So you want to be an
aerospace engineer..
Lakshmi Sankar
lsankar@ae.gatech.edu
404-894-3014
Daurette Joseph
daurette.joseph@ae.gatech.edu
404-385-1595
Some Useful Web Sites and
Contacts
• Our School: www.ae.gatech.edu
• This presentation: www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/FASET
• AE Academic Office:
– Phone: 404-894-3001
– Daurette Joseph daurette.joseph@ae.gatech.edu
• Academic Advisor, 404-385-1595
– Revonda Mullis rmullis@ae.gatech.edu
– Lakshmi Sankar lsankar@ae.gatech.edu
Overview
• What do aerospace engineers do?
• Where do they work?
• How much do they make? (I want a
Corvette when I grow up..)
• What are the classes will I take?
• Will I get to do research?
• Do you have a honors program?
• What are the Study Abroad Opportunities?
What do aerospace engineers do?
• We design, build, or analyze systems and
components.
– Aircraft, helicopters, engines, satellites, rockets,
unmanned vehicles, etc.
• We work in related areas.
– Automotive, power generation, bio-engineering, wind
energy, environmental engineering, etc.
• We serve mankind by making improvements to
the state of the art in aerospace vehicles
– Cheaper, quieter, faster, lighter, environmentally
friendly applications.
We make improvements to all the
Parts of an Airplane
• Low drag airfoils
• Quieter, fuel-efficient
propellers or jet engines
• Composites and
advanced aluminum
alloy materials that are
strong and light
• Fly by wire controls that
reduce pilot’s work load,
and lead to a safe and
enjoyable flight.
We make improvements to rockets
and space vehicles
• High energy, high
density fuels
• Computers and
software for guidance
and control of rockets
• Optimum trajectories
from earth to Mars
and other places, that
take the least amount
of energy or time.
We make improvements to engines
• Fans that produce a lot of
thrust, but require less power
• Compressors that increase the
pressure with the least amount
of power expenditure
• Turbines that extract the
maximum amount of energy
from the hot gases
• Nozzles that produce thrust,
without excessive noise
• Combustors that burn fuel
efficiently, without pollution
such as Carbon Monoxide or
Nitrous Oxide
Where do aerospace engineers work?
• Aircraft manufacturers (Lockheed, Boeing, Airbus, Cessna,
Gulfstream, and others)
• Engine Manufacturers (GE, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce,
Turbomeca, ..)
• Helicopter Manufacturers (Bell, Boeing, Sikorsky,
Robinson..)
• NASA Research Centers (Langley, Ames, Glenn, Johnson)
• Power Systems (GE, Pratt & Whitney, Regional Power
Companies)
• Airlines Industries (Delta, United, American, ..)
• Government Agencies and Labs (Air Force Labs, Navy labs,
DARPA, Department of Energy)
• Hundreds of small businesses and suppliers that cater to
the needs of the aerospace industries and the government.
How much do they make?
I want a Corvette..
• Experienced engineers
2001 Average Salary:
• Federal Government
$74,170
• Search and navigation
equipment $71,020
• Aircraft and parts $68,230
• Guided missiles, space
vehicles, and parts
$65,830
• Average starting salary in
2001:
• bachelor's degree
candidates in aerospace
engineering received
starting offers averaging
$46,918 a year
• master's degree
candidates were offered
$59,955
• Ph.D. candidates were
offered $64,167.
What are the courses like?
• 132 semester hours (four years)
• Plenty of opportunities for internship and co-op
work.
• A combination of technical courses (Math,
Physics, sciences, computer science, EE,
materials engineering), humanities and social
sciences (English, History, languages), and
advanced AE courses.
• Please see our web site for more details:
www.ae.gatech.edu/undergraduate
Do I get to do research?
• Research is an essential part of being an
engineer.
• As engineers, we are constantly searching for
ways to do things better, cheaper, more
efficiently, and with less impact on the
environment.
• We have plenty of opportunities in our program
(10 hours of electives) you may use to satisfy
your creative urges.
