South Dakota
Mines has two new minors for students interested in working in the booming
avionics or aerospace industries.
The
new minors, offered through the mechanical and electrical engineering departments,
give students a range of courses needed to excel in fast growing companies like
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, and Virgin Galactic. Mines graduates are also
frequently employed by NASA, and these new minors empower students to quickly
become in-demand leaders in any branch of the aerospace industry.
Aerospace Engineering
Pierre
Larochelle, Ph.D., the department head of mechanical engineering at Mines,
helped build the new aerospace minor with specialized courses like aerospace structures, rockets and
propulsion, and space flight mechanics.
“It’s a very
exciting time to be in aerospace,” says Larochelle. “Our nation’s aerospace
companies are working with NASA to colonize the moon and Mars while also
working to reduce the carbon footprint of commercial air travel here on earth. Mines
graduates with the aerospace engineering minor will be well prepared to tackle
these challenges and lead us into this exciting future. “
Mines’
mechanical engineering students who complete the aerospace engineering minor also
immediately qualify for a second minor in systems engineering. This highly
sought-after skillset enables engineers to understand and build very complex
machines like spacecraft and passenger jets.
Avionics
Mines’ new avionics minor, offered though the
Department of Electrical Engineering, gives students unique skills needed to
succeed in the rapidly growing avionics branch of the aerospace industry.
Scott Rausch, an instructor of electrical
engineering, spent decades in the avionics industry and help designed the new
curriculum with industry needs in mind. Course topics in the new minor
include avionics systems and development, robotic control systems, and wireless
communications.
Part of the avionics minor employs the university’s
fully-equipped flight simulator, which can mimic a wide range of military and
civilian aircraft. Students have opportunity to build components for the flight
simulator, such as collision avoidance software and aircraft detection
systems. This kind of hands-on experience is valuable for industry.
“We want students to use this minor to build into
company internships and specialized senior design projects tailored directly to
industry needs. This way the students can have that golden experience with a
specific hands-on experience that no one else in the country has. This makes
their resume stand out and this new engineer hits the ground running in their
first job,” says Rausch.
Both the avionics and
aerospace engineering minors at South Dakota Mines are open to students of any
major. The programs have generated a great deal of interest on campus with
dozens of students are already enrolled, and many more are expected to join in
the coming years.