-op or intern as well as to graduates interested in joining Huntsville’s high-tech workforce. HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Founded in 2008 to advance genomic research, HudsonAlpha is the brainchild of Lonnie S. McMillian and UAH alumnus James R. Hudson Jr. Its 152-acre campus, which is considered a cornerstone of Cummings Research Park, comprises the Institute’s Genome Sequencing Center and CLIA-certified Genomic Services Lab and fosters more than 40 diverse biotech companies on campus. Over the years, HudsonAlpha and UAH have enjoyed a strong and mutually beneficial partnership. UAH’s undergraduate and graduate students take part in the Institute’s research projects and internship programs; UAH alumni are employed in its many labs and offices and UAH professors both serve as adjunct faculty and have founded several affiliate companies.
