A E R O S PA C E E N G I N E E R I N G AT M I C H I G A N
Contents A View Into the Future
Pioneers of Innovation
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Our Department Today
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The Future of the Field
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our Nine Key Initiatives
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leading the way
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T
he Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan has, since its inception,
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been recognized as one of the leading members of the academic component of the aerospace enterprise. Throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Department’s entire educational and research activities have been organized around advancing and teaching the essential elements of the aerospace enterprise, and especially the evolving engineering issues associated with air
and space vehicles, vehicle systems, and their associated technologies. Today’s aerospace engineers may take for granted the accomplishments of the field thus far, but a hundred years ago these things were the stuff of science fiction. As we look ahead we can imagine what future innovations may bring — some of today’s science fiction will surely become fact. Commercial high-speed flight will become practical. Unmanned vehicles will become increasingly important, and in some cases their design may be inspired
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by biological flyers. Safe and quiet vertical flight may enable direct air travel into city centers. Parts of the hub-andspoke travel system may be replaced by new point-to-point models. Air routes will open up new corners of the world and pose new challenges to aircraft designers. Satellite-based technologies will pervade our lives in ways we cannot yet imagine.
To accomplish these and other innovations, aerospace
Tomorrow’s aerospace enterprise will continue to be a
engineers will increasingly work in interdisciplinary
pillar of the U.S. and world economies, in part because
teams. International collaborations will be needed to
of the broad impact that this field has on our society
enable ambitious and expensive projects. The com-
and the continuing fascination it inspires in the most
plexity of aerospace systems may call for new modes
innovative minds of each new generation. Along the
of analysis and design. Software-based tools may
way, tomorrow’s aerospace engineering graduates from
replace some of yesterday’s subject matter specialists.
Michigan will continue to serve as leaders into this
Aerospace engineers, like those in other disciplines,
future, making use of their strong backgrounds in the
may move more frequently from one employer to
science and technologies on which the future will be
another. Many will adopt entrepreneurial careers.
founded, and the abilities that we have instilled in them
The aging U.S. population and the large federal and
to think independently, critically, and creatively.
state entitlements through Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will likely have major implications for support of university research and education. Growing concerns over energy and environmental sustainability
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will drive basic research efforts, and aerospace engineering will contribute to solutions such as better wind turbines, advanced propulsion systems, and more efficient aerodynamic designs. While it is impossible to predict the precise future of the aerospace enterprise a decade or two from now, it is clear what changes a leading academic department must make to remain at the forefront of this field. In this document we envision the new challenges and opportunities that the aerospace engineers of tomorrow will face, and describe the key initiatives that we have put in place at Michigan to prepare our graduates and our research endeavors to succeed in this future.
François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Building, home of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Today’s aerospace engineers may take for granted the accomplishments of the field thus far, but a hundred years ago these things were the stuff of science fiction. As we look ahead
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today’s science fiction will surely become fact.
a v i ew i n t o t h e f ut ur e /
we can imagine what future innovations may bring — some of
AerospAce Engineering At MichigAn
T
he University of Michigan started the
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first collegiate aeronautics program in the United States, in 1914, just 11 years after the Wright brothers’ first controlled, powered flights at Kitty
Hawk. The first course was taught by Professor Felix Pawlowski, a talented engineer who had been a student of Lucien Marchis at the University of Paris in the earliest aeronautics course given anywhere, and went on to build his own airplane. Since then, the Department has graduated more than 4,000 aeronautical and aerospace engineers who have gone on to distinguished careers in essentially all areas of the aerospace enterprise, in related fields, in government, and in academia. Five were astronauts who orbited the Earth. Three went to the moon.
The early years of the Department were filled with daring experimentation in balloons, gliders, and when available, powered airplanes, including a model “B” hydroplane built by the Wright brothers.
The Department’s most prominent alumni include Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, B.S.E. ‘32, M.S.E. ‘33, widely considered one of America’s greatest aircraft designers. He went on to establish the legendary Lockheed Skunk Works and created aircraft such as the P-38, the F-104, the U-2, and the SR-71 (pictured above).
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Michigan Alumni Ed White (left) and Jim McDvitt (right) inside the Gemini IV Spacecraft
Michigan alumnus, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson
Felix Pawlowski, first professor of Aeronautics at Michigan
Throughout its long history, the Department has been
conducting leading-edge research that seeks to
an integral part of one of the nation’s great teaching
expand the existing knowledge in the field. At the
and research universities. The University of Michigan
same time, the efforts required to fulfill that mission
is among the most successful public educational
are changing. The demands of the aerospace industry
institutions, with a record of accomplishments that
and the science and technology basis needed to meet
can be matched by few. Formally a state university,
its needs are undergoing dramatic transformations.
its founding in 1817 predates all but a handful of the
Key components of these changes are described
nation’s state universities, and since its inception it
herein.
has operated autonomously under the Michigan constitution. The result is an exceptional institution that has provided leadership in higher education throughout its history.
Building on its history, the Department has undertaken an in-depth assessment of these changes and implemented the specific initiatives described in this document to adapt to them. In doing so, Aerospace
Today, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at
Engineering at Michigan has positioned itself and its
Michigan continues its two-fold mission of providing its
graduates to continue to succeed, extending its long
students with a strong foundation in the technical
history of excellence and success in its teaching and
disciplines that comprise aerospace engineering, and
research mission well into the next decade and beyond.
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Our graduates include five astronauts who have orbited the earth. Ed White (pictured at left), made the first spacewalk by an American, and three went to the moon. Other Michigan astronauts include Jack Lousma, who commanded Skylab and piloted the third Space Shuttle flight; James McDivitt, commander of Apollo 9, and James Irwin and Alfred Worden of Apollo 15.
Leading, Researching, Teaching
T
oday, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Michigan is a vibrant place. Over the past two years we have added six new faculty members to our ranks, representing a quarter
that has added to our Department’s strength in specific strategic areas that we have targeted for development and growth. We currently have searches underway for new faculty members to continue our growth in strategic areas. Among our faculty are fifteen Fellows of major professional societies. Eleven are associate editors or editors-in-chief of leading archival technical journals. Many others serve on key national and international panels and in various leadership positions in their field. We are also an integral part of an exceptionally strong College of Engineering, consisting of eleven top-ten ranked and five top-three ranked academic departments. Together they contribute to an environment of unsurpassed intellectual challenge and excitement that is at the same time collegial and conducive to learning. Our faculty has a high level of enthusiasm, accessibility, and a strong dedication to excellence in teaching and research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
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professors, who have brought with them fresh expertise
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of our total faculty. All are assistant or associate
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Extracurricular team projects, hardware exposure, and hands-on experiences are critical components to complement in-class teaching to help prepare future engineering talent.
