UMD Pilot Mentoring Program Featured in U.S. Air Force News

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Colin Vandercreek, a University of Maryland student, works in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex White Oak Student Lab developing non-intrusive diagnostics for use in the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9. (Coutesy photo)

The University of Maryland (UMD) teamed up with the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Department of Defense's (DOD) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) to provide funding, instruction and testing for young engineers as part of a pilot mentoring program at Arnold Engineering Development Complex's (AEDC) Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel, White Oak, Md.

The program, the Hypersonic Center of Testing Excellence (HCoTE), was featured in an Arnold Air Force Base's news story, "Pilot mentoring program propels the future of hypersonics and young engineers." Began in 2011, it is the first program of its kind aimed at preparing future engineers to work in the area of hypersonic testing and evaluation. Students in the program also conduct basic and applied research for the U.S. Air Force, DOD and the hypersonic test and evaluation communities.

According to the story, "six Tunnel 9 personnel are currently mentoring nine graduate students and nine undergraduate students in the program from UMD. Students are involved in research activities related to unsteady shocks, turbulence characterization, simulation, modeling and validation. The students' work in diagnostics include temperature sensitive paint and focused and background-oriented Schlieren."

Department of Aerospace Engineering Professor Mark Lewis, who is also the Science and Technology Policy Institute director, was one of the HCoTE programs co-founders. Currently Department of Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Ken Yu and Department of Mechanical Engineering Distinguished University Professor Ashwani Gupta run UMD's arm of the program.

Published April 26, 2014