• Here are some examples..
Design, build, and fly your own
airplane..
• Our students compete
nationally against other
universities.
• They design, build, and
fly a vehicle that will meet
the specifications.
• They develop team skills,
oral and written
communication skills, and
a strong work ethic.
Fly on the Vomit Comet..
• Design experiments
to study how gravity
affects materials, fire,
manufacturing
processes, or human
tissues.
• Test your experiment
on a specially
equipped airplane.
• Try not to P..ke
Work on Dual Use Applications
• Design of Variable Pitch
Composite Spoiler
– X-29 elastically tailored
composite wings
l
l
Applied to Formula I
race cars
Design Engineer LMACo
Work on Space Based Economy
Self-sustaining Economy
Support/Service Economy
Space Habitats
Lunar Manufacturing
Lunar Mining
Lunar Power
Lunar Launcher
Lunar Resources
GEO Station
Maintenance
Com-sats
Space Station
Research
Orbit transfer vehicles
Robotics
Fuel
Exploration
Earth Launch
Military
Repair
Sensing
GPS
AE Honors Program
• This program was implemented in the Fall
of 2002.
• Goal
– provide AE undergraduates who have an interest
in graduate studies and research with
opportunities that will prepare them to excel
academically and in research.
• Outcomes
– research experience
– chance to explore specialties
– joint B.S./M.S. AE program
Student Benefits
• Automatically admitted to AE MS program
after completion of BS
– streamlined application, no GRE requirement
• Count up to 6 hours of appropriate courses
to both BS and MS degrees
– able to complete MS degree 9-12 months after
finishing BS degree
• 3 semesters of UG research experience
• Preference for Undergraduate AE
Research Fellowships
Eligibility
• Participation is by invitation.
• Invitation is Issued after the stduent
has completed 48 credit hours (with
<30 transfer hours)
• The student is expected to maintain a
GPA of 3.5 or above.
Requirements
• Research Courses
– Honors program candidates complete 3
semesters of undergraduate research (4698
or 4699)
• Presentations
– deliver at least one presentation on research
work before completing BS
– at national conference, student conference,
or seminar (AE Brown Bag Lunch series)
Advising
• Research Supervisor
– student chooses faculty research supervisor
(with mutual consent of faculty member)
– able to change research supervisor during
program
• Academic Advisor
– participants can be reassigned to academic
advisor in student’s area of research interest
(e.g., research supervisor)
International/Study Abroad Options
• The evolution of technology (e.g. high-speed aircraft) is
bringing the world to our footsteps.
• Tomorrow’s aerospace endeavors will require
collaboration among nations, and international business
partners.
• US citizens should be trained to meet the changing
global environment.
• They should be aware of international trade/business
practices, corporate laws and regulations, and
environmental issues.
• Fluency in a foreign language is a business requirement,
not a luxury.
• We offer a variety of study abroad programs.
• Beginning in the fall of 2005, we plan to offer a new
BSAE (International Option) program.
Elements of the
Bachelor of Science
(International Option) Program
http://www.oie.gatech.edu/internationalplan.html
• Two or more years of college level study in a foreign
language.
• Three or more courses in a global or comparative
international studies (e.g. economics, law, politics).
• Two or more terms of residential foreign experience, of
which one must be a full term experience (15 weeks).
• The second term may involve study, internship, or work.
• Capstone design experience (or a senior elective) must
incorporate issues relevant to the discipline, from an
international perspective.
• Student receives an international designation on the
transcript and diploma.
AE Program Elective Hours Easily
Meet These Requirements
• 6 hours of humanities may be used to take
language courses
• 6 hours of social science electives
• 3 hours of science electives
• 10 hours of free electives.
• These 25 hours make up approximately
20% of our total program hours (132).