Freshman level ENG 100 student blimp project.
Students
students, and 20 PhD students annually. Metrics for
Enrollments in our Department are strong at all levels. We currently have more than 350 sophomore, junior, and senior undergraduate students in Aerospace
student satisfaction throughout the program are high.
Teaching
Engineering, of whom over 40% come from outside the
Our Department places an exceptionally strong
state of Michigan and nearly 10% come from outside the
emphasis on excellence in the teaching component of
U.S. to study in our Department. A sequential graduate/
its mission. All our faculty teach, and all courses are
undergraduate studies (SGUS) option encourages our
taught by faculty — teaching assistants hold additional
best aerospace engineering undergraduates to advance
office hours and provide other assistance to students,
to master’s degree studies in Aerospace Engineering.
but they do not teach our courses. Three among the
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Department’s faculty hold Arthur F. Thurnau We have a long tradition of drawing some of the best
Professorships, a University honor for the highest
students from the U.S. and around the world into our
accomplishments in teaching.
master’s and doctoral programs. Our Department today has more than 160 graduate students, the majority of
The course catalog is rich in required and elective course
whom are U.S. citizens. They hold numerous National
offerings at all degree levels. In our undergraduate
Science Foundation, Department of Defense,
program, students choose at least four upper-level
Department of Education, and other national fellow-
technical elective courses and two general electives,
ships. Aerospace Engineering at Michigan has in recent
allowing them to specialize or broaden their aerospace
years graduated about 120 BSE students, 60 MS
engineering education. In our graduate programs,
The University of Michigan Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory (S3FL) is a student group that provides opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience in real world, hands-on, space systems projects.
The principal feature of both our undergraduate and graduate programs is the strong emphasis placed on understanding how to think, learn, and adapt. The resulting ability to incorporate new theoretical discoveries and technological advances allows Michigan graduates to grow and adapt rapidly as the aerospace field evolves.
Since its inception, our Department’s mission has been to provide students with a solid foundation in aerospace engineering, and to advance the existing state of knowledge in the field through
Major Collaborative Research Centers
Engineering (M.S.E.) or the Master of Engineering
Our Department is home to several major research
(M.Eng.) degree. Those continuing to the doctoral
centers in which broader groups of faculty and students
program take additional courses beyond their master’s
collaborate within the Department and with other
degree. Our curriculum at all degree levels undergoes
departments and organizations. Currently, these major
continuous revision and renewal, with courses being
collaborative research centers include:
developed that reflect changes in aerospace engineering. • The Constellation University Institutes Program,
Research
part of NASA’s Constellation Program efforts to
Top students from around the U.S. and the world have
return to the moon. In this second five-year phase,
long been attracted to graduate studies at Michigan, in
we are leading nearly a quarter of more than 50
part because of the breadth and quality of the research
research efforts among 20 universities. Our research
being done across all major technical disciplines of the
focuses on thrust chamber assemblies, propellant
field. Our research portfolio is distinguished by a strong
storage and delivery, reentry aerothermodynamics,
and sustained focus on fundamental research questions.
and structures and materials for extreme environments.
In recent years, research addressing engineering systems and applications has extended beyond the
• The Michigan-AFRL-Boeing Collaborative Center for
traditional boundaries of aerospace engineering
Aeronautical Sciences, a research effort addressing
sciences, and allowed us to contribute to such contem-
high-speed flight and micro-air vehicles. Our
porary topics as energy, environmental sustainability,
computational and experimental research targets
homeland defense, and large-scale computing. Much
high-speed flows and shocks, shock-boundary layer
of our research is organized around developing,
interactions, plasma flows, aerothermodynamics,
sustaining, and improving our internationally recognized
flapping wing aerodynamics, fluid-structure interac-
work in computational aerospace sciences.
tions, and dielectric barrier actuators.
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students can pursue either the Master of Science in
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leading edge research.
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NASA’s Ikhana, a civil version of the Predator B unmanned aircraft.
• The Michigan-AFRL Collaborative Center in Control
wings for optimal flapping flight of micro air vehicles.
Science addresses control of large numbers of
Anisotropic structures as found in natural flyer
unmanned semi-autonomous fixed- or rotary-wing
wings provide biological guidance for the research,
craft or ground vehicles for such roles as persistent
including passive shape control for lift enhancement.
urban intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. It also explores controllability of air-breathing hypersonic vehicles using models that account for strong interactions between aerodynamics, airframe elasticity, control effector deformations, heat transfer, and the propulsion system. • The Air Force Office of Scientific Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative to develop biologically-inspired, anisotropic, flexible
• The Center for Radiative Shock Hydrodynamics, a large-scale research effort at Michigan with participation by the Department, to advance computing and simulation. It uses large-scale computations to advance predictive science by understanding uncertainties and their sources in simulation results and to improve predictive capabilities in complex systems.
• The Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence, in which Michigan, along with our partner universities, is one of two Army Centers of Excellence for Vertical Lift Research. Work at Michigan is focused on barrier issues in vertical lift technology, including active flaps and microflaps for reduced rotor vibration and noise, and active blades for vibration and noise reduction. • The DARPA Flying Fish Program, a longer-term effort to develop an ocean environmental monitoring buoy. Flying Fish is a robotic pelican-inspired electric-powered vehicle designed to drift at sea and
autonomous take off, climb, cruise, descent, and landing of a vehicle that is much smaller than the ocean’s surface wave environment.
Diagnostics and prediction of flow fields in advanced gas turbine combustors.
• The General Electric Aircraft Engines University Strategic Alliance Program, part of a long-term
Facilities
strategic alliance that involves universities from
Nearly all of our Department is housed in the François-
around the world. Our research is directed at
Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Building, containing 91,000
improving the revolutionary GE-TAPS lean premixed,
square feet of modern classrooms, research laborato-
prevaporized combustor, which promises to
ries, and support space. Being located in one building
significantly reduce emissions of nitric oxide and
greatly facilitates a collaborative atmosphere and strong
carbon monoxide from the new GEnx engines.
intellectual climate among our faculty and students.
• The General Motors Collaborative Research
Highly-dedicated clerical and technical staff assist in
Laboratory for Smart Materials and Structures
our teaching and research missions by helping to meet
involves research on smart material maturity, smart
students needs and maintain our instructional and
device technologies, and mechamatronic system
laboratory facilities.
design methodologies. Results are applicable to smart pumps and fuel injectors, smart latches and locks, and smart air flow control devices for aerodynamic performance.
