Unit Self Study: Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, College of Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle

Summary

This document is the 10-year Unit Self Study and Academic Program Review (2011-2012) for the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics at the University of Washington, Seattle. It outlines the department’s mission, organizational structure, degree and certificate programs, faculty staffing, budget, and instructional effectiveness. It also provides detailed appendices covering organizational charts, financial summaries, faculty CVs, alumni achievements, curriculum changes, state aerospace workforce reports, and the department’s strategic plan.

Cover Page

Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics UNIT SELF STUDY DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE

Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (BSAAE) Master of Science in Aeronautics & Astronautics (MSAA) Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Master of Aerospace Engineering - Composite Materials & Structures (MAE-CMS)

Certificates: “Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design” “Modern Aircraft Structures”

Year of Last Review: 2001 Chair: James C. Hermanson, Ph.D. Date Submitted: November 23, 2011

Table of Contents - Part A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: REQUIRED BACKGROUND INFORMATION

SECTION I: OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION Mission and Organizational Structure… 1

Department Mission … 1
Department Degrees and Certificates … 1
Enrollment and Graduate Patterns … 2
Academic and Non-Academic Staffing … 3
Governance… 5 Budget and Resources … 5
Departmental Budget Summary … 5
Funding Acquisition Strategies … 5
Best Use of Funding and Resources … 6

SECTION II: TEACHING & LEARNING Student Learning Goals & Outcomes … 7

Evaluation and Assessment of Student Learning and Satisfaction … 8
Evaluation and Assessment Findings … 9
Improvements… 10
Non-Major Undergraduate Learning … 10 Instructional Effectiveness … 11
Methods to Evaluate Instruction Quality … 11
Teaching Training… 11
Instructional Changes Due to Evaluation … 11 Teaching & Mentoring Outside Classroom … 12
Faculty Involvement in Learning Outside the Classroom … 12
Recruitment … 12
Student Academic Support &Progress … 13

SECTION III: SCHOLARLY IMPACT Introduction and Overview … 14 Contributions from the Discipline Groups … 15 Faculty Mentoring and Diversification … 18

SECTION IV: FUTURE DIRECTIONS Where the Unit Is Headed … 18 Goals and Opportunities … 19 How We Will Reach our Goals… 21 Benefits of Realizing Our Goals … 23

Table of Contents - Parts B & C

PART B: UNIT-DEFINED QUESTIONS

How Our Programs are Positioned for Changing Needs … 24
Fulfilling our Mission with Decreased Funding … 26

PART C: APPENDICES Appendix A: Organization Chart … A-1 Appendix B: Budget Summary … B-1 Appendix C: Faculty Information … C-1 Appendix D: HEC Board Summary … D-1 Appendix E: Enrollment and Graduation Patterns … E-1 Appendix F: Visiting Committee … F-1 Appendix G: Peer Evaluation Process … G-1 Appendix H: Alumni Achievements and Awards … H-1 Appendix I: Course Changes 2001-2011 … I-1 Appendix J: Washington Council on Aerospace … J-1 Appendix K: Strategic Plan … K-1

Part A, Section I: Overview of Organization - Mission & Degrees

Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics Academic Program Review 2011-12

PART A

SECTION I: OVERVIEW OF ORGANIZATION

Mission & Organizational Structure Department Mission The mission of the Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics (A&A) at the University of Washington (UW) is to serve the region, the State of Washington, the nation, the profession, and society at large by attaining, and sustaining, the following goals:

To educate engineers for a lifetime of continuous learning and for contributions to all areas of aerospace engineering;
To provide a challenging and comprehensive education which develops necessary technical and professional skills, provides a solid foundation in the engineering sciences related to aerospace engineering, and develops engineering creativity through design experience and through research;
To expand knowledge by pursuing basic and applied research, by addressing critical technical problems related to aerospace engineering, and by devising innovative ways to develop and apply new technologies;
To contribute knowledge to, and participate in, the identification and solution of problems facing society; and
To work with local, national, and international aerospace and other industries to conduct joint research that advances the applications of new technologies and impacts engineering practice.

Department Degrees and Certificates The A&A Department currently offers one undergraduate degree, three graduate degrees, and two graduate certificate programs. The Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (BSAAE) degree goes back to the founding of the department in 1929. The department was originally named the Department of Aeronautical Engineering; “Astronautics” was added in 1962. The first Master’s degree program was initiated in 1946. Two Master of Science degrees are currently offered: the Master of Science in Aeronautics & Astronautics (MSAA) and the Master of Aerospace Engineering (MAE). The MSAA is primarily a continuing degree with two tracks, a research thesis or all coursework. The MAE is a terminal degree with an emphasis on industrial aerospace engineering practice, including skills vital in the aerospace engineering industry, such as business, management, manufacturing, and communication. The MAE degree has a variant with a specific emphasis on Composite Materials and Structures (designated MAE-CMS). Similar in overall structure and purpose to the MAE degree, the MAE-CMS is a practice-oriented, multidisciplinary master’s degree program for recent graduates and engineering professionals who wish to expand their knowledge or broaden their skills specifically in the emerging field of composite materials. The PhD program, established in 1959, is characterized by the comprehensive dissertation research expected and required in an aerospace engineering department at a major research university.

The two graduate certificate programs currently available are “Aircraft Composite Structural Analysis and Design” and “Modern Aircraft Structures.” These programs are offered through UW Professional and Continuing Education (PCE), with additional sponsorship from Boeing Learning, Training and Development, Engineering Operations Group (LTDE). The highly popular certificate in Aircraft Composite Structural Design and Analysis is intended to provide Boeing engineers and vendors state-of-the-art training in the design of composite structures. The certificate consists of three courses in mechanics, analytical methods and design case studies, covering a broad spectrum of theoretical and practical developments in the field. The certificate program in Modern Aircraft Structures covers theoretical and practical developments in the field through courses in design and analysis, finite element methods, fatigue and fracture; the program also includes design and analysis projects. Certificate program courses are taught in classrooms at Boeing facilities by UW faculty, Boeing subject matter experts, and leading professionals from the FAA. Since its inception in 2005, these programs have graduated over 200 students from Boeing and its partners.

The undergraduate program is conducted entirely on campus, with the exception of internships, co-ops, and similar projects and activities. The master’s programs may be taken on campus or off-campus. The latter is made possible by offering all graduate courses via distance learning through PCE, which provides multimedia and class-capture services. This flexible solution for working professionals allows students to continue their education on their own terms using online video-based classes. The quality of education these students receive is identical to that which the on-campus students receive.

Part A, Section I: Enrollment, Graduation Patterns, and Staffing

Enrollment and Graduation Patterns Enrollment during the 1980s was at capacity levels for that time, with 120-140 undergraduates and 120-140 graduate students, with many qualified students turned away. Those levels dropped considerably by the mid-1990s, as a result of the recession the aerospace industry experienced at the end of the cold war. Enrollment in the undergraduate program began to recover in the late 1990s, and enrollment in the graduate programs stabilized in 2000, with significant growth in recent years. Enrollment and graduation statistics over the past ten years for each of the programs in A&A are presented in Appendix E (figure numbers cited below refer to that Appendix).

The undergraduate population was roughly constant between 2000 and 2007 (Fig. E-1). Since 2008 enrollment has steadily increased, and in 2011 it is now approximately 29% higher than the 2000-2007 average. Historically, the BSAAE degree program has been an upper-division only (i.e., junior and senior) program. Beginning in the late 1990s, the department began a process of inviting high-achieving, lower-division students to join the department at the start of their sophomore year as Early Admission students. The number of Early Admits entering the department increased significantly in 2006, as seen in Fig. E-2, but has been roughly constant since that time. Currently, about 25% of students in the junior class were originally admitted through the Early Admission process. Some increase in undergraduate enrollment is due to an experimental admission process, called Advanced Admission, which was initiated by the College of Engineering in 2008 but discontinued in 2011. This process allowed selected students to enter an engineering program of their choice at the end of their freshman year. Further, 2011 is the first year of Direct Freshman Admissions in our department, a process which admits a limited number of freshmen to the department at the start of their freshman year. These various admission data are summarized in Fig. E-2.

The graduate program in the A&A department has significantly increased in size over the past ten years, from 76 students in 2000-2001 to 131 in 2010-2011, as can be seen in Fig. E-3. That number jumped to 150 in Autumn 2011. The master’s programs have grown from an enrollment of 47 in 2000 to 107 in 2011. Much of this growth is due to the large increase in participation in the distance-learning program, which grew from 11% to 23% of graduate enrollment between 2001 and 2005, and currently comprises 35% of all graduate enrollment in the program. The number of PhD students in the department averaged 35 between 2004 and 2010, but increased to 47 in autumn 2011. Figures E-5 and E-6 provide additional data on graduate admissions and graduations during the 2001-2011 period.

The fraction of underrepresented minorities (URM) in the A&A undergraduate program, shown in Fig. E-4, fluctuated between 3% and 8% between 2002 and 2007, but decreased beginning in 2008, possibly due to the unfavorable state and national economic conditions. Currently, URM enrollment comprises 4% of the undergraduate enrollment. The enrollment of women increased steadily beginning in the 1990s, and grew to represent about 23% of the undergraduate program in 2004 and 2005. However, it has declined during the past six years, and the current level is only 12%, for reasons that are unknown. Underrepresented minorities in the graduate program have increased from 1% in 2001 to 10% in 2011, as can be seen in Fig. E-7. The number of women in the graduate program increased from 13% to 16% over the same period.

Academic and Non-academic Staffing The A&A Department is staffed by a faculty of 16 FTE faculty positions, one of which is vacant due to a resignation in August, 2010. Details about the faculty, including brief CVs, are found in Appendix C. The current breakdown by rank is as follows: 10 Professors: Breidenthal, Bruckner, Hermanson (Chair), Holsapple, Jarboe, Kurosaka, Livne, Lin, Mesbahi, Shumlak 2 Associate Professors: Dabiri, Morgansen 3 Assistant Professors: Feraboli, Ferrante, You

The department has two non-tenure-track faculty (Milroy, Research Professor; Slough, Research Associate Professor). These appointments are without teaching duties. The department currently has nine emeritus faculty (of whom three are active in research), three adjunct faculty (one each from Earth and Space Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Oceanography), and twenty affiliate faculty from industry or other universities and organizations. Several of our faculty have adjunct appointments: Mechanical Engineering (Dabiri, Hermanson), Electrical Engineering (Morgansen), Mathematics (Mesbahi), and Physics (Jarboe). Among the faculty are three AIAA Fellows (Bruckner, Christiansen*, Russell*), two ASME Fellows (Hermanson, Kurosaka), two APS Fellows (Jarboe, Russell*), and one Fulbright Senior Research Fellow (Decher*).

The organization of the A&A Department faculty broadly reflects the fields of aeronautics and astronautics, also known as aerospace engineering, which is concerned with the design, analysis, construction, and integration of vehicles for atmospheric and space flight, such as airplanes and spacecraft. A broad spectrum of engineering sciences underlies the field, such as aerodynamics, structural mechanics, propulsion, controls, flight mechanics, space dynamics, and plasma physics. In recent years, multidisciplinary systems analysis and integration have become increasingly important aspects of the field.

The faculty are broadly organized into four disciplines: Controls (Mesbahi, Morgansen), Fluids and Propulsion (Breidenthal, Bruckner, Dabiri, Ferrante, Hermanson, Kurosaka), Plasma (Jarboe, Shumlak, You), and Structures (Feraboli, Holsapple, Lin, Livne).

The department is directly supported by an administrative staff of 16, broadly grouped into administrative, academic advising, fiscal, technical support, computing, and Wind Tunnel.** The department chair is directly supported by a chair’s assistant and the department administrator, to whom three fiscal staff report. The undergraduate and graduate programs each have dedicated advisors. In addition, the expanding distance-learning graduate program is assisted by a half-time program coordinator. Technical support for the department’s education and research functions is provided by one mechanical engineer, one electronics engineer, two instrument maker/machinists, and two computer specialists. The Wind Tunnel is served by a manager who is in turn supported by a research engineer. Additional technical staff (research scientist/engineers and technicians) are employed directly by various researchers and programs in the department. Please refer to the complete organization chart provided in Appendix A.

Emeritus faculty. ** Known as the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL).

Part A, Section I: Governance, Budget & Resources

Governance Governance is centered on the faculty, led by the chair. Faculty decisions are generally made by vote or consensus. Administrative and policy decisions are made by the chair in consultation with faculty and staff.

The department is also guided by a Visiting Committee that consists of 16 national aerospace experts from leading academic (5), industrial (8), and government and other institutions (3). Although budget constraints have limited its activities, we plan to reconvene this Committee in 2012. A list of committee members is attached as Appendix F.

