As of October 2002, the aerospace engineering faculty consists of nine members.
We have a staff of five. Bill Holbrook is a model maker extraordinary. Ginger
Ware is our office administrator who keeps things running. Evia Vickerstaff keeps
student records and assists Roy Hartfield and Steve Gross with student recruiting.
Maxine Bryant keeps our books. Jim Lin is our Ph.D. electrical engineer.
Excluding freshmen, around 100 students are enrolled in the undergraduate program. The future looks bright since, this year about 160 aspiring freshmen have expressed the intent to enter the program. The relatively low student-to-faculty ratio in the undergraduate program will probably not remain low for long, but should continue to be low enough to allow for considerable student/faculty interaction. The graduate programs (Master of Aerospace Engineering, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy) have a combined enrollment of about 30.
Current research emphasizes are the application of genetic algorithms to design missiles, design and prototyping of micro aerial vehicles, experimental aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, applied structural dynamics, orbital mechanics, and modeling and simulation of flight vehicles and transportation systems. Even though much time is spent on research, the faculty members are all committed to providing excellence in instruction at all levels.
Plans are in effect to increase the undergraduate and, especially, graduate enrollments. Of course, this implies that research funding and faculty size must be increased also. The areas of modeling and simulation of transportation systems, dynamics and control, and aerodynamics will be emphasized in recruiting new faculty members.