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its watch circle. Sea trials have demonstrated fully
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take flight autonomously when needed to maintain
Our Mission Our goal is to provide internationally recognized
undergraduate and graduate degree programs, that
leadership in aerospace engineering education and
make major contributions to the knowledge base in
research by being a place that:
aerospace sciences and technology, and that are
• Educates students who are widely known for exceptional strength in technical fundamentals
turned to by industry, government, and academia • Creates an environment of unsurpassed intellectual
across all aerospace disciplines, who are cognizant
challenge and excitement that at the same time is
of modern aerospace technologies, and who are
collegial and conducive to higher learning
sought after by top graduate schools and by aerospace and related industries worldwide • Offers a variety of excellent degree programs satisfying the needs of a diverse body of students, with graduates who are of exceptionally high value to aerospace and related industries worldwide • Supports vibrant and highly recognized research programs that serve the educational goals of its
• Recognizes that aerospace engineering comprises disciplines and technologies that are distinct in the manner of their integration and application and must be taught accordingly • Takes full advantage of the unparalleled breadth of knowledge, technology, facilities, and resources of one of the largest and most highly regarded universities worldwide, the University of Michigan
those who will chart the future of the field. We look ahead to the next decade and beyond to anticipate the changes that academic departments must make to adapt themselves for the future, and to continue serving at the leading edge of this field. Our goal has been to assess how our teaching and research missions can be best positioned to ensure the continued success of our Department and our graduates.
Here we identify key challenges that will influence aerospace engineering over the next two decades. Rather than making speculative predictions or assertions about which technical topic will become the next major focus of our field, we have based our vision of the future on a rational, anticipatory, and forward-looking assessment of the changes that will occur in the aerospace enterprise. In the next section, we describe the nine key initiatives that we have implemented at Michigan to position ourselves to respond effectively to these new challenges and to take advantage of the new opportunities they present.
Left and center: Michigan is a leading university in electric propulsion research. Right: Our ongoing effort in cavitation investigation is aimed at improving liquid rocket propulsion design.
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I
n the aerospace enterprise, the second century of flight will demand agility, flexibility, and innovation from
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New Challenges, New Opportunities
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Advanced carbon fiber textiles will be a key enabler for future aerospace and other engineering structures.
Hexagonal honeycomb made from superelastic shape memory alloy corrugated strips will enable the development of adaptive aerospace systems.
One World: Growing Internationalization
Tomorrow’s aerospace engineers will need to interact
The engineering profession as a whole — aerospace
cultural awareness than has traditionally been the case
engineering more than many other disciplines —
for most engineers. For many it will mean greater
is rapidly becoming a global enterprise. Markets for
international contacts and collaborations. Some may
aerospace products have traditionally been inter-
see extended assignments to expatriate positions,
national, but now the profession itself is attracting
where they will work with engineers having substantially
bright minds from all over the world.
different backgrounds. Professional advancement in
with this global enterprise. This will require a broader
aerospace engineering will increasingly depend on the Many countries already have substantial technical
ability to succeed in such international contexts.
capabilities in aerospace engineering, and many others are seeking to build their capabilities. Emerging
Redefining the Engineer
economies increasingly regard aerospace engineering
Many analysis and design functions traditionally
as having the capacity to make significant contributions to their Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some are establishing the education infrastructure to promote these new capabilities. The contributions these nations make to the aerospace industry do more than lower labor costs; they are helping to advance the field. In many cases, these talented, new workforces rival those in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere.
associated with aerospace engineering are being transformed into “packaged” software. Today’s commercial software offers substantial coupled multi-physics simulation capabilities. Examples include: finite-element analysis software for thermo-mechanical modeling, computational fluid dynamics tools for fluid flow analyses, and computer-aided design software for
solid modeling and fabrication, and computer software
InnovAtion, Invention, And Venture CapitAl
for flight simulation and flight control design. Companies that formerly needed dozens of experienced engineers for these functions can now achieve similar results more quickly with a far smaller staff. Consulting houses can make these capabilities widely available even to smaller companies on an as-needed basis. All engineers will still need to learn the underlying principles. However, as classical engineering functions become more commoditized, successful engineers will need a deeper understanding of system-level problems. They will require backgrounds in analysesof-alternatives, balanced optimization, and similar higher-level analysis approaches. The pedagogical changes needed to accommodate this shift go beyond traditional curricular revisions. They may require us to
Major engineering companies once kept substantial in-house research and development staff, but costs have changed this model. Today, these firms acquire the innovations they need by buying up small entrepreneurial companies built around researching and developing specific technology solutions. In effect, large companies today buy the technologies they need, pushing part of the cost and risk of developing them onto smaller entrepreneurial companies. The growth of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) programs over the past two decades has provided a tremendous boost for early-stage technology development in the private sector. This has accelerated the move toward reliance on such companies as a main development path for new technologies.
fundamentally rethink the skill set that defines an
Universities often provide the basic research that
aerospace engineer.
launches and drives these small companies. Many
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U-M’s Flying Fish capable of take-off/landing on water.
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Autonomous flight vehicles investigating collaborative control.
Aerospace engineering will play a major role in the broader quest for alternative energy and environmental sustainability.
small companies build on the stream of basic research generated at universities, creating new opportunities for
property issues, and other aspects of the modern technology development path.
going green Even before the rapid rise in the cost of petroleumderived fuels, there has been strong emphasis on making aerospace systems use less energy and create a smaller impact on the environment. The importance of
The Next-Generation 737-700 sports Blended Winglets, which enhance range and fuel efficiency while lowering engine maintenance costs and noise. Copyright © Boeing
fuel efficiency is well known in the commercial airline market, where fuel costs today account for more than
Improved energy efficiency and reduced carbon
30% of total airline operating costs. Even in the defense
emissions can come in less obvious ways as well.
sector, fuel efficiency matters greatly. In 2003, the Air
Lighter-weight structures and aerodynamic improve-
Force’s fuel bill was $2.5 billion; by 2006 it had jumped
ments such as winglets can significantly reduce fuel
to over $6 billion despite substantially lower fuel
consumption.
consumption. Every $10 increase in the barrel price of fuel costs the Air Force $0.6 billion more in annual fuel
Aerospace engineering will play a major role in the
costs.
broader quest for alternative energy and environmental sustainability. Advanced wind turbines rely on aero-
The possibility of some type of carbon tax in the
dynamic improvements and stronger lightweight
foreseeable future drives airlines to look for possible
structures for much of their performance. Photovoltaics,
new sources of fuels, such as biomass-to-liquid
fuel processors, and fuel cells for hydrogen or hydro-
processes and even plant and algae-derived biofuels,
carbon fuels also involve aerospace-related
that can provide lower life-cycle CO2 emissions.
technologies.
