The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), with support from West Virginia University (WVU), will develop an innovative approach to immensely improve the level of thermal protection for hot-section components—such as turbine airfoils—in modern and future gas turbines. The approach will make use of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) material to form a thermal-oxidation protection layer over a single crystal superalloy substrate, in conjunction with the concept of near-wall cooling. This research includes four inter-related project objectives: (1) design highly heat-transfer augmented and manufacturable internal cooling channels for the development of near surface embedded cooling channels (NSECC); (2) produce ODS particles between 45 and 105 microns, which will be used in an additive manufacturing (AM) process based on laser deposition to build NSECC test modules; (3) develop a fabrication process through AM for coating either a densified ODS layer over a grooved single crystal superalloy substrate to form an enclosed NSECC or an ODS layer with cooling channels embedded within the ODS layer atop a single crystal superalloy metal substrate; and (4) characterize the thermal-mechanical material properties and cooling performance of the AM produced ODS-NSECC protective module under high-temperature conditions. Pitt will be responsible for all the tasks pertaining to fluid flow and heat transfer and will also contribute to the manufacturing front and develop ODS coating techniques. WVU will be responsible for producing ODS particles (powder) for the laser deposition process at Pitt as well as perform thermal cyclic testing on AM-built ODS components in both dry- and wet-air environments. Microstructures at the interface between the ODS and substrate will be jointly examined.