Budget & Resources Departmental Budget Summary Total expenditures for A&A in FY2011 were $12.3 mi l l i o n, r o ug h l y tw i ce t h e am o u n t e x p e n d e d in 1999 - 2000. T h e d e p a r t m e n t ha s b ee n s u ccess f u l in co n t in u o u s l y b r in g in g in r ese a r c h f u n d in g an dd e v e l o p in g i t s d i s t an ce - l e a r nin g p r o g r am s, an d ha s b ee n f or t u na t e w i t hi t s a l u mni d o n or s . D i s t an ce l e a r nin g, pl u scer t i f i c a t e p r o g r am s n o t e n v i s i o n e d a tt h e t im eo f t h e l a s t r e v i e w, g r e w f r o ma p r o j ec t e d n e t cos tt o t o t a l p os i t i v e p r o g r am r e v e n u eo f$ 684,344 in the 2010-2011 biennium. Research expenditures per year have doubled in the past ten years ( $3.9 mi l l i o nin 2000 t o$ 7.6 million in 2011). The Boeing Endowed Professorship, unassigned since 2005, has accumulated $365, 000 in o p er a t in g f u n d s, w hi c h w i l l l ik e l y b e u se d t o w a r d s t a r t - u p f u n d in g f or a pl ann e d n e w f a c u l t y hi r e . T h e B oe in g E n d o w e d F e l l o w s hi p (c u r r e n tl y e n d o w e d w i t h$ 635,000) provides a full graduate fellowship, crucial for competitive student recruiting. In addition to funding four undergraduate scholarships, the Reynolds Endowment has supported expansion of the Airplane Design capstone course series with funding which peaked at $30,000 in 2010, transforming the course into a nationally-acclaimed program.

Together, the sources identified above have allowed the unit to maintain its operating posture, and even to expand in some areas, in spite of local effects of the reverses in the national and state economies of the last four years. State allocations to the department, which grew slowly following the last review, have in the past two years dropped by nearly 15% and are poised to fall further in 2012. Endowment distributions were reduced 25% in FY09 and 25% again in FY10, restricting scholarships and operations. Additionally, the distribution of indirect cost returns to the A&A Department was changed by the College of Engineering in 2007, resulting in a permanent decrease in operating funds of approximately $100,000/year.

In response to these fiscal challenges, we removed 9.3 FTE of staff positions from our General Operating Fund (GOF) budget: staff salaries that remain on that state budget today are at 62% of the 2000 level. Several positions (7.25 FTE) are now supported by other department resources or self-sustaining budgets. The GOF budget allocation for Teaching Assistant (TA) support was reduced from $414 K in t h e 2003 - 05 bi e nni u m (e a r l i es t d a t an o w a v ai l ab l e) t o$ 50K in the current biennium. The reduced cadre of TAs (currently approximately 10/quarter) costs at present $361, 912 p er bi e nni u m w i t h o u tt u i t i o n (i . e ., w h e n p ai d o n t h e GO F b u d g e tw i t ha tt e n d an tt u i t i o n w ai v er s) . T o f r ee GO F f u n d s t o p r o v i d e t hi s l e v e l o f t e a c hin g s u pp or t, f a c u l t y s a l a r y i s t r an s f er r e d t o t h e d e p a r t m e n t a l r e v e n u e b u d g e tw hi c h r ece i v es t h e d i s t an ce l e a r nin g p r o g r am p r o f i t s . A na dd i t i o na l$ 221,000 in funding for auxiliary instructors will be required for the current biennium to teach courses for which the faculty line is presently vacant or which do not have a tenure-track faculty assigned. As the GOF budget lacks any allocation for such functions as lab and computer upgrades, graduate recruiting, seminars, capstone courses, staff training, and more, these activities are now restricted. Funding for these items is covered by 75% of the income of the Weiberg endowment, which also covers mundane requirements such as office supplies and services. A regular seminar series was discontinued in 2008 due to costs; occasional special seminars or speakers are now supported by the Abraham Hertzberg endowment. Certain courses have been rescheduled to be offered in alternate years, or are not offered, for financial reasons. Although these strategies have allowed us, for the most part, to protect the quality and scope of our programs, they absorb resources that would otherwise have supported new faculty hires, teaching and research initiatives, support for students in the form of teaching assistantships, and upgrades of facilities. Please refer to the budget summary in Appendix B.

Funding Acquisition Strategies Approaches to increasing the level of funding are identified in the A&A Department Strategic Plan of 2009. Specific items contained in that plan include increasing the annual number of proposals for MURIs, IGERTs, and center grants and establishing a “red team” within the department to review proposals to increase their chances of success. The plan also calls for increasing the prospects of external funding by increasing the number of cross-university collaborative efforts by establishing research centers that attract the participation of faculty from outside the department. The plan also includes the goal of establishing ongoing working relationships with NSF, DOD and other government research agency program management.

The A&A Department is also seeking to increase the level of industrial funding by establishing long-term, strategic partnerships with local and national aerospace companies. The department is also exploring the possibility of an industry-sponsored department naming, which would be expected to result in significant additional resources. Finally, the department will continue to work closely with the Advancement Office in the College of Engineering to secure additional gifts from department alumni and other key potential donors.

Best Use of Funding and Resources The effectiveness of the department’s use of its resources is assessed by the department chair with advice and inputs from the faculty and the administrative, advising, and technical staff in the department. Priorities in the use of resources are evaluated to ensure that they are in line with the department’s strategic plan, with inputs from the Strategic Planning Committee (previously the department had a Budget Committee to perform this function). Based on the strategic plan, available funding, and advice from the various constituents in the department, the chair makes the final budgetary and human resources decisions.

Part A, Section II: Teaching & Learning - Student Learning Goals & Outcomes

SECTION II: TEACHING & LEARNING

A description of our ABET-accredited undergraduate BSAAE degree can be found on our website: http://www.aa.washington.edu/admissions/undergrad.html and the undergraduate curriculum is available at http://www.washington.edu/students/crscat/aa.html (the UW course catalog). Historically, most students have entered the program in their junior year, to facilitate transfers from the state’s community colleges and to ensure students successfully complete prerequisites prior to matriculation. However, shortly before our previous academic program review in 2000-2001 the department developed an early admission program, whereby highly qualified students are accepted as sophomores. In addition, beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year, a small number (~10% of junior enrollment) of exceptionally qualified high school graduates began to be admitted directly as freshmen.

A description of all of our graduate degree programs can be found on our website, http://www.aa.washington.edu/admissions/grad.html, and details of the graduate curriculum are in the UW course catalog: http://www.washington.edu/students/crscat/aa.html.

Student Learning Goals and Outcomes The goals and objectives of the undergraduate program are to provide a challenging and comprehensive education, a solid foundation in the engineering sciences related to aerospace engineering, and a strong systems perspective; to develop engineering creativity through design experience and the necessary functional skills and understanding of the societal context in which engineering is practiced; and to prepare graduates to succeed in engineering careers and to instill lifelong learning. The expected outcomes for graduates are that they will be skilled in engineering fundamentals, engineering design, laboratory skills, synthesis of various engineering disciplines, and working in a team environment. Graduates are expected to be highly regarded by employers in aeronautics, astronautics, energy systems, and related fields. They will develop strong interpersonal skills and a desire for life-long learning that will help them succeed in their chosen careers. Graduates will be valued at local, national, and international industries, as well as at government organizations and institutions of higher learning.

The goals and outcomes for our graduate students build on those for our undergraduates, with the additional expectation that their specific graduate degrees will give them a more in-depth and advanced academic view of the concepts of aeronautical and astronautical engineering, and, for MSAA degrees with theses, a significant research component. PhD graduates conduct in-depth scientific research leading to substantial and original research contributions. The outcomes of each specific graduate degree program are: • MAE graduates will emerge from the program with the practical engineering skills needed in industry and the essential project management skills to advance professionally. • MAE-CMS graduates will have gained the practical engineering and project management skills necessary to become leaders in the growing field of composite materials, as applied to the commercial airline industry. • MSAA graduates will have in-depth knowledge in their specific area of interest and will be able to pursue advanced degrees, or careers in industry, government, or the engineering sciences. • PhD graduates will be able to pursue leadership roles in academia, industry, and at top engineering research institutions.

Part A, Section II: Evaluation, Assessment, and Instructional Effectiveness

Evaluation and Assessment of Student Learning and Satisfaction The undergraduate and graduate programs use a variety of similar methods to evaluate student learning (see Table 1 below). On a quarterly basis, the grades of each student are assessed and compared with course averages, while noting trends, variances, and consistencies from year to year and in comparison with other courses in the department. Other methods of evaluating graduate student learning in the department include tracking awards and external recognition, publications, conference presentations, and progress in taking milestone exams (for PhD students). In undergraduate classes, a variety of methods are used in the classroom to assess learning on an ongoing basis such as weekly pop quizzes, individual student-instructor and student-TA conferences, etc. The table below notes some of the primary methods that are used to assess student learning in each specific degree.

In addition to the above, the overall student learning and integration of skills at the end of their undergraduate program are assessed as part of their participation in either of the two required capstone senior design projects (one in Aircraft Design, the other in Space Systems).

Table 1. Methods of evaluation of student learning

Degree	Course evals	CIDR* feedback & evals	Exams**	Course grades	Publications	Conference presentations	Awards & external recognition	Entrance & exit interviews & surveys
BSAAE	✔	✔	✔	✔			✔	✔
MAE	✔		✔	✔			✔
MAE-CMS	✔		✔	✔			✔
MSAA	✔		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
PhD	✔		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
*Center for Instructional Development and Research
**For PhD candidates, exams include qualifying and general exams, and defense of dissertation.

All faculty undergo periodic reviews of their teaching performance by a committee of senior faculty in the department. These reviews are conducted annually for assistant professors, every second year for associate professors, and every three years for full professors. Further information on the peer-evaluation process is provided in Appendix G.

Student satisfaction with the undergraduate program is assessed by a variety of methods, both formal and informal. Juniors and seniors are surveyed at the end of each academic year with a Catalyst survey that interrogates their level of satisfaction with the program. CIDR also conducts an in-class review of the program in the spring for both the juniors and the seniors that addresses satisfaction with the program in areas such as academic standards, adequacy of training and facilities, quality of the faculty and mentoring, career preparation, etc. Other methods of assessment include the informal communication between students and faculty, with the staff adviser, and by surveys at different times during the undergraduate program and after graduation. The department also surveys its alumni four years after they have graduated, to assess how well the program is serving their career goals. Underrepresented minority (URM) students are surveyed by the same process as all other students.

The Graduate School requires that students complete an exit questionnaire upon graduation from the University. In the questionnaire, students are asked to rank their satisfaction with the program in the same areas as the undergraduate program survey, with an additional emphasis on research capabilities. Those data are presented in Appendix E. The A&A Department uses the collected data to assess the satisfaction of our students relative to both the College and the University as a whole. Other methods used to evaluate student satisfaction with the department include one-on-one communication with students by faculty and staff advisors, an informal survey of the A&A graduate student association and Graduate & Professional Student Senate representatives, and feedback from alumni, with whom relationships are nurtured by the department. As with the undergraduate program, URM student satisfaction is not assessed any differently from other graduate students, but efforts are made while they are in the program to ensure that they find support through campus organizations (such as WISE, SWE, and GOMAP)* to enhance their experience in the department.

Evaluation and Assessment Findings Students report that they are typically pleased with their undergraduate program in the A&A Department. However, there have been some comments about the undergraduate lab classes being too intense and lengthy, particularly with respect to the lab report requirements. Although in alumni surveys there are sometimes comments on how the lab reports were dreaded, most alumni, particularly those involved in experimental or testing work, have stated they were much better prepared than their peers from other institutions and were thankful that they had had the experience. As has been the case for many years, more hands-on experience continues to be desired; however, due to budget constraints, it may be difficult to implement additional hands-on activities in our undergraduate courses. Surveys indicated that some students felt that some two-quarter courses cover materials that could be covered in one quarter. The undergraduate curriculum is being reviewed this year, and some restructuring is expected to take place. Overall, the undergraduates find that they are much more prepared for the workforce than most of their peers.

As shown in Appendix E, the graduate students in our department are quite satisfied with the quality of our program, particularly at the master’s level, where in the last several years our department’s ratings have exceeded those of both the College and the UW as a whole. The areas which PhD students give the lowest marks are in preparation for teaching and career mentoring. In all cases, students are pleased with our academic program as based on an average overall ranking of the quality of the program over the last ten years of 4.0/5 by master’s students and 4.05/5 by doctoral students.