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deeper understanding of entrepreneurship, intellectual
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targeted synergy. Tomorrow’s students will need a
airplanes, rockets and beyond Aerospace engineering has always gone beyond airplanes and rockets, and many of tomorrow’s
Engineering systems today, and aerospace systems in
technology emphases will be in areas not traditionally
particular, are becoming more complex and adaptive.
associated with aerospace engineering. Commercial
Complexity itself is not new in aerospace engineering;
aircraft will see advances in such areas as lightweight
the Space Shuttle has over a million individual parts,
composite structures, more efficient and quiet clean-
and modern flight control software typically has about
burning engines, and blended wing-body designs.
two million lines of code. However, the addition of high
However, these improvements will come as much from
levels of adaptability and reconfigurability, such as by
in-flight system monitoring, model-based adaptation,
coupling reconfigurable control effectors with an
and advanced network-enabled operations. In defense,
integrated vehicle health monitoring system, is creating
engineers are shifting emphasis on higher-performance
a new category of “complex adaptive aerospace
air vehicle platforms to their payloads. The F-22,
systems.”
designed 25 years ago, achieved its air superiority with supercruise and high-agility thrust vectoring; today the ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
F-35 is placing greater emphasis on such functions as
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Increase in Complex Adaptive Aerospace Systems
data fusion and electronic attack.
Future air and space vehicles will take full advantage of this functionality. Failure or degradation in one or more parts of the system will be compensated by automatically reconfiguring the control software. The
In the future we may see small unmanned vehicles,
reconfiguration is adaptive because it does not simply
perhaps inspired by biological flyers. Groups of robotic
follow predetermined rules for a limited set of failure
or semi-autonomous fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and
modes. Instead, the system experiments with itself to
ground vehicles may operate over large areas, provid-
gauge its degraded state and determine how to
ing persistent, cooperative, networked sensing and
maximize its remaining functionality.
communication relays for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Such systems create new challenges not only in their design, but in their reliability. The number of possible
Aerospace engineers have always worked on the
system states can make direct verification and
system as a whole as well as its parts, but in the future
validation approaches impractical, requiring more
they will need a broader education to accomplish this.
probabilistic approaches and adaptive concepts foreign
Academic departments must integrate traditional core
to most engineers. Future engineers will need technical
aerospace disciplines with nontraditional subject areas.
backgrounds in basic aspects of such systems and their underlying theoretical concepts.
broader education to accomplish this. Academic departments must integrate traditional core aerospace disciplines with nontraditional subject areas.
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a whole as well as its parts, but in the future they will need a
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Aerospace engineers have always worked on the system as
Engineering as a New “Liberal Arts” Degree
Rising Social Costs and Diminishing Federal Support
Our technology-oriented society is convincing a
The aging U.S. population and the large government
growing number of students to choose engineering as
entitlements through Social Security, Medicare, and
a “safe” degree. For many who believe they can handle
Medicaid have begun an unprecedented drain on
the mathematics and science but are not sure what
federal and state budgets that will only worsen over the
their life goals are, engineering is becoming a popular
next two decades. The first of 77 million retiring “baby
option.
boomers” born between 1946 and 1964 became eligible for Social Security benefits in January 2008.
Many elementary and high school students are
Their numbers will grow at a rate of 4 million per year
becoming exposed to engineering at an early age.
through 2026, and they will continue to draw entitle-
State education standards have mandated engineering
ment benefits through 2050.
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contents in Massachusetts since 2001, in New Jersey since 2004, and in Texas since 2007. Intel’s
The Congressional Budget Office has calculated that
“Engineering is Elementary” curriculum is already being
the cost of these benefits will grow from 8.4% of Gross
used in more than 900 K-12 schools, up from just five
Domestic Product (GDP) today to 14.5% by 2030, and
in 2003. More than 2,200 middle and high schools now
18.6% by 2050. By comparison, the entire federal
use engineering courses from “Project Lead the Way.”
budget today is just 20% of GDP. By 2049, these benefits would consume every federal program except
Many of these students will choose aerospace engi-
interest on the federal debt. Even with proposed
neering as their major. Yet unlike the students of
reductions in entitlement benefits, the looming budget
previous generations, many lack the fundamental
pressures will be immense. Europe and Japan face
intuition or understanding of the engineering that goes
similar situations.
into the mechanical, computing, or electrical systems they use daily.
This will strain the federal government’s ability to support
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research and development, including basic research in Engineering students in the next decade will be
academia. The impact on the academic profession is
substantially different from past engineering students.
largely underappreciated. The major supporters of
They may come to the field with different passions, skill
research programs in aerospace engineering have been
levels, and drive. We may increasingly see students
NASA, the Department of Defense, the Department of
who are “just kicking the tires” and who may have no
Energy, and the National Science Foundation. Their
intention of making their career in engineering after
combined research and development totals are just
graduation.
under $111 billion. The basic research components that fund most university research are about $30 billion. While federal reductions in basic research spending will
affect all fields, aerospace engineering faces greater
sustainability needs grow. These may include pilotless
hardship over the next two decades, because of its
aircraft and other unmanned aerial systems, as well as
greater reliance on federal funding.
satellite systems.
Meeting Society’s Needs
Other satellites for telecommunications, spaceborne
will be directed toward meeting societal needs in areas such as health care, energy efficiency, alternative energy, environmental sustainability, and homeland security. Several of these hold significant opportunities for aerospace engineering. Other areas, such as expanded low-cost air transport and improved air traffic
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and other applications ranging from low-Earth orbits up to geosynchronous orbits may also become increased priorities. Associated technologies to reduce launch costs, decrease failures associated with launches or orbit insertions, and increase on-orbit reliability will become more important.
control systems, have obvious aerospace content and
Aerospace engineering will be called on to help our
are likely to see growth.
society meet these new challenges. The engineers we
Earth observation systems to monitor effects such as urban growth, deforestation, and water management will become more important as environmental
graduate and the research endeavors we undertake will need to be positioned to successfully address these needs.
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Federal research spending over the next two decades
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Engineers of today and tomorrow will need to make technological advances while ensuring that societal and environmental needs are being met.
