成人头条 has a perfect blend of research and internship opportunities, reasonably sized classes and state-of-the-art laboratories, said engineering graduate student Kevin Kelly.
鈥淭here aren鈥檛 many other places where undergraduate freshmen can work side-by-side with Ph.D. researchers or industry professionals,鈥� Kelly said.
Those opportunities are usually reserved for graduate students.
During his freshman year, Kelly was elected treasurer for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Events Chair during his sophomore year.
He was also the WSU Wallace Scholars president as a junior and senior.
Kelly received the Wallace scholarship by competing in the Wallace Scholarship Invitational in high school. He was awarded the Textron Merit scholarship available to National Merit Finalists who are family members of Textron employees.
He also received the National Merit scholarship and the Super Shocker scholarship based on his test scores and academic performance.
Kelly and his Aerospace Design team competed in the international Design/Build/Fly competition in Tucson, Ariz. during the final year of his undergraduate work. The team received the Design Engineering Technical Committee鈥檚 Best Paper award.
He participated in designing, developing and testing a microgravity research aircraft. And he flew his craft aboard NASA鈥檚 plane, the Weightless Wonder, which maneuvers in ways so passengers can experience reduced gravity.
Kelly interned with Cessna Aircraft Co.鈥檚 Advanced Design Configuration Development group during the summer of 2008.
He has worked at the Walter H. Beech Memorial Wind Tunnel at WSU鈥檚 National Institute for Aviation Research for more than four years.
He is responsible for developing test mount equipment, installing and maintaining equipment, conducting tests, data analysis and interacting with clients and tour groups.
He said his time at the wind tunnel has promoted his learning and personal growth and is conducive to his academic endeavors and opportunities for graduate research.
鈥淲SU has provided me with a plethora of unique and exciting opportunities throughout my undergraduate years,鈥� Kelly said.
Kelly graduated summa cum laude last spring with a Bachelors of Science in aerospace engineering. He began his graduate coursework this fall.
He said the coursework at WSU is challenging but 鈥渨orth it when you get to contribute to one of society鈥檚 greatest technological advances.鈥�
Most of the challenge comes from making time to get everything done, he said.
Kelly chose to stay at WSU during his graduate studies because this is where he 鈥渦ltimately wanted to end up鈥� and because of the wealth of job opportunities available, despite the economy.
鈥淲SU was familiar to me, offered great scholarships and hosted an amazing aerospace program,鈥� he said.
Scott Miller, aerospace engineering professor and chairperson, said prior to the economic downturn, aerospace engineering was the hot place to be.
He expects that, once the economy rebounds, aerospace will be a hot place again.
For his master鈥檚 studies, Kelly will work with the CATIA CAD software, a digital product development system used by local aircraft manufacturers to gain more experience with processes that assist, enhance and expedite aerospace design development.
He is focusing on aerodynamics and would like to research renewable energy as a part of his master鈥檚 work, as well.
Kelly wants a career in aerospace design process automation. He wants to work on developing and programming computerized tools to increase productivity and decrease costs.