Aerospace Education, Research and Innovation Center

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Overview

Collaborations

Internships

Overview of the Center

The Department of Defense -- Aerospace Education, Research and Innovation Center (DOD-AERIC) at ��Ƶ (TU) is designed to provide a unique, exciting, and engaging environment for the training/education of future DOD aerospace engineers, as well as engineers from aerospace-related areas. U.S. citizens from underrepresented populations are sought particularly, and highly encouraged to apply for the various opportunities of the center.

The Center will build on the strong research capabilities and track record of the TU College of Engineering to tackle basic and applied research relevant to the DOD and aerospace industry. Partnerships will be developed and leveraged among DOD laboratories, aerospace industries, and academic engineering programs to enrich the DOD-AERIC’s activities. These partnerships will provide research projects, teaming on joint proposals, student internships and employment opportunities, joint advising of student research projects, and involvement in seminars and workshops. The development of the DOD AERIC will be enhanced through the efforts of an External Advisory Committee, the research mentors, the staff support, and all other facets of DOD-AERIC. Explore this site to see what we are doing and what we are planning.

Research Collaborations

Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Collaboration with DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to design, characterize and conduct experimentation of platforms for Next Generation Combat Vehicles.

Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC)
Collaboration with DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC).

Nucor
Collaboration and synergy between the DOD-AERIC and the existing Tuskegee-Nucor Education and Research Center (NERC). The Nucor Center focuses on applied research on steels and their alloys.

Snap-on
Partnership and product support with Snap-on to furnish the Innovation, and Mechanical Dissection labs, as well as outreach activities, and scholarships.

Dynetics
Collaboration with Dynetics on research projects related to environmental aging of adhesively bonded joints, fracture, and fatigue behavior of selected additively manufactured materials, and designing environmental exposure testing procedures and measuring environmental effects on selected alloys.

Boeing
Collaboration and support with Boeing for student research projects and outreach programs.

Material Sciences LLC (MSC) / University of Pittsburgh
Collaboration on funded research with Materials Sciences, LLC (MSC) / the University of Pittsburgh on the characterization of additively manufactured metals.

Chevron
Collaboration and Synergy between the DOD-AERIC and the existing Tuskegee-Chevron Additive Manufacturing Lab. The Chevron Lab at the ��Ƶ College of Engineering focuses on 3D printing of polymeric and fiber reinforced components, as well as 3D scanning and reverse engineering.

Wichita State University (NIAR)
Collaboration with Wichita State University - National Institute for Aviation Research (NAIR) on funded research on the mechanical and fracture characterization of ceramic matrix composites.

Internship Opportunities

For Engineering Students:

For Graduate Students:

Graduate Master's Research Opportunity

Contact the Program Administrators

Heshmat Aglan, Dean
College of Engineering
Principal Investigator: DOD-AERIC
haglan@tuskegee.edu
334-727-8081

Johnny L. Baker, Program Manager
200 Luther Foster Hall
1200 W Montgomery Road
Tuskegee, AL 36088
jbaker@tuskegee.edu
Office: 334.724.4644
Cell: 334.720.9998

Lisa Pitts, Business Manager
lpitts@tuskegee.edu
334-727-8096

��Ƶ College of Engineering
200 Luther Foster Hall
1200 W. Montgomery Road
Tuskegee, Alabama 36088

Components of AERIC

Education

The Education component of the Center is focused on the development of an interdisciplinary MS degree in aerospace and mechanical engineering. The curriculum is under development and will be submitted to the ��Ƶ administration for approval.

Part of this curriculum will be newly developed courses. If you are interested in the MS program, go to the Learn More link for further information.

Modules related to the research of the DOD AERIC program will be used by both undergraduate and graduate students to supplement their preparation for careers in the aerospace industry and government laboratories, as well as to further their education in an aerospace engineering or related program.

Research

The Research component is designed to enhance basic and applied research in areas related to aerospace engineering.

Currently research teams are focused on 1) platform design for a drone placed on a moving vehicle, 2) fracture behavior and damage tolerance of ceramic matrix composites, and 3) additive manufacturing of metals.

New opportunities for research utilizing ��Ƶ’s capabilities are constantly being sought.

Transmission of the results from the current research has been in the form of technical reports and posters; this effort will be expanded to graduate theses, publications in primary journals, presentations at meetings, etc. Go to the Learn More link for further information.

Innovation

The Innovation component centers on a makerspace laboratory for use by students. The makerspace laboratory provides students with an environment and resources (materials, faculty, guest speakers, inventors/role models, etc.) for exploration.

Various industries have contributed to the development of the makerspace laboratory. Students are currently using the makerspace laboratory.

The products of this environment will be documentation of the development of pathways to commercialization and entrepreneurship.

Go to the Learn More link for further information.

Outreach

The Outreach component of the Center will expose high and middle school students, mostly from underrepresented populations, and their teachers to the research and educational elements of the DOD AERIC activities.

A summer program (Mentoring Introduction to Aviation Science, MITAS) and a Saturday program (Aviation Career Exploration, ACE) will connect the students and teachers to an awareness, interest, excitement, and confidence in the potential of a career in DOD, aerospace, and related engineering disciplines.

The well-established MITE (Mentoring In To Engineering) and FASTREC (Freshman Accelerated Start-up and Training for Retention in Engineering Curricula) programs will part of the Outreach component as well. Go to the Learn More link for further information.

Relevant Capabilities at TU

Fracture and failure analysis, corrosion and erosion studies, high temperature polymeric materials and coatings, additive manufacturing, degradation of materials under extreme conditions, processing and characterization of fiber reinforced composites, welding and steel repair, nondestructive evaluation, characterization of ceramic and carbon/carbon composites - biomaterials, experimental aerodynamics, computational mechanics, multiresolution signal/image analysis, micro and nanofabrication, portable sensors, etc.

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