• Provide greater opportunities for students to participate in substantive international exchanges and internships • Reduce “commodity” subject matter in courses; increase education in system-level analysis-ofalternatives concepts • Bring further nontraditional systems-related content into the curriculum
• Enable a broader and deeper understanding of entrepreneurship and its role in the aerospace field • Accommodate a broader spectrum of different types of students, including those who lack natural engineering intuition • Adjust to looming decreases in federal research funding and shifts in federal research priorities
Preparing for tomorrow
9
T
component of the aerospace enterprise. They represent new opportunities for those academic departments that are prepared to adapt to these changes to stay positioned as leaders in this field. Accordingly, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Michigan, along with the College of
Engineering and the University, has recently implemented nine key initiatives to prepare our Department and its
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graduates to continue to succeed over the next decade and beyond in aerospace engineering.
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
he challenges we have identified in this document have implications for the academic
Advanced battery for future air and ground vehicles.
1
Expanded Departmental Research Thrusts
Beyond our existing research focus areas noted earlier, our Department has further identified the major research thrusts listed below. Each builds on strengths already in the Department, and is being developed through strategic targeted hires and larger collaborative research efforts. They bring together teams of faculty
Advanced computational aerodynamics utilizing Cartesian grid and local adaptation to achieve desirable accuracy while alleviating cost for mesh generation.
and student researchers to address key technical issues in these areas.
Our Department already has a strong reputation in
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many key aspects of computational aerosciences. We These Departmental research thrusts and those that
are expanding our activities in this area, building on
span more broadly across the College and University
numerous on-going research efforts that involve federal
help place our research focus in areas that will be key
agencies and industry partners.
to the next two decades in aerospace engineering. We plan to broaden our expertise and strong record in Computational Aerosciences
advancing alternative numerical techniques such as
Computer-aided analysis and design tools are routinely
adaptive Cartesian grid methods, discontinuous
used to simulate and predict component and subsys-
Galerkin methods, DSMC and hybrid DSMC/continuum
tem performance, allowing dramatic reductions in the
techniques, and simulation-based design optimization
need for costly and time-consuming physical testing.
and sensitivity evaluations. Experiments will provide
Further advances in computational aero-
insights and data to guide development of physical
sciences will allow entire aerospace vehicles to be
models and improved numerical techniques. Data
reliably designed in virtual environments. Development
assimilation techniques will also be addressed to
of the numerical methods and software tools to
effectively utilize data generated from computationally-
accomplish this plays a critical role throughout the
intensive methods, merging data with models to give
aerospace enterprise and will continue to be a major
more useful estimates than can be obtained by either
research area over the next two decades.
one alone.
anisotropic flexible wings for optimal flapping flight.
Unmanned flight vehicles are being rapidly developed
Research is utilizing insights gained from biological
and deployed. Today these are primarily used for
flight, while focusing on hovering and forward-flight
defense, but evolving civil airspace regulations will allow
modes of micro air vehicles, with an emphasis on the
broader uses of unmanned flight vehicles. Such
intrinsically unsteady environment due to wind gusts
vehicles range from high-altitude long-endurance
and flapping motions.
platforms with sizes measured in tens of meters and endurances measured in days or even years, to micro air vehicles a few centimeters in size that are designed for several minutes of operation.
In the future, we will address a wide range of essential technical issues associated with aerodynamics, propulsion, structures, and control of individual unmanned vehicles, as well as collaborative control of
Our Department has recently developed strong
multiple vehicles and even large swarms of such
programs in both large and small unmanned flight
platforms.
vehicles, which we will grow over the next two decades. A substantial portion of our research focuses on cooperative control of potentially large numbers of such semi- or fully-autonomous vehicles, coordinating their motion to provide persistent real-time services, autonomous fault management, and strategic-level decision making. Our ongoing low-speed micro air vehicle research is also addressing biologically-inspired,
Space Systems Our Department has a portfolio of space systems research that we will cultivate further. We have played a central role in NASA’s 10-year, two-phase Constellation University Institutes Program (CUIP), a consortium of approximately twenty universities in the U.S. addressing key technical challenges in NASA’s Moon-Mars
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Unmanned Flight Vehicles
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
Vortex flow structures associated with a flapping wing during a stroke.
We have one of the most comprehensive and advanced spacecraft propulsion research groups at any academic institution in the world, focusing on electric propulsion development and engine-spacecraft interaction studies, as well as hypersonic vehicle concepts for space access and reentry.
exploration endeavors. Our research includes investigations of flow, mixing, and combustion in chemical rocket engines, propellant delivery systems, reentry aerothermodynamics, and hot structures and materials for extreme environments. We have one of the most comprehensive and Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
advanced spacecraft propulsion research groups at any academic institution in the world, focusing on electric propulsion development and engine-spacecraft interaction studies, as well as hypersonic vehicle concepts for space access and reentry. This includes development of computational models and highlycoupled, control-oriented concepts for air-breathing hypersonic vehicles. Small satellite systems and satellite constellations are another research area that we have targeted for growth
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and where we will build on our existing strengths. Research topics include: integration of advanced space sensors, computational algorithms and software, constellation setup and operations, as well as low-cost command and control processes that take advantage of multi-element worldwide ground systems.
High-resolution flow field measurements of shock wave interactions with a turbulent boundary layer.
2
Strategic New Aerospace Faculty Hires
Recently, the Department has hired six new faculty members, representing nearly 25% growth in faculty size. All are either assistant or associate professors and hold 100% appointments in the Department. More critically, each of these new faculty members, as noted below, brings strong expertise to enhance one or more of our expanded research thrust areas. We also have ongoing searches to add several more new faculty members to further enrich our teaching and research portfolios.
Assoc. Prof. Ella Atkins
multigrid solver for the discontinuous Galerkin finite
Professor Atkins’ research is on task and motion
element method.
planning algorithms for autonomous systems under various sources of uncertainties. This includes flight ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
vehicle mission planning and adaptation, and human-
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planning and guidance, autonomous unmanned air
station networking technologies. He has taught satellite
robot collaboration. Asst. Prof. James Cutler Professor Cutler’s research interests include the development of distributed space vehicles optimized for complex missions, advanced spacecraft software, the “robust” use of commercial off-the-shelf hardware for satellite systems, and the development of global ground design, and developed small satellite systems and robust ground station networks, including regular space and near-space flights. Asst. Prof. Krzysztof Fidkowski Professor Fidkowski works on computational methods, including a triangular cut-cell adaptive method to allow high-order discretizations of the compressible NavierStokes equations. He previously developed a new
Asst. Prof. Anouck Girard Professor Girard’s research is in nonlinear control and systems engineering. Her work applies to control of swarms of autonomous small and micro air vehicles and/or ground robots that operate in formation. She works with hybrid, distributed, and embedded systems. Asst. Prof. Matthias Ihme Professor Ihme works on computational modeling of reacting flows, radiation, emissions, and combustiongenerated noise. He uses direct and large-eddy simulations for turbulent reactive flows, mixing, and aeroacoustics, and has made advances in flamelet progress variable methods. Asst. Prof. Veera Sundararaghavan Professor Sundararaghavan’s research is on multi-scale computations for material design and optimization. He uses finite element homogenization, molecular dynamics, ab initio simulations, and statistical mechanics approaches, and has developed adaptive reduced-order optimization methods.