On an anecdotal level, we hear often from our alumni (undergraduate and graduate), many of whom have been very successful professionally (see Appendix H). These former students tell us that with the perspective gained from being in the workforce, they highly value the education they received here and have put many of the lessons learned in our department to practical use on their jobs.

Improvements The findings gleaned from our surveys of undergraduate students and alumni have led to a variety of curricular changes in our undergraduate program, which are listed in Appendix I. Further, as mentioned above, the undergraduate program is undergoing review this year and some restructuring is expected.

The outcomes of the graduate program assessments mentioned above have led to an almost complete revamping of the graduate curriculum over the last five years (see Appendix I: Course Changes). Many of these changes resulted in course content that was more comprehensive and state-of-the-art to prepare students for research and work in industry. Issues relative to teaching and career mentoring mentioned above are being addressed in new programs for teaching, mentoring and evaluation, including more opportunities for PhD students to serve as course instructors. Another outcome was the creation and funding of A&A graduate student organizations, such as the Graduate Student Social Committee and the A&A Graduate Student Organization (both UW-registered groups). These groups plan events to encourage graduate/faculty mentoring and camaraderie (such as a brown bag lunchtime seminar series, wine and cheese receptions, picnics, hikes, etc.). The events, attended by graduates, faculty and staff, have resulted in greater collegiality among these groups.

Non-major Undergraduate Learning A&A majors are not our only constituents. The department offers two Engineering Fundamentals courses, AA 210, Statics (offered Autumn, Winter, and Summer), and AA 260, Thermodynamics,* (offered Spring and Summer). The topic of Statics is required by all but four departments in the College of Engineering, and Thermodynamics is required by A&A and is an option for two other departments, MSE† and ISE†. These courses are typically taken by A&A applicants in their sophomore year, but non-A&A majors may take them later to meet their departments’ graduation or electives requirements. The learning goals in these courses are the same for all students, regardless of intended majors. Undergraduates from other departments (predominantly engineering) also participate in a number of the department’s graduate courses (e.g., AA 547, AA 570, as well as doing undergraduate research as AA299/AA499).

WISE: Women in Science and Engineering; SWE: Society of Women Engineers, GOMAP: Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program
The department took over this course from Chemical Engineering in 2010, when that department dropped it and replaced it with one more attuned to its field, as well as to Bioengineering and Biology. † MSE: Material Science and Engineering; ISE: Industrial and Systems Engineering

Part A, Section II: Instructional Effectiveness, Training, and Mentoring

Instructional Effectiveness Methods to Evaluate Instruction Quality Each quarter, students also complete comprehensive institutional course evaluations for each course. Faculty receive this anonymous feedback and use the results to assess the effectiveness of their teaching methods relative to learning goals. The UW Center for Instructional Development and Research (CIDR) as well as the Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT) provide additional resources that A&A faculty use to evaluate the teaching and learning in their classroom, including course syllabus and assignment design, classroom observation and critique, etc. Further, the A&A Department has developed a self-evaluation form for instructors to evaluate their own courses. This process not only allows them to reflect on how well the class went, but how they could improve it the next time they teach it. The process also helps other instructors to determine what material was covered, should they be teaching a subsequent offering of the course, and helps in planning. Each undergraduate course is required to have a course evaluation from the Educational Assessment Center. Further, staff from CIDR or CELT are invited each year to interview the junior and senior classes to assess the quality of instruction. The results of the faculty peer evaluations of teaching, growth in course enrollment/popularity of classes, and interdisciplinary enrollment in courses are also considered.

Training in Teaching Graduate students attend an annual UW TA workshop and attend recommended UW sessions on teaching. The students are trained for individual classes by the course instructor, are given job descriptions, and are evaluated at the end of the first two quarters. Instructors (faculty, postdocs, and graduate students) are given the opportunity to participate in teaching symposia, to receive CIDR/CELT consultations, and are mentored by senior faculty.

Postdocs and senior graduate students in the department have taught some service courses (e.g., AA 210, Statics) and junior-level core courses (e.g., AA 311, Introduction to Flight Mechanics) with good success. Peer mentors, as well as senior faculty members, are made available for guidance to those postdocs and graduate students who have not previously taught.

Instructional Changes Due to Evaluation Faculty have introduced group projects into their undergraduate classes to encourage more interactive learning. In some cases two or more faculty teaching different core courses have collaborated to develop projects that are common to their corresponding courses. New instructors, including postdocs and graduate students who teach, are encouraged to create non-graded pop quizzes to understand if the students are learning what they are expected to. This method benefits the new instructors and the students by bringing each party to the same level of expectations. At both the graduate and undergraduate level, there is much greater use of online tools now than at the time of the previous program review. In particular, lecture material (lecture notes, homework, examples of worked problems, etc.) is often provided online and the use of online chat areas is encouraged for student problem-solving sessions.

Teaching and Mentoring Outside the Classroom Faculty Involvement in Learning Outside the Classroom Faculty supervise graduate and undergraduate students in research projects for independent study and theses/dissertations, and mentor these students. Many faculty members also serve as mentors to students through CWD,† MentorNet, etc. Faculty participate in outreach activities such as Bridge (summer program for STEM students, predominantly URM), DO-IT†, Summer Math Academy, SpaceGrant SURP†, and REU.† They present special seminars, participate in Engineering Discovery Days, STEM activities, etc. Faculty also encourage undergraduates (freshmen through juniors*) to participate in extracurricular project activities, such as the annual AIAA Design, Build, Fly (DBF) competition, and more recently NASA’s University Student Launch Initiative (USLI). Graduate students have also participated in the annual competition hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA).

Recruitment The Undergraduate Program Manager participates in a number of recruitment activities throughout the year, such as College of Engineering Discovery Days, “Sundaes on Wednesdays,” and information sessions. The undergraduate seminar, AA 496 (held during winter quarter), was redesigned to recruit and inform freshmen and sophomore students about the field of aerospace engineering and provide them with additional information about the major. The Undergraduate Faculty Advisor attends the yearly Society of Black Engineers dinner function. In addition, the department participates in the Bridge program each summer for incoming (predominantly URM) students in STEM, has a number of faculty-mentored projects for undergraduates at all levels through the NASA SURP program, and provides tours of the A&A labs and the Kirsten Wind Tunnel for high school students. During the summer similar tours are conducted for the Museum of Flight’s Washington Aerospace Scholars Program (for high school students). Throughout the academic year the student chapter of the AIAA organizes outreach activities to K-12 schools in the Puget Sound area. All these activities have been effective in attracting students to the undergraduate program.

To recruit students to our graduate program, A&A employs a variety of methods. Since our webpage is generally the first place that prospective students visit when they are evaluating our program, we have worked hard to ensure that the content is engaging, informative and user-friendly. During the department’s web redesign in 2009, the graduate advisors worked closely with a web designer to build a site that would showcase our research and academics, enticing prospective students to explore the opportunities available at UW. Additionally, we have used other technologies, such as chat and social media outlets, in order to build a stronger web presence. The graduate program also uses more traditional methods of recruiting students, such as attending local and national graduate school fairs, contacting self-identified undergraduate aerospace engineering students whose names are obtained through various graduate school recruiting agencies, and presenting workshops on applying to graduate school to our own undergraduates. Through these efforts, each of the two graduate advising staff field hundreds of inquiries per year by phone, email, chat and in-person. Our faculty also contribute to the recruitment process by interacting with prospective graduate students at various conferences, lectures, and campus visits.

In order to recruit a more diverse student body, the department works with several internal and external groups. Within UW, we work closely with GO-MAP, Space Grant Consortium, and the STEM Bridge program for first-year engineering students. At the graduate level, we also receive mailing lists for minority students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in aerospace engineering from external organizations, such as the National Name Exchange and the McNair Scholars Program. We attend graduate school fairs that focus on URMs and meet with groups, such as the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers. Currently we have several minority students who serve as peer recruiters and are helping to expand our minority recruitment program. Our efforts have been effective, as our URM enrollment has increased five-fold since 2001. We also consider women to be a minority in engineering, and we have made inroads in this area as well: our population of female graduate students has nearly doubled in the last ten years, and the same is true for our undergraduate program.

The department is also a participant in the NSF Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE), one of four Engineering Research Centers inaugurated this year. The CSNE specifically addresses research for persons with disabilities and includes several minority-serving institution research partners (San Diego State University, Morehouse, Spelman, Southwestern). An explicit goal of the CSNE is to increase participation of women and URM in STEM disciplines via research and outreach activities in the Center and further to provide a national template for leadership of women, people with disabilities, and other under-represented groups in engineering.

Student Academic Support and Progress Faculty provide office hours for students and meet with them as needed. TAs conduct regular study sessions. If students have difficulty, they are encouraged to meet with faculty or staff advisors. Students with learning challenges have been referred to the study skills classes through the UW counseling center, and we have assisted them with finding tutors. Students are mentored in research labs by other, more senior students. We have a fair policy and process for notifying and working with students who are not making satisfactory progress. The result in the undergraduate program is that the attrition rate, from the time students enter the department (which typically happens at the beginning of the junior year for the majority of students) until they graduate, is negligible.

One of the goals of the department graduate program is to provide education to students from non-aerospace backgrounds (e.g., computer science, physics, math) which, in many cases, includes a number of URM students. We provide tailored guidance and mentoring for meeting pre-requisite course material leading to education at the graduate level in A&A.

Students receive a solid education in analytical and engineering fundamentals as well as learning about current issues and developments in aerospace through regular seminars. They have opportunities to perform research, and to present the results of their work within and outside the university. Our students work individually and as part of teams on challenging projects in courses, in research labs, and in extracurricular activities such as the annual AIAA Design, Build, Fly (DBF) competition and the newly developed USLI rocket group. Students are encouraged to interact with one another as well as with faculty and to freely exchange ideas. Our students are prepared for successful careers in diverse sectors of the economy, from Boeing to NASA to educating the next generation of engineers at other prestigious universities around the world.

The department also works with the Center for Career Services and directly with various employers to provide information to A&A students on deadlines for submission of resumes, on company information sessions, and on the annual Career Fair. The Center also provides a number of workshops to which students are referred in order to prepare themselves on how to write resumes and to brush up on their interviewing skills.

The undergraduate faculty and staff advisors meet with students as early as their junior year to discuss graduate school opportunities, either at UW or elsewhere. A seminar titled “How to Apply to Graduate School” is presented to juniors and seniors. The undergraduate faculty advisor also reviews students’ resumes and statements of purpose. The advisors build relationships with employers and serve as liaisons between companies and prospective student hires. Data on undergraduate and graduate employment can be found in Appendix E.

† CWD: Center for Workforce Development; DO-IT: Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology; SURP: Summer Undergraduate Research Program; REU: Research Experience for Undergraduates; STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Seniors are not permitted to participate because of the effort they must invest in their senior capstone design courses.

Part A, Section III: Scholarly Impact

Section III: Scholarly Impact

Introduction and Overview A&A faculty and their students have historically made major, internationally-recognized contributions to aerospace and engineering technology. For example, pioneering work in collaboration with Boeing and the University of California played a key role in the development of the finite element method, one of the main computing tools of modern scientists and engineers tackling large-scale field problems in structural mechanics, acoustics, fluid flow, electromagnetics, and plasma dynamics. What is widely considered to be the first paper on the finite element method, published in 1956, was co-authored by Prof. Harold Martin of our department.

Originally led by Prof. Abraham Hertzberg, the Aerospace and Energetics Research Program (AERP) was established by a grant from NASA in 1967 to carry out leading-edge research on space and energy systems. Early work on key elements of high-power gasdynamic lasers and their applications, and other key technologies, evolved into our current Plasma Science, Ram Accelerator, and Shock Wave Reactor programs, among the most successful in the College, and also several projects to develop advanced technology for space and terrestrial energy. All of these endeavors have gained broad international recognition as highly innovative and promising technologies for the future. The formal integration of AERP with the department resulted in a unique mix of traditional aerospace fields (controls, fluids, structures) with nontraditional fields (plasma and energy), which distinguishes the department from other aerospace departments at peer institutions.

The primary measures by which we gauge our performance in research, scholarly, and creative activity are: leadership in field; quality and number of publications; and vitality of research programs/funding levels. With these measures we are recognized as leaders and principal innovators in several important disciplines in aerospace. Most notable are major advances in the fields of unmanned air and space vehicles, turbulence/vortex dynamics, plasma dynamics and fusion, composite materials, and multidisciplinary optimization.

Contributions from the Discipline Groups An approximate division can be identified between the discipline groups of controls, fluids, plasma, and structures. Highlights of the scholarly impacts of the research from each of the discipline groups are described below.