FIRST YEAR - FALL
HRS
FIRST YEAR - SPRING
HRS
MATH 1501 CALCULUS I
4
MATH 1502 CALCULUS II
4
ENGL 1101 ENGLISH
COMPOSITION I
3
ENGL 1102 ENGLISH
COMPOSITION II
3
CHEM 1310 GENERAL
CHEMISTRY
4
PHYS 2211 INTRODUCTORY
PHYSICS I
4
CS 1371 COMPUTING FOR
ENGINEERS
3
Language II
3
Language I
3
AE 1350 INTRODUCTION TO AE
2
17
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
16
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
SECOND YEAR - FALL
HRS
SECOND YEAR - SPRING
HRS
MATH 2401 CALCULUS III
4
HIST 2111 or 2112 or POL 1101 or
PUBP 3000 or INTA 1200
3
PHYS 2212 INTRODUCTORY
PHYSICS II
4
AE 2220 DYNAMICS
3
AE 2120 INTRODUCTION TO
MECHANICS
3
Language IV
3
Language III
3
AE 3450: Thermo & 1 -D flow
3
Wellness
2
AE 2020: Low Speed Aero
3
3
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
17
AE 3120: Intro to Structural Analysis
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
17
Third Year Option #1
THIRD YEAR - SPRING (Abroad)
THIRD YEAR - FALL (Abroad)
HRS
HRS
Summer
Math 2403: differential Equations
4
Science Elective
3
AE 3310
Technical Communications
2
ECE 3741 INSTRUM &
ELECTRONICS LAB
1
AE 3515
International economics/Business
3
Social Science (International
topic)
3
AE 3021
ECE 3710 CIRCUITS &
ELECTRONICS
2
SOCIAL SCIENCE ELECTIVE(S)
3
CE
1770
11
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
10
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
•
13
Option #2 is to work in an international setting (internship), and complete the third
year fall classes during the previous summer.
FOURTH YEAR - FALL
HRS
FOURTH YEAR - SPRING
HRS
AE 3122 AEROSPACE
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
3
AE 4220 AEROELASTICITY
3
AE 4350 DESIGN PROJECT I or
4356 SPACE SYSTEMS DESIGN
PROJECT I
3
AE 4351 DESIGN PROJECT II or AE
4357 SPACE SYSTEMS DESIGN
PROJECT II
3
AE 3051: Fluids Lab
2
AE 3145 STRUCTURES LAB
1
3
MSE 2001
3
AE 4525 CONTROL SYSTEMS
DESIGN LAB
2
4
Free electives
4
AE 4451 JET & ROCKET
PROPULSION
AE 3521: Flight Dynamics
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
16
TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS =
15
Attributes of a Successful
Aerospace Engineer
• Do you enjoy math and science?
Do you have an inquisitive and searching mind?
Are you interested in knowing what makes things
work?
Do you like to solve problems and puzzles?
Do you like to create things?
Do you enjoy learning?
Do you enjoy working with computers?
Do you like to build things?
Are you prepared to study hard and do homework?
Do you achieve good grades?
Concluding Remarks
• Aerospace engineering is an interesting field.
• You will never have a dull day in your life.
• It does take a lot of hard work and dedication to be
successful.
• We offer
– Faculty advising/mentorship
– Undergraduate Research and Design/Build/Fly Opportunities
that fit into your 132 hour curriculum
– Study Abroad and BSAE (International Option) Opportunities
– Co-Op and Internship Opportunities
– A honors program leading to a fast-track BS/ME dual-degree
• We hope you will consider our program, when the time
comes to selecting a college and a major.
Contact Information
• Admissions:
– http://www.admission.gatech.edu/
• School of AE:
– www.ae.gatech.edu/undergraduate
• Research
– NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Program
http://www.ae.gatech.edu/research/windtunnel/aclev/aclhome.ht
ml
Acoustic control of fluid in microgravity
http://www.ae.gatech.edu/~gravity/
Aerial Robotics competition http://controls.ae.gatech.edu/gtar/
Space System Design and student design competitions:
http://www.ssdl.gatech.edu/
Aerospace System Design Lab student design competitions:
http://www.asdl.gatech.edu/