The Association François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) has
by flight vehicles in an educational setting. It helps to
been extraordinarily generous in supporting our
advance the strategic areas we have identified for
Department over the years. To help further advance our
growth. Through the FXB Flight Vehicle Institute,
teaching and research missions, the Association has
faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students work
recently pledged an additional $4 million to endow the
together to advance the state-of-the-art in flight vehicle
François-Xavier Bagnoud Fellowships, as well as the
research and teaching. Extracurricular projects at the
research and educational initiatives in the Department.
undergraduate level are being promoted. The Institute
This brings the Association FXB’s total support to $13
will sponsor workshops, issue scholarly reports and
million. Part of this support has been directed toward
papers, and serve as a catalyst in the academic
establishing the François-Xavier Bagnoud Flight Vehicle
community. The Institute also helps establish inter-
Institute.
national as well as industrial collaborative activities,
The Institute is an integral part of our Department,
students.
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focusing on research and educational topics motivated
including guest lecturers, visiting researchers, and
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
3
The FXB Flight Vehicle Institute
Students gather for a photo with Aerospace Engineering alumnus Jim McDivitt (the Commander of Apollo 9) in the Atrium of the FXB Building.
4
A New Major Energy Initiative
In response to the growing need for energy conversion and storage technologies, the University of Michigan has established the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) with $11 million in building renovation and an additional $9 million in initial funding. Our Department participates in this new initiative, and several members of our faculty are involved in research supporting MMPEI goals. Major thrusts of the Institute include energy conversion, storage and utilization, carbon-neutral energy sources, energy policy, and economic and societal impacts of energy usage. It coordinates research across the University in areas such as solar power, hydrogen technology, fuel cells, nuclear energy, battery research, and low power electronics. It brings together Michigan’s energy research activities to achieve maximum impact. MMPEI serves as a resource
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ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
to assist in developing funding and attracting faculty, managing facilities, engaging industry and providing a focal point on energy research, policy, and education. It also established several new chaired faculty positions, and several new graduate fellowships in energy. This new energy institute gives our aerospace engineering students greater opportunities to learn about energy issues and to become directly involved in research to help solve energy-related problems.
This new energy institute gives our aerospace engineering students greater opportunities to learn about energy issues and to become directly involved in research to help solve energy-related
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Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
problems.
In response to the growing concerns around environ-
research and academic efforts, encourages innovative
mental issues, The Graham Foundation and the
academic programs that explore the complexities of
University have recently created a new $10.5 million
environmental sustainability, and emphasizes relation-
Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute (GESI) to
ships between ecosystems. The Institute also educates
develop solutions to complex environmental sustain-
communities and policy makers on how to economi-
ability issues, recognizing the need for balance between
cally and effectively achieve environmental sustainability.
Department is a participant in this new sustainability institute, and several members of our faculty are involved in research that supports the GESI mission.
The Institute is focused on areas of research where knowledge is critical to reaching the goal of environmental sustainability. These include energy, biodiversity and global change, freshwater and marine resources,
The Institute’s goals are to increase the University’s
sustainable infrastructure, human health and environ-
multidisciplinary research and education in environmen-
ment, and environmental policymaking.
tal sustainability and position Michigan as a global leader in this field. The Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute facilitates collaborative research on environmental sustainability through financial and administrative support. It leverages the University’s
Through this new institute, undergraduate and graduate students at Michigan have greater access to opportunities for learning about environmental sustainability and for becoming involved in research to address related issues. Multi-scale simulation methods are providing important new insights into tailored materials that can provide environmentally-friendly performance benefits.
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
societal needs and social responsibilities. Our
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5
A New Environmental Sustainability Center
6
A New International Minor for Engineers
In response to the growing internationalization of aerospace and other engineering disciplines, a new International Minor for Engineers program has recently been instituted and made available to undergraduates in Aerospace Engineering at Michigan. The College of Engineering and the Department have also expanded strategic partnerships with leading universities overseas to facilitate student exchanges. The International Programs in Engineering office has expanded its role in connecting students with companies abroad seeking
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ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
engineering interns. The minor seeks to prepare our engineering graduates to
Our students participating in the Paris Air Show (above) and the University of Michigan/Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute Summer Program (below).
succeed in a global society. It facilitates work in multinational teams, creating products for a global marketplace, and solving problems across national borders and cultures. The minor officially recognizes not just foreign language proficiency, but also understanding of other cultures, study of engineering in a global context, and the experience of living and working abroad. The 17-20 credit-hour engineering degree minor requires four semesters of college-level foreign language study, two courses on non-U.S. cultures or societies, one course in business, humanities, or social
This minor expands an existing global engineering
sciences with a comparative or global perspective, an
program that allowed students to add an international
International Engineering Seminar that teaches global
component to their engineering education. The new
trends in engineering and business as well as strategies
International Minor for Engineers increases the
for working in multinational teams, and also requires at
requirements and acknowledges these with a formal
least six weeks of study, work, research, or organized
degree minor certification.
volunteer work abroad.
7
A New Engineering Entrepreneurism Center
In light of the importance that entrepreneurship has for technology development, the College of Engineering has
innovation and business from professors or members of the broader entrepreneurial community. It also provides grants for students to pursue their ideas, and connects current students with alumni from the College of Engineering who work in the start-up community. The Center simplifies and clarifies student intellectual property transfer, and advises the new entrepreneurship-focused engineering student group “MPowered.” The Center is the latest initiative in a broad effort to further facilitate student entrepreneurship. It coordinates with Michigan’s existing Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, part of the Ross School of Business, to include business courses in the engineering curriculum. This helps students bridge the gap between inventor and venture capitalist. The Center for Entrepreneurship increases the ability of aerospace engineering students at Michigan to get first-hand experience in entrepreneurial processes and the role that entrepreneurism plays in the aerospace enterprise.
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This new center is developing an entrepreneurship certificate program for engineering students taking courses in
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
recently established a new Center for Entrepreneurship with $1 million in initial funding.