Controls Group: Over the last decade, controls research has moved forward on several fronts, most notably in terms of the range of its applications in diverse disciplines, including networked aerospace systems, bio-inspired motion planning/control, advanced optimization techniques for trajectory planning and control, unmanned autonomy in air, space, underwater, ground robotics, with a multitude of civilian and military applications. Funding in controls reflects these trends, with generally less funding for foundational theoretical work in controls that is not directly linked to a specific application area (with a few exceptions) and more opportunities in novel applications of the existing paradigms in new settings that are relevant and promising. Our faculty are nationally and internationally recognized leaders in several of these developing novel areas.

Professor Mesbahi has published a textbook on Graph-theoretic methods in multiagent networks (Princeton, 2010) as well as collaborating with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on dynamics and control of genomic networks (published in Proc. of National Academy of Science) and with Boeing and UW colleagues on control/optimization issues related to smart grid and energy management. Professor Morgansen is currently leading a MURI on bio-inspired agile flight (ONR) with 10 other co-PIs (including four biologists) at four other institutions. She is also collaborating with biologists on additional projects in bio-inspired flight and with engineers, biologists and neuroscientists in the NSF-funded Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE), serving in a leadership role as thrust leader for Forward and Reverse Engineering. The CSNE is a multi-university center led from UW and partnered with MIT, San Diego State University, Spelman University, the University of British Columbia and the University of Tokyo. Additional collaborations are in development with Queensland University of Technology through a Study Abroad course focusing on URM students as well as a proposed graduate student exchange through the NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Insitutes program.

Fluids Group: The research activities of the fluid dynamics group have produced many important first discoveries in the area of turbulence and vortex dynamics and have pinned down mechanisms which had defied earlier attempts. These contributions include theories of free turbulent mixing, stratified entrainment, accelerating jets, confined turbulent mixing, and buoyancy-reversal instability [Prof. Breidenthal (PI)]. Also among the credits of this group are compressor flutter analysis, multiple pure tone (MPT) noise from gas turbine engines, definitive theory and experimental verification of the Ranque-Hilsch tube (vortex tube) effect, total-temperature separation in jets, corewise transport in vortices, anti-kidney vortices in crossflow jets, shock-induced cooling in supersonic jets, the effect of rotation upon impinging jets, and vortex breakdown [Prof. Kurosaka (PI)]. Recent research in the fluids group has also demonstrated the use of strongly-pulsed fuel injection for the generation of compact, low-emissions turbulent jet flames, explored the effects of superheating on fuel droplet disruption in supersonic flow, and identified the convection and heat transfer phenomena that occur in unsteady film evaporation [Prof. Hermanson (PI)]. Technological applications include designing the mixer for the world’s largest pulsed chemical laser, and the invention of the nose turret flow control of the AirBorne Laser [Prof. Breidenthal (PI)]. The results of compressor flutter, MPT noise and shaped cooling holes have long been implemented in aircraft gas turbine industry [Prof. Kurosaka (PI)]. Professor Dabiri has contributed to the highly successful and important Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) technique and played a pivotal role in the team that pioneered the 3-component version of this technique, which allowed for full 3-D time-evolving interrogation of fluid flow fields. He has also pioneered the Digital Particle Image Thermometry and Velocimetry (DPITV) technique that allows for simultaneous temperature and velocity measurements. External collaborations involving the Fluids Group include the University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne, Michigan Technological University, Kettering University, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d’Aérotechnique (ENSMA), and Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Plasma Science Group: The plasma science group has been highly successful in making major contributions to the field of innovative plasma confinement for fusion energy and to the field of computational plasma dynamics. These contributions have established UW as an international leader of innovative confinement concepts (ICC) with no other university hosting as many experiments and investigating as many concepts within a single academic department. Research in computational plasma dynamics is comprised of a synergistic combination of two concentrations: the PSI Center [DOE-funded, Prof. Jarboe (PI), Profs. Milroy and Shumlak (Co-PIs)] for developing predictability in experimental plasma devices; and the plasma dynamics group [AFOSR-funded, Prof. Shumlak (PI)] for developing numerical algorithms for advanced plasma models in a variety of applications from electric propulsion, high-power microwave devices, and space weather.

The PSI Center is a national, multi-institution center led by UW and funded by DOE. The other participants are the University of Wisconsin, Utah State University, and the Naval Research Lab. The plasma science group has been successful in securing substantial and sustained research funding, graduating many PhD students, and publishing high impact journal articles. As a result, the group is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in the field and is viewed as a source for top-quality graduates.

Inherent in the function of the PSI Center is collaboration with experimental programs at other institutions. These collaborations include Auburn, Cal Tech, Columbia, Los Alamos National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, MIT, and Swarthmore, with the objective of providing computational development and support for experimental programs that are too small to supply their own. The computational dynamics group also collaborates with the Air Force Research Labs at Kirtland AFB and at Edwards AFB. In addition to the scientific impact, these collaborations have broadened the impact of the research by increasing the visibility and by highlighting the need. Both of these research efforts were recently renewed in an extraordinarily competitive funding climate.

In addition to computational plasma dynamics, the plasma group is one of the world leaders in the study of fusion schemes alternative to the well-known tokamak, and it has one of the two or three largest university programs in this area. However, the new fusion energy research priorities from DOE toward tokamak-relevance, basic plasma science, and high energy density plasma physics caused the discontinuance of two experiments (TCS and ZaP), and forced the closure of our off-campus Redmond Plasma Physics Lab (RPPL). The group still has two strong experiments: the HIT Current Drive program [DOE-funded, Prof. Jarboe (PI)] on campus and the Solenoid Free Plasma Startup program [DOE-funded, Prof. Jarboe (PI)] in collaboration with, and located at, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. In response to the loss of TCS and ZaP, the plasma group has worked to secure funds for experimental research from AFOSR and NASA in addition to DOE. An advantage of the computational plasma research is its flexibility to diversify the applications towards the current trends in the field. The PSI Center is adding mainline fusion approaches to its portfolio of supported experiments. The plasma dynamics group has set the pace and direction for advanced plasma models, and as such, has a more general science mission that is still well supported.

Structures Group: Carbon fiber and composite technology is no longer the future of transportation, but the present. The Boeing 787 and programs such as the BMW Megacity vehicle are placing composites in mainstream products. The Structures Group has focused on composites safety and certification by working to understand how non-traditional composites can be implemented in aircraft or automobiles within a certification methodology. Analysis methods are developed to use in the certification process in conjunction with experimental evidence to ensure safety with a focus on understanding both static failure (strength), as well as dynamic failure (low and high velocity impact, crashworthiness, and lightning). The group has developed unique and extensive lab capabilities with industrial funding [Prof. Feraboli (PI)], particularly from Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. Boeing and Lamborghini have been able to use the research results in the area of chopped fibers and crashworthiness. Our research in crashworthiness also directly impacts the regulations, as it is the foundation on which FAA guidance materials are built: MIL-HDBK-17, Advisory Circulars, Tech reports and FARs.

Considerable important and high-impact work has been done on multidisciplinary optimization technology for flight vehicle design focusing on the integrated aeroservoelastic aspects of the problem [Prof. Livne (PI)]. Specific contributions include the development of aeroservoelastic optimization technology for all-composite flight vehicles, including conventional and strain actuation; unsteady aerodynamic design oriented analysis (including shape sensitivity analysis) for flight vehicle shape optimization; flutter and gust response design oriented analysis for shape optimization; methods for sensitivity analysis and constraint function approximations of gust response and flutter behavior measures. Many of the concepts and methods in this area have been adopted by Boeing. The UW is internationally recognized for leadership in the area of aeroservoelastic design optimization. The work has resulted in numerous papers in international conferences and in archival journals. In addition to Boeing and Lamborghini, Structures Group collaborations include Zona Technology, Stirling Dynamics, Inc., the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the Naval Postgraduate School, the Planetary Science Institute, and the University of Kobe.

Graduates from all of the discipline groups can be found in academia, national labs, and industry. As specific examples, Dr. Charles Greenfield is the Director of the U.S. Burning Plasma Organization (USBPO), which interfaces with the highest level of international partners for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. Dr. Manav Bhatia, still a post-doc at Virginia Tech, is well known for his leadership role in the area of design optimization of truss braced wing configurations. Noted entrepreneur A&A graduates include Bill Vaglienti, co-founder of Cloud Cap Technology, a leading Unmanned Systems sensor development company and Jason Andrews; founder and President and CEO of Andrews Space, Inc. Further examples of our student and alumni achievements can be seen in Appendix H.

Faculty Mentoring and Diversification Since the department is comparatively small, responsibility for mentoring junior faculty rests with members of the related discipline group, the department chair, and the entire faculty. Senior faculty share research ideas with junior faculty and provide mentoring regarding research, teaching, and grant proposal opportunities. Junior faculty are encouraged to be aggressive and independent in building their own research programs, and that has proven successful, for example, with the development over the last six years of a world-class experimental research lab, the Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL), by an ambitious and capable junior faculty member.

Diversifying the faculty ranks has been a slow process in our department. We are fortunate to have added our first female professor, who was recruited in 2002, but we have not been successful with any other under-represented group. One factor is that the very small number of qualified candidates and the intense competition for such candidates by other institutions with stronger financial capabilities. During any open faculty search, and in particular with our current search in the area of aerospace controls, female and URM applicants are actively recruited. This recruitment includes personal communication with colleagues who have students and postdocs in the job market, contacting participants in workshops specifically aimed at women and URM scientists and engineers interested in faculty careers, consulting lists of recent women PhDs in aerospace, etc. The A&A Department works with the UW’s ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, which participates in the search process by meeting with women candidates when they interview for the position, as well as helping to support the career success of female and URM faculty after they join the UW.

Part A, Section IV: Future Directions

SECTION IV: FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Where the Unit is Headed The overall goals of the UW A&A Department, as outlined in the department Strategic Plan, are to grow its education and research programs to meet industry and societal needs while maintaining excellence in all respects. These goals include meeting the needs of the State of Washington. As specifically stated in the report of the Washington Council on Aerospace to the Governor and Legislature (attached in Appendix J), the state of Washington industry need for a workforce trained in aerospace related engineering fields is significantly larger than what the state-supported university system is currently able to produce. That report also identifies specific, aerospace-related research areas, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s), composite and advanced materials and structures, the development of sustainable aviation fuels with a low carbon footprint, and aircraft design and manufacturing. The A&A Department is very well-positioned to contribute in these research areas, and plans to do so.

Subsidiary goals are to establish a recognized high level of research productivity, funding, and quality; to significantly increase national and international recognition; to further improve our leading-edge undergraduate and graduate education programs; and to achieve a leading partnership role with aerospace and other industry. We seek to hire the best available faculty candidates, to maintain an up-to-date leading edge curriculum, to continuously improve the quality of teaching, and to serve the largest possible undergraduate and graduate population within our means. In support of these goals, we intend to increase the level of funded research, as well as further increase the reach of the research beyond the more classical, traditional aerospace-related research topics.

The excellence of a program is driven, to a large extent, by the quality and commitment of its faculty and staff. We plan to press aggressively to hire top-quality new faculty, develop and exploit new opportunities for the faculty currently in the department, and work actively to do what is necessary to ensure the retention of top faculty. The size, composition and quality of the staff must be commensurate with levels of educational and research activities. As is the case with any academic department, attracting and retaining top-quality graduate and undergraduate students is also absolutely key to the success of the program. Attracting these students is, in turn, directly related to the growth, and excellence, that characterize the department’s activities. We seek to increase the impact and visibility of our department’s activities which requires, in part, increased interactions with government and industry and developing strategic, long-term partnerships.

Goals and opportunities Technological changes present numerous new opportunities for aerospace research. New space technology for commercial, scientific, and military applications is growing in importance. Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle systems have become pervasive in military and civilian applications. Composite materials are revolutionizing aerospace structures. The decrease in fossil fuel supplies requires the development of alternative, renewable fuels for aviation. The increasing integration of flight vehicle systems, i.e., systems of systems, provides other, new research opportunities in the area of controls. The ever-increasing interaction between air, space, ground, and sea vehicle systems and the growing emphasis on human interaction with automation requires interdisciplinary methodology. Lastly, the emergence of new educational technologies and new priorities in public funding create challenges, as well as new opportunities, for higher education.

