<p>I’m wondering if any Aerospace Eng majors can chime in. My son is applied under that major. I notice UAH is closer to NASA and has more ties I would assume. How does that differentiate the two programs. Thank you for any information. I do know lots of people put down UAH that is it a commuter type school, where everyone leaves on weekends. So thats why its off our list at this time. But I thought this after seeing UAH in this months issue of Popular Science.</p>
<p>My son is aero-eng’g major (2016). I don’t know much about UAH, but I can certainly tell you about UA! My son chose UA over more well-known schools for a variety of reasons. (Even the stingiest of these other schools gave him their substantial OOS Presidential scholarships, so it is not all about the money.) In a nutshell, UA’s core values were in line with his - UA’s community spirit and sense of giving back and paying it forward are important things to him. The UA campus and the aero-eng’g program at UA were a much more comfortable fit for him than larger schools (or schools with larger programs, that is). He looks forward to the one-on-one attention that this program will be able to offer him (since it is small). Yet it is growing, and possibly growing exponentially. Look forward to many positive things happening in the next few years at UA! </p>
<p>PM me if you want specific info. Be sure and include what other schools your student is interested in and whether you’ve visited UA and other schools. If you have not yet visited, I do not want to bias you in any way - you just have to come down and see the magic for yourself. Then you can compare apples-to-apples… </p>
<p>ANY accredited aero-eng’g program/school is worth attending, since ABET standards are the same…the curriculum is the same…UA just happens to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest continuously accredited aero-eng’g school (since1937). Here is a link w/ the history of the Aero Dept at UA: [History</a> - About the Department - Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics - The College of Engineering - UA](<a href=“http://aem.eng.ua.edu/about/history/]History”>Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama – Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics | The University of Alabama) Click on the link at the bottom of the page for the full article - a bit dated now, but still worth reading.</p>
<p>I have worked very closely with the aerospace engineering department and its affiliated research centers at UAH for quite some time; I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about them. As you mentioned, UAH does have significant ties to NASA due to its location and provides many excellent opportunities to receive experience in the aerospace industry. However, you are also correct in saying that it is more of a commuter university than a traditional experience. Since I graduated, UAH has made significant progress in fostering a more traditional atmosphere, but it is still not the same as a school like UA.</p>
<p>In regards to aerospace experience, I was able to participate in many NASA projects and events during my undergraduate education at UAH. In particular, the UAH space hardware club was an organization that I found myself involved in quite often. The club is extremely well known in Huntsville and develop projects that are often launched by NASA into orbit. They have even made the news several times as well! You may check out their website at: <a href=“https://sites.google.com/site/uahshc/[/url]”>https://sites.google.com/site/uahshc/</a> </p>
<p>The IPT program is also an excellent opportunity to get involved. The program is run and operated by several ex-NASA employees who provide hands on experience to students in developing complex launch systems during their senior year in the program. It is a two semester long project that encompasses students from multiple disciplines, universities, and skill sets in order to develop and prove these launch systems are successful. In fact, students are actually asked several times during the project to prove to various NASA engineers that their designs are accurate. I have met the individuals who run the program many times and they are extremely devoted in helping students learn; I would highly recommend the program. Their website is still in development, but can be found here: [IPT@UAH</a> | Integrated Product Teams - Senior design, redesigned.](<a href=“http://ipt.uah.edu/]IPT@UAH”>http://ipt.uah.edu/)</p>
<p>In regards to the article you read, that was the Propulsion Research Center at UAH. I did not work with them as much as the other two programs, but they develop and test new propulsion methods and provide experience in launching rockets. You may find their website at here: [UAH</a> Propulsion Research Center](<a href=“http://uahpropulsionresearch.com/]UAH”>http://uahpropulsionresearch.com/)</p>
<p>UAH also has many other aerospace opportunities as well. Most recently, UAH has begun working on nuclear fusion impulse rocket engines. A small article about their work can be found here:</p>
<p>[‘Star</a> Trek’ fusion impulse engine in the works | Crave - CNET](<a href=“http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57523867-1/star-trek-fusion-impulse-engine-in-the-works/]'Star”>'Star Trek' fusion impulse engine in the works - CNET)</p>
<p>If you have any other questions, please let me know.</p>
<p>Wow two amazing replies!!! I’m going to talk with my S and we’ll come up with some really good questions. Might look into UAH a little more thoroughly now before not having it on our list. UA has already been applied to and accepted. Thank you tons for your answers! This actually just creates more questions in our heads. But we’ll distill through them and PM you our specific questions.</p>