ARLINGTON, Texas, Aug. 18 -- The University of Texas at Arlington issued the following news release:

At The University of Texas at Arlington, students aren't just working toward a degree: They're building the future of flight. With support from a new NASA grant, a UTA undergraduate researcher is leading a project to develop innovative materials that could make emerging electric air taxis safer and more resilient.

The project is led by Ryan Shrestha, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major, under the supervision of Shiyao Lin, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UTA, and Idrissi-Othman, assistant professor of civil engineering at UT Austin.

Student co-investigators for the project span multiple universities...