Over the next decade, advances will be required in network-enabled command, control, communications, and computing technology. Our department is already strong in theoretical and applied research that contributes to the understanding of many key controls topics. These topics include networked dynamic systems; real-time algorithms for autonomous path planning and mission management; innovative concepts for networked systems with limited sensing and communication; nonlinear geometric control of under-actuated systems; bioinspired integrated sensing, actuation, and control; numerical tools for nonlinear flight dynamics; optimization tools for the synthesis of flight control augmentation systems; and the integration of human operators in complex aerospace systems. Currently a Center of Excellence is being pursued in the area of bioinspired flight. The center’s capability is being built around existing strengths in the UW A&A and Biology departments and will involve collaboration with related capabilities and military interests in the UK.

Although aerodynamics and propulsion are well-established research areas, significant challenges and new and emerging research topics exist to be explored experimentally, theoretically, and through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). These topics include new aerodynamic designs and flow control approaches, wingtip vortex prediction and control, supersonic and hypersonic aerodynamics, and the aerodynamics of UAVs. Aeropropulsion research will certainly continue to focus on improved, quiet propulsion systems and ultra-low emission combustors for subsonic and supersonic aircraft. Space exploration challenges relevant to fluid mechanics may include combined rocket/air-breathing engine cycles, high-speed planetary entry vehicle aerodynamics, propulsion for planetary atmosphere flight, small-scale spacecraft thrusters, and planetary in-situ resource utilization. In addition to these aerospace-related topics, research programs may also be initiated in areas such as microscale fluid devices for heat transfer, biomedical applications, flow control, the fluids dynamics of underwater vehicles, geophysical fluid dynamics, and biofuels combustion.

The department has established an international reputation for leadership in innovative confinement concepts (ICCs) and computational modeling of plasmas, and expects to continue and significantly expand both experimental and computational efforts. The department has made contributions to plasma propulsion and plasma-assisted manufacturing, and is well-positioned to expand on these research projects. We are also well-positioned to move forward with a large-scale compact toroid (CT) facility. Existing ICC projects have been successful and have garnered much respect from the international community. Department faculty have the expertise and credibility to develop a large facility. Recent reorganization of the DOE Office of Fusion Energy Science identifies CT research as a focus area. The department also plans to develop further research projects in plasma propulsion. Computational projects (such as the PSI Center and the algorithm development efforts) provide essential support and complement the experimental projects. The computational algorithms and tools that are developed are applied to space plasmas, electric propulsion, and astrophysics. The computational projects have broad applicability, beyond fusion plasmas, with connections to CFD. Opportunities exist to expand these computational projects into larger, multi-institutional projects.

Future research in the area of aerospace materials, structures, and mechanics will focus on developing experimental and numerical tools to characterize the damage resistance and tolerance of composite-intensive airframes, including high-velocity or high-energy impact events such as bird strike, hail strike, lightning strike and crashworthiness. The A&A Department already has in place demonstrated strength in these areas and plans to implement the development of physics-based predictive tools for composite material failure, targeting both traditional autoclave prepreg materials as well as new composite material forms manufactured by low-cost techniques. An additional possibility for growth can be found in the area of additive manufacturing.

In addition to the research directions and opportunities presented above, two substantial new opportunities have the potential to greatly boost the department’s efforts and prospects for successfully achieving its goals to increase the size, scope, excellence, and impact of its programs. One opportunity is in the form of a potential department-naming gift arrangement with a leading aerospace company. Such a partnership will support significant growth in the department by providing additional, substantial, and permanent resources for chaired professorships, student fellowships, new equipment, and infrastructure improvements. The second opportunity is the negotiation of an agreement with an international company interested in developing aerospace capabilities and education in a foreign country. This partnership would result in a significant increase in the size and impact of our program, both domestically and abroad, including the production of additional graduates, hiring of additional faculty and support staff, acquisition of major new instrumentation, and a steady source of sponsored research that will effectively double our research footprint.

How We Will Reach Our Goals Achieving our goals and opportunities is built around the implementation of an existing strategic plan, which is specifically focused on increasing the scope, quality, and impact of the department’s research and education programs. The plan was composed in 2009 and is currently in various stages of implementation. The development of the plan was an excellent tool to pull together faculty and staff in a team effort to determine where our energy and resources are best placed in the next five to ten years. The plan provides a unified framework from which every faculty and staff member can seek opportunities for departmental enhancement. A faculty committee monitors progress quarterly and identifies further issues. Key elements of the plan are summarized below; the complete plan is available in Appendix K.

Research: Increase the number of cross-university collaborative efforts by establishing research centers that attract the participation of faculty from outside the department. Increase the annual number of proposals for MURIs, IGERTs, and center grants. Establish ongoing working relationships with NSF, DOD and other government research agency program management. Increase the level of funding from industry.

Education: Increase the production of top-quality MS and PhD graduates. Require all undergraduates to spend two quarters either in independent research or in an internship/co-op position. Update undergraduate lab equipment. Fully implement Direct Freshman Admission, and engage freshmen and sophomores actively in the A&A program. Increase the selectivity of the graduate admissions process. Strengthen the industrial and government laboratory recruitment presence within the department.

Growth: Add at least two state-funded faculty positions. Actively search to hire established, world-class faculty, including identifying and pursuing outstanding minority and women faculty candidates. Obtain sufficient fully-equipped space to support research programs, and establish a support staff sufficient to meet all program needs.

Industry: Establish executive-level relationships and contacts with Boeing, Aerojet and other appropriate companies. Establish an industry-funded affiliates program and increase the number of active industry affiliate professors. Actively identify and pursue joint UW/industry funding opportunities. Encourage industry site visits, technical interchanges, and industry visits to the department for seminars. Encourage faculty sabbaticals in industry and government. Invite industry people to serve on A&A thesis committees. Increase the number of student internships and co-ops.

Advancement: Establish a departmental Development Committee to work with the College of Engineering Office of Advancement to help cultivate donor interest in departmental programs and in donation opportunities. Host regular alumni/friends social events and present updates on the department’s research, educational, and other activities, and increase the frequency of publication of our newsletter Highflight to twice per year.

Advancing the interests of the A&A Department and meeting the goals and challenges identified above will require changes beyond executing items listed in a strategic plan. Positive changes to the department’s culture are needed as we continue to foster a spirit of academic excellence within the UW controls, fluids, structures, and plasma communities. From the standpoint of research, these changes may include maintaining and further strengthening an enriching environment that enhances student experience and creativity; and encouraging partnerships and collaborations both across and outside the UW, beyond traditional aerospace-related disciplines. It is also important to shape our research and its facilities to meet the individual research group and departmental goals, and maintain state-of-the-art experimental and computing facilities.

The A&A Department will support the State of Washington’s proposed new Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation, the purpose of which will be to advance new technologies in aerospace. The envisioned Center is expected both to fund research projects at the UW as well as further encourage industry-academic partnerships.

Overall, the current level of technical support in the A&A Department is adequate, but as the department grows to meet significant new opportunities further staffing will be needed. The advising staff is currently being strained by the growth of the undergraduate and graduate programs. Most especially, the current number of fiscal staff is not adequate for their workload, which has increased, in terms of research activity, by more than 80% in the past seven years, during which time the department also suffered the loss of an experienced fiscal manager. The current level of fiscal and administrative support in the A&A department is 20% below the average for the College.

To achieve our goals in education and to maximize effectiveness in teaching also requires changes to our educational program. Such changes include establishing a graduate laboratory to be used in course instruction, for research support, and for promoting collaboration with industry in teaching and in maintaining up-to-date course content. The latter would be facilitated by the increased participation of practicing engineers to help carry out our undergraduate and graduate teaching functions. We plan to continue our significant commitment to distance learning, and to streamline and better coordinate our graduate course offerings, including increasing use of joint-listing with other units. We are also taking steps to encourage co-ops and study abroad and to encourage faculty to make efficient use of educational technology to enhance learning, as well as increasing the mentoring of post-doctoral and graduate assistants in teaching lecture and laboratory courses. The A&A Department plans to interact with the State of Washington STEM Center, which seeks to improve K-12 student achievement and opportunity in STEM fields.

In addition to the direct benefits of the proposed department-naming gift, we would view the naming as the cornerstone of a new, substantial, long-term strategic partnership with the potential donor institution in the areas of education and research. Similarly, the international partnership under consideration would provide significant and substantial new opportunities to collaborate on research projects, and learn and teach skills demanded by international and intercultural work.

Benefits of Reaching Our Goals The A&A Department is recognized for innovations in several important disciplines in aerospace engineering. Most notable are major advances in the fields of turbulence, plasma dynamics and fusion, space propulsion, unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous control, hypervelocity accelerators, fluid diagnostics, gasdynamics, multi-phase flow, computational fluid mechanics, new technologies in energy conversion and thermal management, combustion, composite materials and structures, aeroelasticity, and multidisciplinary design optimization. That these new advancements have been embraced by the aerospace community points to the high quality of the research and publications generated by our faculty.

Among numerical measures of success, the average number of peer-reviewed publications per faculty member over the last three years was approximately 2.5/year. Due to the rapidly evolving pace of technology advancement in the aerospace discipline, presentation of research results at professional meetings is a primary venue for disseminating new knowledge. We note a substantial disparity of funding levels among our specialty areas, and that the faculty hired since 2001 and plasma faculty are particularly successful in attracting funding. We have good reason to expect that with opportunities to hire outstanding new faculty in emerging fields, our funding and publication productivity will increase.

The department has produced 450 new bachelor’s degree graduates since 2001. Over the same period, the department graduated 317 graduate students, including 277 with master’s degrees and 40 with doctorates. From 2001-2002 to the present, the undergraduate enrollment in our department has increased from 108 to 140; the graduate enrollment, from 76 to 150. The large growth in the graduate program has been, in part, due to a significant increase in the number of distance-learning students. A large fraction of our graduates (57% of the bachelor’s and 43% of the master’s/PhD graduates since 2001) take positions in industry, directly impacting aerospace engineering both regionally (e.g., through Boeing, Aerojet, and others) and nationally. Thirty-four percent of the bachelor’s graduates continued their studies by going to graduate school. Seventeen percent of the master’s graduates chose to pursue their PhD, with smaller numbers going into the military, taking positions at research laboratories, or other government aerospace organizations (such as the FAA). The largest fraction of PhD students (43%) took industry positions; the next largest group (35%) took post-doctoral positions after graduation. Five percent of our PhD graduates accepted faculty positions immediately upon graduation.

Reaching the goals discussed in this section can reasonably be expected to have a significant impact regionally, nationally, and internationally. This impact will be realized, in part, by the substantial planned increase in the size, scope and productivity of the research program in A&A, as a result of hiring additional faculty and enrolling and graduating more students. This impact will be maximized by building on the planned increased collaboration with industry. We also expect enhanced industrial relevance due to new strategic partnerships with industry discussed in this report, which will also lead to an increased impact of our program, both locally and nationally. A significant increase in our international impact and exposure can reasonably be expected to accompany the success of the new international initiative discussed previously. The innovative work of our faculty and students, which will continue to push the boundaries of aerospace, will have benefits that will be felt not just globally, but in our case, universally!

Part B: Unit-Defined Questions

PART B

UNIT-DEFINED QUESTIONS

How Our Programs Are Positioned for Changing Needs How are our academic and research programs positioned vis-a-vis the changing needs of the aerospace industry, national interests, and the global economy?

As discussed in Section IV, there have been significant changes in the aerospace industry over the past decade. These changes can reasonably be expected to continue over the next ten years. Funding for university research is one major issue. Federal funding of aerospace research (e.g., NASA, NSF, DOE, DOD) has remained comparatively flat, and is now, in fact, undergoing reductions in many cases. At the same time, the aerospace industry continues to move, to a large extent, from being technology-driven to more economics-driven. This change has led to a focus more on near-term “factory floor” applications in research and development, and away from the more fundamental, longer-term projects that remain characteristic of university research. These situations have been exacerbated by the increasing global competition in aerospace. While the US investment in research and development has remained flat (or decreased), many other countries are significantly increasing their investment in national research and development (notable examples include South Korea, China, and Japan).

The nature of aerospace is driven by changes in the state of the art of the supporting technologies (sometimes termed technology “push”) as well as trends in the environment and marketplace (market “pull”). Examples of the former include the emergence of composite structures and significant advances in communications and high-speed computing. The latter includes an ever-increasing awareness of environmental issues (such as carbon-neutral fuels, aircraft noise, and exhaust emissions) and the market forces resulting from competition. The emergence of global terrorism has brought about changes in America’s defense mission, both in terms of spending and direction that are shaping the nature of aerospace (and other) technology, research, and applications. There are also significant, ongoing evolutions in the directions of NASA’s mission.

