2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

With the booming SpaceX in Boca Chica and other aerospace companies in the region, South Texas has a strong and fast-growing need for a qualified workforce in aerospace engineering despite COVID-19 concerns and is becoming the next Cape Canaveral of the 21st century. However, there is no community college or 4-yr university in South Texas offering an aerospace engineering undergraduate or graduate program. To promote aerospace engineering and increase students’ interest in aerospace engineering in South Texas, a minority serving institution offered a three-week virtual summer research program in Summer 2021 focusing on aerospace engineering. The virtual setting of the summer research program allows reaching to much larger student populations in South Texas including those who cannot commute or cannot attend in-person due to part-time jobs or other responsibilities related to their families. Nineteen students from different STEM majors were recruited from both community colleges (9 students) and 4-yr universities (10 students), including 16 Hispanic students. The students were divided into four teams. Each team worked together to complete a research project in three weeks with the guidance of a faculty member and a graduate student. Each team met at least once a day and completed two progress presentations, one final project presentation, and a written project report. In addition, webinars and professional development training were also provided during the three weeks. The topics of the four research projects are 1) Airworthiness and System Safety, 2) Distributed Propulsion/Engine Vehicle Concepts, 3) Computer Simulation of Aerospace Systems with Animation, and 4) Re-design of UAV Airplane to Fly on Mars. The paper will discuss the detailed design of the 3-week virtual research program. It will also provide the detailed design of the four research projects. A post-survey was conducted to collect students’ feedback on the program and the research projects. The results of the survey and the impact of the program and the research projects on students’ interests and knowledge in aerospace engineering will be discussed. The challenges and experiences will also be discussed, including the preparation of students from different backgrounds and possible distractions of the virtual environment.