8
Expanded Curriculum and Design Opportunities
To further expand our students’ backgrounds beyond
the Human Powered Helicopter team, the Michigan
traditional engineering analyses, our Department has
Mars Rover team, the AeroDesign/MFly team, the
been enhancing its curriculum and encouraging student
Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory, the Jet
involvement in extracurricular design-build-test
Engine Club, the Model Airplane Club, and the
opportunities. We offer a highly successful first-year
Michigan Aeronautical Science Association (MASA).
engineering course that combines an introduction to engineering with design-build-test projects. Students design a Mars surveillance blimp that they then test via Earth-scaled models. They learn by direct experience and immersion in systems engineering issues. The Lockheed Martin, as well as the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Department of Energy.
design projects, the College has recently completed a $3 million renovation of the Walter E. Wilson Student Team Project Center, located adjacent to our Department. This 10,000 square-foot center provides a modern collaborative environment and team workspaces for design, assembly, machining, and electronics. The Wilson Center allows student teams to experience the practical application of engineering
Our students are highly engaged in extracurricular
theories as well as hands-on development and
design-build-test activities involving collaborative
fabrication in a team environment.
teams. Aerospace engineering student teams include
/ 46
ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
course has been supported in part by Boeing and
To increase opportunities for collaborative student team
Active student team activities include low gravity, flight-ready equipment and solar cars.
9
100-Faculty Interdisciplinary Hiring Initiative
faculty positions in areas that advance interdisciplinary teaching and research. These new positions are created with the goal of recruiting scholars whose work crosses boundaries and opens new pathways, or for cluster hires that bring scholars from different fields together to explore significant questions or address complex problems. The program is enhancing the University’s ability to engage emerging research opportunities. A total of 25 new junior faculty have been hired under this initiative in 2008, the first year of the program, and three of these are in engineering. Their research will be in data mining, learning, and discovery using massive datasets; energy storage, and global change. Over the next four years, the remaining 75 positions in this initial phase of the program will be similarly filled with
Pr epar i n g f o r t o m o r r o w /
The University has begun a $30 million Interdisciplinary Junior Faculty Initiative to add 100 new junior tenure-track
research opportunities for the future.
/ 47
junior tenure-track faculty working in interdisciplinary areas that address some of the most important teaching and
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1 2
Expanded Departmental Research Thrusts Strategic New Aerospace Faculty Hires
3
The FXB Flight Vehicle Institute
4
A New Major Energy Initiative
5
A New Environmental Sustainability CenteR
6 7 8 9
A New International Minor for Engineers A New Engineering Entrepreneurism Center Expanded Curriculum and Design Opportunities 100-Faculty Interdisciplinary Hiring Initiative
or
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t
S
ince its inception, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan has been recognized as one of the leading members of the academic component in the aerospace enterprise. Today, as throughout its nearly 100-year history, the Department’s educational and engineering issues associated with air and space vehicles, vehicle systems, and related
technologies. This includes a strategically balanced representation in the Department’s research areas and in its curriculum of aerodynamics and propulsion, solid mechanics and structures, flight dynamics and control, and
/ 51
design of hardware and software in ways that prepare our students to become future leaders in this field.
l ead i n g t h e way /
research activities are organized around advancing the technical disciplines needed to address
The Michigan-designed UAV “Endurance” recently broke the record for fuel-cell powered flight. It flew for 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds on October 30th, 2008 in Milan, MI.
As outlined in the preceding pages, our Department is
approach. Rather than making speculative predictions
exceedingly well-positioned for the future. We have a
or simplistic assertions about which technical topic will
growing professoriate faculty of highly-recognized
become the next major focus of our field, we instead
individuals working in a collaborative and vibrant
base our assessment of the future on identifying some
intellectual climate, and strong enrollments of highly-
of the key elements that will influence the aerospace
qualified students at both the undergraduate and
enterprise over the next two decades. All of these will
graduate levels. We have an excellent and highly
have important impacts on this field, and will most likely
modern curriculum that is deep in its course offerings
have implications on the future.
and meets the needs of tomorrow’s aerospace engineers. We have a strong research position that successfully balances our traditional focus on fundamental research questions with additional efforts addressing engineering systems and applications research in some of today’s and tomorrow’s most imperative topics.
Department takes an anticipatory and forward-looking
represent fresh challenges and opportunities for academic departments that understand the forces driving them, their nature and extent, and the implications they have across the aerospace enterprise. The opportunities they present are available to those who are prepared to be properly positioned for the next two decades in this field. The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Michigan is ready for the future. We have implemented — in a set of closely coordinated steps with the College of Engineering and the University — the key initiatives described herein to position ourselves and our graduates to succeed. With these strategic moves, aerospace engineering graduates from Michigan will continue to lead the way into the future by building on strong backgrounds in science and technology
/ 52
ae r o spac e at m i c h i g a n /
In preparing for the next decade and beyond, our
The resulting changes that these factors will produce
reflected in our research and teaching, and in our determination to think independently, critically, and creatively. Curiosity and enthusiasm are two critical factors that characterize Michigan aerospace engineers.
Tomorrow’s aerospace engineering graduates from Michigan will continue to serve as leaders into the future, making use of their strong backgrounds in the science and technologies on which the future will be founded, and the abilities that we have instilled in
/ 53
l ead i n g t h e way /
them to think independently, critically, and creatively.
Our faculty members are inspired, driven, and dedicated to the dual teaching and research missions on which the Department is based. Many are recognized leaders in their fields of expertise; their research areas span the most important contemporary aspects of aerospace engineering.
Ella M. Atkins, Associate Professor. Individual and
James F. Driscoll, Professor. Turbulent combustion,
collaborative air and space systems, fault-tolerant flight
nitric oxide reduction, supersonic combustion, scram-
management, UAV/MAV applications.
jets, rocket combustion, laser diagnostics.
Luis P. Bernal, Associate Professor. Fluid mechanics,
Krzysztof Fidkowski, Assistant Professor.
aerodynamics, turbulent shear flow, whole-field flow
Computational fluid dynamics, higher-order discretiza-
measurement, microgravity fluid physics.
tions, discontinuous Galerkin methods, fluid dynamics.
Dennis S. Bernstein, Professor. Linear and nonlinear
Peretz P. Friedmann, Professor. Rotary and fixed wing
systems, identification, optimal, robust and adaptive
aeroelasticity, aerothermoelasticity, multidisciplinary
control.
optimization, micro air vehicles.