Overall, the A&A Department is well-positioned to respond to these challenges. Our Controls Group has been successful at generating and sustaining a strong and well-funded research program. The expected near-term hiring of an additional faculty member in this area will further strengthen that highly multi-disciplinary group. The Plasma Group is strong and will likely continue to do well, given the ongoing federal commitment to research in plasma confinement techniques required to sustain nuclear fusion. Composite materials will unquestionably remain a central topic for aerospace research, which bodes well for our Structures Group, although there are concerns about the amount of fundamental research support available in that area. The Fluids Group is perhaps the discipline within the department most challenged by the ongoing funding pressures. Possible strategies there include increasing the emphasis on multi-disciplinary research topics and high-speed computing (Computational Fluid Dynamics). The changing nature of aerospace may also suggest expanding our reach into areas beyond the traditional “pillars” of aerospace research to include, for example, avionics, information technology for aerospace, and human factors.

Industry increasingly is urging changes in the education of aerospace engineers. One issue is the increasing demand for new engineering talent in Washington State, a demand that is not currently being met by Washington’s universities and colleges. Beyond this need, industry increasingly seeks engineering graduates who not only have a mix of fundamental skills and are capable of doing design work, but who also have an understanding of basic management, manufacturing, and large-scale systems engineering, who are familiar with the techniques of effective teaming, and who can communicate well. This increasing emphasis on the need for business-related training as part of the engineering curriculum is in addition to expectations for substantial project-based, hands-on experiences, expertise with modern computer analysis tools, all accompanied by a thorough understanding of engineering fundamentals.

Academically, we are ready to meet these challenges. Our undergraduate program contains all of the elements essential to an aerospace engineering education, including significant project components and hands-on exercises in both the junior and senior years. Our graduate degree programs are also working well and are popular with industry, as indicated by the significant increase in the enrollment of distance-learning Master’s students. The PhD program is positioned for further growth as we expect to increase the size of our faculty, as well as penetrate new research areas. One issue pertaining to our PhD program is balancing the goal of the College of Engineering that we graduate a larger number of PhDs while we work in support of an industry that heavily favors the Master’s degree, not the PhD, as the advanced degree that meets their needs, given that many more of our graduates seek employment in industry than at universities or in national laboratories.

In terms of capacity, there are challenges to further increasing the enrollment in our undergraduate program. The A&A Department, as is much of higher education locally, is being severely strained by the economic downturn and the budget austerity that this is forcing on the State of Washington. This situation presents a substantial fiscal challenge to expanding the size of our program. Continuing budget pressure hinders our ability to hire new faculty, even though we are down at least two faculty members since 2000. In addition, budget cuts have resulted in the cancellation of some laboratory courses, a reduction in other course offerings, difficulties in obtaining new equipment, and threaten staff layoffs.

Fulfilling Our Mission with Decreased Funding How will A&A fulfill its mission in the face of decreasing funding? How should the research and education approaches evolve, given this challenge?

The changing needs and challenges discussed above have significant implications as we move forward to fulfill, and expand, our mission in the next decade. The many positive assets of our program include its dynamic, world-recognized faculty, numerous highly-successful research programs with many notable research accomplishments, a growing body of capable and inspired undergraduate and graduate students, strong historical relationships with Boeing and other aerospace companies, an outstanding group of department alumni who have made industry-leading contributions to aerospace, and a key geographical location, being the only department in the Pacific Northwest to provide a program in aerospace engineering.

Generally speaking, we plan to move forward by building on our current strengths, while expanding into new areas and developing strategic initiatives that expand the scope and reach of the department across the university, nation and world. Expansion and strengthening of the program will involve increasing the sizes of the graduate and undergraduate classes, which in turn will require new, additional faculty in the department. Given decreasing federal funding, we will need to be aggressive in identifying and acquiring new sources of support to enable this growth. As part of this environment, the department will seek to greatly strengthen its connections with aerospace and other industry. An additional resource will be to significantly increase our interactions with state government, which has clearly stated that boosting aerospace in Washington State, given that Washington is truly a world leader in the area of aerospace, is a key state priority. The department will also move forward in the areas of research, education, and industrial interaction by continuing to implement its strategic plan.

In terms of research, the department will aggressively pursue emerging opportunities. Many of these opportunities involve extending the more traditional aerospace research areas to involve collaborations with other disciplines, for example materials science, electrical and computer engineering, biology, chemistry, applied mathematics, and others. In this sense, increasing collaboration with other academic units is not only highly desirable but is essential to growth and success. Some specific opportunities are mentioned below.

UAVs represent a key growth area for aerospace, given the emerging technologies in this area, not the least of which is the vital importance of this class of aircraft for national security. In addition to involving many core disciplines of aeronautics, including controls, aerodynamics, and propulsion, the complexities associated with the use and coordination of these vehicles involves extensive collaboration with electrical and computer engineers. Information and communication technologies also play an increasingly important role in aviation systems from the standpoint of managing ever-increasing airspace congestion.

The transition from mostly-metallic to composite structures in aerospace engineering is truly industry-changing. A&A plans to build on its existing strengths in the field of aerospace composites technology to develop and execute research programs in high-performance, state-of-the-art composite materials and structures that embrace the design, manufacture and certification issues involving these important materials.

The ever-increasing focus on environmental issues associated with aviation is certain to continue in the coming decade. In addition to new regulations on aircraft engine noise and exhaust emissions, interest is increasing in developing and using alternate fuel sources in aviation, both from the standpoint of sustainability as well as to decrease the carbon footprint associated with aircraft use. These issues will continue to create new opportunities in aerodynamics, gasdynamics, and propulsion, while at the same time pointing to increasing collaborations with chemical engineers and biologists.

The intense ongoing focus on the development of fusion energy will continue to present opportunities for the plasma group, both experimentally and computationally. The department is also well-positioned to exploit emerging opportunities in space propulsion.

Two questions that might be posed of our program are 1) whether our projected focus is more “internal” or “external,” and 2) whether we plan to focus the department’s energies and resources on any single, specific area. The answer to the first question is that we plan to move forward with a continued and increasing emphasis on the “external,” in the form of cross-departmental or cross-institutional efforts. More extensive collaboration is required by the increasingly diverse contributions of other technical specialties to aerospace, as discussed above. At the same time, we remain fully committed to the core aerospace disciplines. Regarding the second question, the diverse, multi-faceted nature of contemporary aerospace-related research argues against strongly aligning the unit with any one specific area (for example, commercial aviation transport) when aerospace interests are, by nature, broad-spectrum (involving also, for example, military aviation, commercial and government space systems, high-speed land transportation, undersea systems, and more).

One key aspect to the expansion of the department to meet these future challenges is to thoughtfully grow the size of the faculty. The critical, near-term need for a new faculty member in the area of controls has been mentioned previously. Strengthening the department’s program in structures, clearly a key area given the industry-changing development and application of composite materials and structures is another top priority. The department will also, likely in the next five years, be further challenged by the retirement of up to five senior faculty, which amounts to fully one-third of the current tenured and tenure-track faculty. It will be very important for the future impact of the department that we hire new faculty from a perspective of “repositioning,” rather than simple “replacement.” Even given growth, the size of the faculty may not be large enough to cover both important legacy areas and newly emerging areas of aerospace engineering. Emphasis must be placed on recruiting faculty who are outstanding aerospace experts, but also highly collaborative and willing to move in new directions throughout their careers as the nature of aerospace research, and the supporting funding structure, evolves.

In addition to moving aggressively to establish and strengthen research programs in emerging areas of aerospace research, it will be very important to the department’s growth and success of its mission to significantly strengthen and expand its interactions with aerospace and other industry, both locally as well as globally. Local candidates include Boeing, and Aerojet; other major aerospace companies of interest for collaboration include Lockheed-Martin, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Northrup Grumman, General Electric, and Airbus. The A&A Department already has numerous collaborations with industry, including Insitu, Aerovel, Aeronautical Testing Services, Andrews Space, Sienna Technologies, Tethers Unlimited, and Union Oil Products.

Boeing represents both a major customer (in terms of our graduates) and a significant resource. As part of our strategic plan, we are planning on moving forward aggressively to expand and strengthen our collaborations and interactions with Boeing. Some of the approaches to be undertaken in this regard were identified in Section IV. It will be important in this effort to work closely with Boeing to identify (and, ideally, help guide) the research and development directions important to that company. These research and development initiatives would likely first build on their most directly product-oriented efforts in composites and controls, but would subsequently be expanded to include fluids/propulsion/energy topics, such as green aviation and energy harvesting. The possibility of opening a Boeing-connected laboratory or center associated with A&A will be explored. Another direction is to discuss with Boeing how Boeing facilities could be used in the execution of specific research projects of interest to both Boeing and UW. Many of these same approaches will be applied to strengthening our strategic partnership with other aerospace companies as well.

The increased collaboration with Boeing is also expected to help facilitate significant and important changes in our approaches to aerospace education. Boeing has made it clear that they are having challenges hiring sufficient numbers of engineers, especially from within Washington State. This points to the clear need for a strong connection between Boeing and A&A regarding education, as well as research. We will work to increase the involvement of Boeing engineers with our capstone design programs in both aircraft and space systems design. We plan to invite Boeing specialists to participate in departmental research and play a role on our thesis and dissertation committees, as well as encourage them to teach courses in the department. Perhaps most importantly, we need to establish an ongoing dialog with Boeing on their perceived educational needs in their new aerospace engineers, and how our program might be changed to better address those needs. One specific example is to incorporate even more “hands-on” instruction for design and making things into our undergraduate program, such as by strengthening our Design-Build-Fly and Design-Build-Launch projects. We will also consider participating in the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate) initiative which has the support of industry and many participating universities worldwide.

In addition to industry, we need to work much more closely with the State of Washington, which the UW and the A&A Department directly serve. The state has specifically identified aerospace as a critical area of competition for state industry and the associated workforce. A copy of this year’s Washington Council on Aerospace Report to The Governor and Legislature is included in Appendix J of this report. The Aerospace Council recommends the creation of a Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation specifically for the purpose of advancing new technologies relevant to aerospace. The report further states that said Center will fund projects at both UW and WSU. The UW A&A department is optimally positioned, based on education and research capabilities and goals, to play a significant part in the new Aerospace Center. Specific areas of interest listed in the report include composites and advanced materials, robotics, and aircraft design, all areas in which we and our collaborators are actively engaged.

The State of Washington is also vitally interested in expanding the engineering education capacity within the state to meet the current and future workforce needs of Washington’s aerospace companies. This may (and should!) result in additional state investment to increase the engineering education capacity at both UW and WSU. Aerospace engineers in fact represent the second-largest category of aerospace-related workers in Washington State (see Appendix K), after assembly personnel. Given that we are the only unit in the state that graduates these engineers, increasing our involvement with state government on matters relating to aerospace education and training is an obvious thrust direction for our department. As discussed previously, a further increase in our undergraduate class size will bring challenges that will require additional faculty and staff, as well as additional laboratory capability. We must take these needs into account as we seek to develop and expand the size and scope of both our education and research programs.

One way to increase the capacity of our department to graduate aerospace engineers will be through the introduction of a Professional Master’s Program (PMP). Such programs are normally directed at working engineers who desire to expand their training by obtaining a Master’s degree. In addition to providing for increased graduate enrollment, PMPs also serve as significant sources of income for the offering department. This additional income will help with the hiring of new faculty and support staff, and other measures needed to grow the program while ensuring top quality. We have begun the process of defining and implementing a PMP.

It is also important to develop our outreach into K-12 education to increase the awareness of our program, and encourage top high school students to come to us for their professional engineering education. An additional, important goal is to work through these schools to encourage greater participation of women and underrepresented minorities, both of which groups are significant sources of new engineering talent. One particular local opportunity in this regard resides with Aviation High School, a noted aerospace-oriented program in Seattle.

Appendix A: Organization Chart

APPENDIX A ORGANIZATION CHART DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS JAMES C. HERMANSON, CHAIR

FACULTY (* = Listed more than once) PROFESSOR EMERITUS: HOFFMAN, ALAN L. PROFESSOR EMERITUS: VAGNERS, JURIS • RESEARCH/SCIENTIST ENGINEER: LUM, CHRISTOPHER PROFESSOR: BREIDENTHAL, ROBERT E PROFESSOR: BRUCKNER, ADAM P. • RESEARCH/SCIENTIST ENGINEER: KNOWLEN, CARL PROFESSOR: HERMANSON, JAMES C. PROFESSOR: HOLSAPPLE, KEITH A PROFESSOR: JARBOE, THOMAS R.