Iain D. Boyd, Professor. Electric propulsion, hyperson-
Alec D. Gallimore, Professor. Experimental plasma
ics, micro-scale flows, computation of nonequilibrium
physics, plasma probes, microwave and optical
gas and plasma dynamics.
diagnostics, electric propulsion, space propulsion.
Carlos E. S. Cesnik, Professor. Aeroelasticity, active
Anouck R. Girard, Assistant Professor. Nonlinear
vibration and noise reduction, structural health monitor-
systems, hybrid systems, embedded systems,
ing, transducer design, signal processing.
cooperative control, unmanned vehicles.
James W. Cutler, Assistant Professor. Small satellites,
W. Matthias Ihme, Assistant Professor. Turbulent
space systems, ground stations, engineering design,
reactive flows, large eddy simulation, flamelet modeling,
system engineering.
scalar mixing, aeroacoustics.
Werner J.A. Dahm, Professor. Turbulence, turbulent
Pierre T. Kabamba, Professor. Control theory, dynam-
flows, mixing, combustion, flow and combustion
ics, modeling robustness, sampled-data systems,
modeling, propulsion, aerodynamics, defense science.
guidance, navigation, process control.
N. Harris McClamroch, Professor. Nonlinear dynamics
Nicolas Triantafyllidis, Professor. Continuum mechan-
and control, geometric mechanics, feedback control,
ics, micromechanics, structural stability, geomechanics,
optimization, estimation.
magneto-electro-mechanical coupling in solids.
Elaine S. Oran, Adjunct Professor. Computational fluid
Bram van Leer, Professor. Computational fluid dynam-
dynamics, computational combustion, rarified gas flow,
ics, fluid dynamics, numerical analysis, compressible
fluid and particle dynamics, astrophysics.
flow, hyperbolic partial differential equations.
Kenneth G. Powell, Professor. Computational fluid
Anthony M. Waas, Professor. Composite structures,
dynamics, aerodynamics, numerical methods for
structural stability, biologically inspired materials,
plasmas, computational space physics.
nanocomposites, engineered materials.
Philip L. Roe, Professor. Computational fluid dynamics,
Peter D. Washabaugh, Associate Professor.
gasdynamics, nonequilibrium flow, hypersonics,
Experimental solid mechanics, fracture mechanics,
magnetohydrodynamics, electromagnetics.
instrumentation, non-destructive testing, optimization.
John A. Shaw, Associate Professor. Mechanics of
Charla K. Wise, Adjunct Professor. Vice President of
adaptive materials and structures, instabilities and
Technology – Environment, Safety and Health,
thermomechanical behavior of solids, experimental
Lockheed Martin Corporation.
mechanics.
Margaret S. Wooldridge, Professor (Mechanical
Daniel J. Scheeres, Adjunct Professor. Astrodynamics,
Engineering). Combustion, reburn and co-firing
orbital mechanics, asteroid and comet science,
technologies, reaction kinetics, aerosol sampling
navigation and control, space science.
and transport, optical diagnostics.
Wei Shyy, Professor and Chair. Computational fluid
Thomas H. Zurbuchen, Professor (Atmospheric,
dynamics, micro air vehicles, bio-inspired flight, biofluid
Oceanic, and Space Sciences). Space flight hardware,
dynamics, thermofluid systems.
space particle detectors, heliosphere plasma
Timothy B. Smith, Lecturer. Experimental plasma physics, atomic spectroscopy, laser diagnostics, electric propulsion, space propulsion. Veera Sundararaghavan, Assistant Professor. Computational mechanics, multi-scale modeling, atomistic simulations, optimization, high performance computing.
composition, solar wind, interstellar gas and dust.
Photo credits:
Page 24: Photo: Jupiterimages.com.
Cover: The Eagle Nebula as seen with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Image: courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale.
Page 25: Photo: Copyright © Boeing.
Page 3: Photo: Jupiterimages.com.
Page 30-31: Row of Wind Turbines. Photo: Don Klumpp/ Iconica/ Getty Images.
Page 6: The Wright Brothers first heavier-than-air flight on December 17, 1903. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 7: This look-down view of NASA’s SR-71A aircraft shows the Blackbird on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, with Rogers Dry Lake in the background. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 8: Astronauts Ed White and James McDivitt inside the Gemini IV Spacecraft. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 9: On June 3, 1965 Edward H. White II became the first American to step outside his spacecraft and let go, effectively setting himself adrift in the zero gravity of space. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 10-11: Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) in flight. Photo: Darrell Gulin/Riser/Getty Images. Page 14: Workers position the tail cone on the Space Shuttle
Discovery in preparation for its return to Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo: courtesy NASA Page 16: Photo: courtesy NASA.
Page 18-19: STS-96 Shuttle Mission Imagery. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 20: Technicians inspect the sub-scale X-48B Blended Wing Body concept demonstrator in the full-scale wind tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Photo courtesy: NASA.
Page 27: Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II in flight. Photo: courtesy Lockheed Martin.
Page 33: (lower right image) NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and university scientists from the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Alabama, are watching the Sun in an effort to better predict space weather - blasts of particles and magnetic fields from the Sun that impact the magnetosphere, the magnetic bubble around the Earth. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 36: Space shuttle launch, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo: Jupiterimages.com. Page 42: Space station orbiting around Earth. Photo: World Perspectives/Stock Image Collection/Jupiterimages. Page 49: A diversified mission of astronomy, commercial space research and International Space Station preparation gets under way as the Space Shuttle Columbia climbs into orbit from Launch Pad 39B at 2:55:47 p.m. EST, Nov. 19, 1996. Photo: courtesy NASA. Page 50: The F-22 Raptor in flight. Photo: Jupiterimages.com. Page 54-55: This wide-field image of the Eagle Nebula was taken at the National Science Foundation’s 0.9-meter telescope on Kitt Peak with the NOAO Mosaic CCD camera. Image: courtesy NASA / T.A.Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage, NRAO/AUI/NSF and NOAO/AURA and B.A.Wolpa.
Department of Aerospace Engineering The University of Michigan 3054 François-Xavier Bagnoud Building 1320 Beal Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2140 aerospace.engin.umich.edu
Graduate Program: Denise Phelps, Graduate Student Services Coordinator Phone: (734) 615-4406 or (734) 764-3311
[email protected] Undergraduate Program: Linda Weiss, Undergraduate Student Services Coordinator Phone: (734) 764-3310
[email protected]
Regents of the University Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor; Laurence B. Deitch, Bingham Farms; Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms; Olivia P. Maynard, Goodrich; Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor; Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park; S. Martin Taylor, Grosse Pointe Farms; Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor; Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio Nondiscrimination Policy Notice The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817. MMD 080568
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