PLASMA SCIENCE INNOVATIONS (PSI) CENTER DIRECTOR: JARBOE, THOMAS R. * DEPUTY DIRECTOR: MILROY, RICHARD * • ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: PAREJA-KLEMISCH, LUISA HIFI CONSULTANT • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER—SENIOR PRINCIPAL: GLASSER, ALAN BOUNDARY CONDITIONS & GEOMETRY: SHUMLAK, URI * • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER—PRINCIPAL: MARKLIN, GEORGE J. * TWO-FLUID TRANSPORT: COLLEAGUES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY, NAVAL RESEARCH CENTER FLR & KINETIC EFFECTS: MILROY, RICHARD • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 4: KIM, CHARLSON CHI SUN INTERFACING GROUP: NELSON, BRIAN (Research Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering) * • RESEARCH CONSULTANT: GRIFFITH, SUSAN D. • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 4: KIM, CHARLSON CHI SUN * • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER—PRINCIPAL: MARKLIN, GEORGE J. *

STEADY INDUCTIVE HELICITY INJECTED TORUS (HIT-SI) NELSON, BRIAN * • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: ENNIS, DAVID • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: HICKS, NATHANIEL • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER—PRINCIPAL: SMITH, ROGER J • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 4: FISHBURN, MATTHEW B. • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 4: GOLINGO, RAY • ENGINEERING TECH LEAD: ROGERS, JOHN ♦ ENGINEERING TECH 3: HAYWARD, JONATHAN

CHI ON NSTX NELSON, BRIAN * • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER—PRINCIPAL: RAMAN, ROGER

PROFESSOR: KUROSAKA, MITSURU PROFESSOR: LIN, KUEN-YUAN • VISITING SCIENTIST: KIM, TAE UK PROFESSOR: LIVNE, ELI PROFESSOR: MESBAHI, MEHRAN • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: DAI, RAN PROFESSOR: SHUMLAK, URI RESEARCH PROFESSOR: MILROY, RICHARD * • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER SENIOR PRINCIPAL: STEINHAUER, LOREN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR EMERITUS: MATTICK, ARTHUR T. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: DABIRI, DANA ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: MORGANSEN-HILL, KRISTI A. • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: TECHY, LASZLO RESEARCH ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: SLOUGH, JOHN T. *

PLASMA DYNAMICS LAB DIRECTOR: SLOUGH, JOHN T * • RESEARCH ASSOCIATE: ANDREASON, SAMUEL • ENGINEERING TECH LEAD: PIHL, CHRISTOPHER ♦ ENGINEERING TECH 1: ARESTUN, RORM ♦ ENGINEERING TECH 1: ANDEXLER, GEORGE

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: FERABOLI, PAOLO • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER I: ZAMBRANA, SAM • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER I: BEAL, CHARLES ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: FERRANTE, ANTONINO ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: YOU, SETTHIVOINE

LECTURER, PART TIME: AUSTIN, BARRIE LECTURER, PART TIME: KNOWLEN, CARL * LECTURER, PART TIME: SMITH, ROGER *

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF ADMINISTRATOR: CATLETT, LYNN K. • BUDGET FISCAL ANALYST LEAD: ERICKSON, DAVID • FISCAL SPECIALIST SUPERVISOR: HALOS, CARMELA ♦ FISCAL SPECIALS 3: PARK, JENNY ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIR: MACZKO, KIMBERLY COUNSELING SERVICES COORDINATOR: ANDERSON, MARLO D PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST: FREDERICK, WANDA R.A. • COUNSELING SERVICES COORDINATOR: GIRARD, DEIDRE RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 3 (Electronics): BLAIR, ARTHUR RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 3 (Mechanical): GORDON, ROBERT L. RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 3 (Wind Tunnel manager): ROSS, JOHN W. • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 2: BOENISH, HANS • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 2: PRECUP, NATHAN SENIOR COMPUTER SPECIALIST: BEAN, JOSHUA SENIOR COMPUTER SPECIALIST: LEVERSON, BRIAN R RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 3 (Shop Manager): TRAN, DZUNG • RESEARCH SCIENTIST/ENGINEER 3 (Instrument Maker): PETERSON, DENNIS

ADJUNCT & AFFILIATE FACULTY ADJUNCT PROFESSOR: DEVASIA, SANTOSH ADJUNCT PROFESSOR: RHINES, PETER ADJUNCT PROFESSOR: RILEY, JAMES ADJUNCT PROFESSOR: WINGLEE, ROBERT AFFILIATE PROFESSOR: BAUER, PASCAL AFFILIATE PROFESSOR: DEN HARTOG, DANIEL AFFILIATE PROFESSOR: HOUSEN, KEVIN AFFILIATE PROFESSOR: MANI, RAMANI AFFILIATE PROFESSOR: RASSAIAN, MOSTAFA AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: CHAPPELLE, DOUG AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: DOUGHERTY, ROBERT AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: KHALIL, GAMAL AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: LY, UY-LOI AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: MOHAGHEGH, MICHAEL AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: MURPHY, SUSAN AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: NELSON, CHET AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: PAISLEY, DAVE AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: ROBERTSON, PAUL AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: SCHMIDT, ECKART AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: STICKLER, PATRICK AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: SWARTZ, DAVID AFFILIATE ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: VAUGHAN, CHARLES AFFILIATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: MCGEER, TAD AFFILIATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: STICKLER, PATRICK AFFILIATE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: ZUBE, DIETER AFFILIATE LECTURER: SAFARIAN, PATRICK

Appendix B: Budget Summary (Bienniums 2005-2007, 2007-2009, 2009-2011)

DECISION SUPPORT CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BUDGET SUMMARY

Reporting Period: Biennium 2005-2007 Account Code / Description / Budgeted Amount / Reporting Period / Remaining / Total Transactions: 01 SALARIES AND WAGES: $10, 455, 536.00∣$ 11,536,590.34 | $1, 153, 107.91∣$ 11,536,590.34 02 CONTRACT PERS. SERVICES: $4, 050.00∣$ 83,409.50 | $15, 634.62∣$ 83,409.50 03 OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERV: $1, 815, 031.00∣$ 1,292,550.97 | $112, 079.22∣$ 1,292,550.97 04 TRAVEL: $384, 291.00∣$ 485,671.68 | $3, 788.69∣$ 485,671.68 05 SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS: $1, 039, 577.00∣$ 1,182,780.94 | $35, 264.51∣$ 1,182,780.94 06 EQUIPMENT: $808, 687.00∣$ 5,832,535.53 | $61, 080.02∣$ 5,832,535.53 07 RETIREMENT & BENEFITS: $1, 417, 714.00∣$ 1,590,098.63 | $294, 885.59∣$ 1,590,098.63 08 GRANTS & SUBSIDIES: $460, 693.00∣$ 704,094.73 | $0.00∣$ 704,094.73 17 SALARY INCREASE OFFSET: $0.00∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 21 COST TRANSFERS: $0.00∣ ($ 4,567,305.73) | $0.00∣ ($ 4,567,305.73) 22 COST SHAR.(G&C ACCTG.): $0.00∣$ 8,114.31 | $0.00∣$ 8,114.31 25 INDIRECT COST: $3, 657, 042.00∣$ 2,244,783.91 | $2, 736, 497.46∣$ 2,244,783.91 37 RESTR.FDS(G&C ACCTG.): $0.00∣$ 0.00 | $15, 875.00∣$ 0.00 38 UNALLOCATD EXPEND BUDG: $1, 398, 167.18∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 40 PRIOR BIEN UNEXPEN BUD: $5, 980, 272.53∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 65 UNIT RESERVE ALLOCATIO: $358, 740.00∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $27, 779, 800.71∣$ 20,393,324.81 | $4, 428, 213.02∣$ 20,393,324.81 TOTAL DIRECT COSTS: $24, 122, 758.71∣$ 18,148,540.90 | $1, 691, 715.56∣$ 18,148,540.90 TOTAL FAC. & ADMIN. COSTS: $3, 657, 042.00∣$ 2,244,783.91 | $2, 736, 497.46∣$ 2,244,783.91 TOTAL REVENUE: $0.00∣ ($ 97,604,098.36) | | ($106,417,698.51)

Reporting Period: Biennium 2007-2009 01 SALARIES AND WAGES: $10, 272, 318.00∣$ 11,846,472.04 | $896, 841.67∣$ 11,846,472.04 02 CONTRACT PERS.SERVICES: $74, 900.00∣$ 85,880.00 | $18, 612.50∣$ 85,880.00 03 OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERV: $1, 707, 988.00∣$ 1,536,619.96 | $17, 570.21∣$ 1,536,619.96 04 TRAVEL: $466, 839.00∣$ 597,604.58 | $19, 628.91∣$ 597,604.58 05 SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS: $1, 471, 269.00∣$ 1,074,921.45 | $67, 271.59∣$ 1,074,921.45 06 EQUIPMENT: $817, 634.00∣$ 5,455,461.52 | $6, 158.57∣$ 5,455,461.52 07 RETIREMENT & BENEFITS: $1, 287, 810.00∣$ 1,611,576.63 | $204, 350.93∣$ 1,611,576.63 08 GRANTS & SUBSIDIES: $604, 057.00∣$ 776,918.34 | $0.00∣$ 776,918.34 21 COST TRANSFERS: $0.00∣ ($ 4,549,471.12) | $0.00∣ ($ 4,549,471.12) 22 COST SHAR.(G&C ACCTG.): $0.00∣$ 16,885.38 | $0.00∣$ 16,885.38 25 INDIRECT COST: $2, 421, 128.00∣$ 2,305,926.63 | $2, 575, 546.30∣$ 2,305,926.63 36 ADVANCE BUDGET: $0.00∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 37 RESTR.FDS(G&C ACCTG.): $25, 397.00∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 38 UNALLOCATD EXPEND BUDG: $437, 324.17∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 40 PRIOR BIEN UNEXPEN BUD: $7, 782, 170.04∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 65 UNIT RESERVE ALLOCATIO: ( $34, 632.00) ∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $27, 334, 202.21∣$ 20,758,795.41 | $3, 805, 980.68∣$ 20,758,795.41 TOTAL DIRECT COSTS: $24, 913, 074.21∣$ 18,452,868.78 | $1, 230, 434.38∣$ 18,452,868.78 TOTAL FAC. & ADMIN. COSTS: $2, 421, 128.00∣$ 2,305,926.63 | $2, 575, 546.30∣$ 2,305,926.63 TOTAL REVENUE: $0.00∣$ 63,012,879.14 | | ($28,053,018.60)

Reporting Period: Biennium 2009-2011 01 SALARIES AND WAGES: $8, 612, 511.00∣$ 12,576,477.87 | $372, 756.74∣$ 12,576,477.87 02 CONTRACT PERS.SERVICES: $73, 798.00∣$ 90,470.00 | $1.00∣$ 90,470.00 03 OTHER CONTRACTUAL SERV: $2, 558, 875.64∣$ 1,683,820.98 | $806, 926.39∣$ 1,683,820.98 04 TRAVEL: $408, 047.00∣$ 570,557.45 | $0.00∣$ 570,557.45 05 SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS: $1, 593, 649.14∣$ 1,021,843.59 | $1, 851.00∣$ 1,021,843.59 06 EQUIPMENT: $1, 656, 648.00∣$ 5,978,492.43 | $439, 764.85∣$ 5,978,492.43 07 RETIREMENT & BENEFITS: $1, 711, 957.00∣$ 2,426,414.67 | $92, 044.86∣$ 2,426,414.67 08 GRANTS & SUBSIDIES: $643, 547.00∣$ 965,023.91 | $0.00∣$ 965,023.91 21 COST TRANSFERS: $0.00∣ ($ 4,037,988.78) | $0.00∣ ($ 4,037,988.78) 22 COST SHAR.(G&C ACCTG.): $0.00∣$ 40,332.66 | $0.00∣$ 40,332.66 25 INDIRECT COST: $3, 304, 847.23∣$ 2,965,409.76 | $2, 792, 537.08∣$ 2,965,409.76 36 ADVANCE BUDGET: $255, 000.00∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 37 RESTR.FDS(G&C ACCTG.): $107, 302.98∣$ 0.00 | $27, 961.22∣$ 0.00 38 UNALLOCATD EXPEND BUDG: $1, 035, 013.64∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 40 PRIOR BIEN UNEXPEN BUD: $7, 182, 255.02∣$ 0.00 | $0.00∣$ 0.00 TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $29, 143, 451.65∣$ 24,280,854.54 | $4, 533, 843.14∣$ 24,280,854.54 TOTAL DIRECT COSTS: $25, 838, 604.42∣$ 21,315,444.78 | $1, 741, 306.06∣$ 21,315,444.78 TOTAL FAC. & ADMIN. COSTS: $3, 304, 847.23∣$ 2,965,409.76 | $2, 792, 537.08∣$ 2,965,409.76 TOTAL REVENUE: $0.00∣ ($ 15,933,628.37) | | ($28,581,307.46)

Appendix C: Faculty by Rank and CV Profiles

APPENDIX C FACULTY BY RANK (Note: Emeritus faculty are not listed)

Professors:

BREIDENTHAL, Robert
BRUCKNER, Adam
HERMANSON, Jim
HOLSAPPLE, Keith
JARBOE, Tom
KUROSAKA, Mitsuru
LIN, Kuen
LIVNE, Eli
MESBAHI, Mehran
SHUMLAK, Uri

Associate Professors:

DABIRI, Dana
MORGANSEN-HILL, Kristi

Assistant Professors:

FERABOLI, Paolo
FERRANTE, Antonino
YOU, Sett

Research Faculty:

SLOUGH, John (Research Associate Professor)
MILROY, Richard (Research Professor)

Faculty CVs Included:

Robert Edward Breidenthal, Jr. (Ph.D. Caltech 1979; turbulent mixing, fluid mechanics, entrainment)
Adam P. Bruckner (Ph.D. Princeton 1972; space systems, ram accelerator, ISRU)
James C. Hermanson (Ph.D. Caltech 1985; combustion, multi-phase flow, compressible flow)
Keith A. Holsapple (Ph.D. UW 1966; impact cratering, planetary sciences, asteroid dynamics)
Thomas Richard Jarboe (Ph.D. UC Berkeley 1974; plasma physics, spheromaks, HIT-SI)
Mitsuru Kurosaka (Ph.D. Caltech 1968; propulsion, aeroacoustics, vortex dynamics, Ranque-Hilsch effect)
Kuen Y. Lin (Ph.D. MIT 1977; composite materials, damage tolerance, fracture mechanics)
Eli Livne (Ph.D. UCLA 1990; aeroelasticity, aeroservoelastic optimization, aircraft design)
Mehran Mesbahi (Ph.D. USC 1996; networked distributed systems, graph theory, control optimization)
Uri Shumlak (Ph.D. UC Berkeley 1992; computational plasma physics, fusion energy, Z-pinch)
Dana Dabiri (Ph.D. UC San Diego 1992; DPIV, DPITV, fluid dynamics)
Kristi A. Morgansen (Ph.D. Harvard 1999; bio-inspired flight, nonlinear control, autonomous multivehicle systems)
Paolo Feraboli (Ph.D. UCSB 2005; composite materials, crashworthiness, lightning strike, ACSL)
Antonino Ferrante (Ph.D. UC Irvine 2004; computational fluid dynamics, turbulence modeling, DNS/LES)
Setthivoine You (Ph.D. Imperial College London 2002; plasma physics, fusion energy, astrophysical jets)

Appendix D: Existing Program Review: HEC Board Summary

APPENDIX D EXISTING PROGRAM REVIEW: HEC BOARD SUMMARY

Name of unit: Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics Name of school/college: College of Engineering Degree title(s): BSAAE, MSAA, MSAE, PhD Year of last review: 2001 Current date: November 1, 2011

A. Documentation of Continuing Need: Washington State requires a workforce trained in aerospace engineering that significantly exceeds current university production capacity. The Washington Council on Aerospace recommends establishing a Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation to advance technologies and fund joint UW-WSU research.

B. Assessment Information and Learning Outcomes: Comprehensive assessment tools include course evaluations, CIDR feedback, exams, grades, publications, conference presentations, awards, and entrance/exit surveys.

C. Program Productivity Data (2008-2011):

FTE Instructional Faculty: 16.26 (08-09), 16.00 (09-10), 16.23 (10-11)
FTE Teaching Assistants: 6.12 (08-09), 3.73 (09-10), 5.23 (10-11)
BSAAE Headcount Enrolled: 112 (08-09), 116 (09-10), 116 (10-11); Degrees Granted: 39, 51, 39
MSAA Headcount Enrolled: 62, 65, 66; Degrees Granted: 26, 26, 20
MSAE (including MSAE-CMS) Enrolled: 25, 24, 26; Degrees Granted: 6, 7, 4
PhD Headcount Enrolled: 37, 35, 39; Degrees Granted: 3, 6, 4

Appendix E: Enrollment and Graduation Statistics

APPENDIX E ENROLLMENT AND GRADUATION STATISTICS

Summary of Ten-Year Trends (2001-2011):

Undergraduate enrollment rose to 140 students by 2011-2012 (approx. 29% above 2000-2007 average).
Graduate enrollment expanded from 76 students (2000-2001) to 150 students (Autumn 2011), driven heavily by distance learning (35% of graduate enrollment) and growth in PhD numbers (to 47 in 2011).
Diversity: URM undergraduate enrollment at 4%, female undergraduate enrollment at 12%. Graduate URM enrollment reached 10% (from 1% in 2001), and female graduate enrollment reached 16% (from 13% in 2001).
Placement: 57% of BSAAE graduates and 43% of MSAA/PhD graduates enter industry directly; 34% of BSAAE pursue graduate school; 43% of PhDs enter industry, 35% take postdoctoral appointments, and 5% take faculty positions immediately upon graduation.
Exit surveys indicate high overall program satisfaction ratings averaging 4.0/5.0 for Master’s and 4.05/5.0 for PhD graduates.

Appendix F: Visiting Committee

APPENDIX F VISITING COMMITTEE Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics University of Washington

Members:

Dana Andrews, Chief Technology Officer (Ret.), Andrews Space
Belinda A. Batten, Professor and Department Head, Oregon State University
Brian J. Cantwell, Edward C. Wells Professor of Engineering, Stanford University
Bonnie Dunbar, Executive Director, Wings Over Washington / Museum of Flight
Kourosh Hadi, Chief, Product Development - 747/777/787/767/737 Derivatives, The Boeing Company
Sharon A. Heise, Associate Director, Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition
Alan G. Miller, Director of Technology Integration, 787 Program, Boeing Commercial Airplane Co.
Earll Murman, Professor Emeritus, A&A Dept., MIT
Roger Myers, Deputy Lead for Space Launch Systems, Aerojet-General Corp.
Randall L. Peeters, Vice President, Gencorp Aerojet (Ret)
R. Byron Pipes, NAE, IVA, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Purdue University
John T. Quinlivan, Board President, Future of Flight
Helen Reed, Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University
John Roundhill, Vice President (Ret.), Product Strategy and Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Steve Sliwa, President and CEO, Insitu, Inc.
William W. Smith, Former President (Ret.), PRIMEX Aerospace & Electronics Division

Appendix G: Peer-Evaluation Process

APPENDIX G A&A DEPARTMENT PEER-EVALUATION PROCESS Policy and Procedures for Peer Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness and Student Learning (Adopted 2/8/91, Amended 3/1/00)

Overview:

Review Committee: 3-4 Professors or Associate Professors appointed by Department Chair for 3-year staggered terms.
Frequency: Assistant Professors evaluated quarterly (mini-review) and annually (full review); Associate Professors evaluated annually; Full Professors evaluated at least once every three years.
Dossier Requirements: Course records, outlines, sample exams/homework, student evaluations, instructor self-evaluations, and teaching workshop records.
Outcome: One-page report to Department Chair detailing strengths and areas for improvement, utilized in merit, promotion, and tenure reviews.

Appendix H: Alumni Achievements, Awards, and Student Honors

APPENDIX H ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS

Distinguished Alumni:

Dennis Muilenburg (MS 90): President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann (BS 81): Test pilot and captain of 747-400 and 777; commercial jet nonstop distance record holder
Lars Anderson (BS 68): VP of 777 Product Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Scott Crossfield (BS 49, MS 50): First pilot to fly twice the speed of sound; National Aviation Hall of Fame
George Jeffs (BS 45, MS 48): VP of Rockwell; Apollo Program director; Presidential Medal of Freedom
Louis B. Gratzer (BS 44, MS 51, PhD 68): Senior VP of Aviation Partners, Inc. (API); inventor of blended winglets
Joe Sutter (BS 43): Chief Engineer / “Father of the Boeing 747”; National Medal of Technology
Astronaut Alumni: Greg C. Johnson (BS 77), John Fabian (PhD 84), Jim Dutton (MS 94), Dominic Antonelli (MS 02)

Alumni Entrepreneurs:

Benjamin Triplett (PhD 08): Co-founder of Sector 7G Systems
Bill Vaglienti (BS 96): Co-founder of Cloud Cap Technology
Jason Andrews (BS 94): Founder, President & CEO of Andrews Space, Inc.

Selected Student Awards:

NSF Graduate Research Fellows: Brian Hinson, Keon Vereen, Kristina Wang (2011), Jens von der Linden (HM, 2010)
DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellow: Noah Reddell (2011)
William E. Boeing Fellowship: Philip Gray (2011)
Lincoln Laboratory Fellowship: Jonathan Wrobel (2010-11)

Appendix I: Course Changes 2001-2011

APPENDIX I COURSE CHANGES 2001-2011

Summary of Key Curriculum Updates:

Controls: Introduced/renamed AA/EE/ME 549 (State Estimation & Kalman Filtering), AA/EE/ME 578 (Optimization in System Sciences), AA/EE/ME 582 (Discrete Event Systems), AA/EE/ME 583 (Nonlinear Control Systems), AA/EE/ME 585 (System ID & Adaptive Control), AA/EE/ME 593 (Feedforward Control), AA/EE/ME 594 (Robust Control), AA/EE/ME 597 (Networked Dynamic Systems), AA/EE 570 (Manifolds & Geometry), AA 580 (Geometric Methods).
Fluids & Propulsion: Introduced AA/ME 503 (Continuum Mechanics), restructured AA/ME 507 (Fluid Mechanics), AA 508 (Turbulence), AA 543 (Computational Fluid Dynamics), AA 544 (Turbulence Modeling & Simulation).
Plasma: Added AA 545 (Computational Methods for Plasmas), AA 560 (Plasma Diagnostics).
Structures: Added AA 533 (Materials & Processing Technology of Aero Composites), AA 534 (Integrity of Composite Aircraft Structures), AA 538 (Structural Optimization).
Undergraduate/Cross-Disciplinary: Revamped AA 210 (Statics), AA 260 (Thermodynamics taken over from ChemE), AA 320 (Aerospace Instrumentation lab), AA 470/INDE 470 (Systems Engineering), AA 496 (Undergraduate Seminar expanded to lower division), AA 299/499 (Undergraduate Research), retired AA 101 and AA 308/309.

Appendix J: Washington Council on Aerospace Report (February 7, 2011)

APPENDIX J WASHINGTON COUNCIL ON AEROSPACE REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE (February 7, 2011)

Executive Summary & Key Recommendations:

Expand Engineering Education Capacity: Annual state investment of $5.0 M ($ 3.5M to UW, $1.5M to WSU) to add 260 engineering student FTEs and produce 98 additional engineering degrees annually to close the aerospace industry talent gap.
Create a Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (CATI): State support of $3 M / y e a r ($ 6M/biennium) to fund collaborative, industry-leveraged applied aerospace research at UW and WSU in composites, UAVs, biofuels, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.
Tax Credit for Aerospace Apprenticeships: Propose $5,000 tax incentive for employers hiring registered apprentices through the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC).
Workforce Training & Supply Chain Support: Maintain competitiveness, support community and technical college aerospace training centers, advance aviation biofuels, and coordinate K-12 STEM initiatives.

Appendix K: Strategic Plan (February 2009)

APPENDIX K STRATEGIC PLAN - DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS (Adopted February 2009)

Five Key Strategic Goals:

Goal 1: Establish a recognized high level of research productivity, funding, and quality.
- Targets: Median faculty research expenditures >= $250k/year; >= 2 archival journal publications/year/faculty; all faculty submitting >= 2 research proposals/year; >= 2 journal articles per PhD graduate.
Goal 2: Significantly increase national and international recognition.
- Targets: Top 12 U.S. News & World Report ranking; lead PIs in MURI/IGERT awards; add new federal research centers; recruit world-class diverse faculty; add at least two state-funded faculty positions.
Goal 3: Create leading-edge undergraduate and graduate education programs.
- Targets: 90% placement within 3 months; require 2 quarters research or internship/co-op for undergraduates; implement Direct Freshman Admission; increase URM enrollment by 50%; upgrade laboratories.
Goal 4: Achieve a leading partnership role with aerospace and other industry.
- Targets: Preferred University Status with Boeing, Aerojet, etc.; expand industry affiliate programs and endowed research partnerships.
Goal 5: Significantly increase endowment funding.
- Targets: Secure new endowed chairs/professorships, full fellowships, and department naming opportunities.