The Department of Defense has launched the Aerospace Education Research and Innovation Center (AERIC) at historically Black Tuskegee University in Alabama. AERIC will support undergraduate research in materials and aerospace sciences relevant to the Department of Defense and the aerospace industry.
AERIC is devoted to expanding the future aerospace technical workforce with a particular focus on underrepresented populations in the United States. To help fill the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pipeline, AERIC will support two-year research projects in the areas of fatigue damage tolerance, experimental aerodynamics, and the performance of materials and components under extreme environmental conditions.
Located in Tuskegee University’s engineering department, AERIC aims to grow the aerospace technical workforce through a speaker series with Department of Defense staff and summer internship placements at defense laboratories.
Jagadeesh Pamulapati, director of the Office of Research, Technology, and Laboratories at the Department of Defense, stated that “HBCUs serve the nation by educating a significant number of talented scientists and engineers. By supporting HBCUs and MSIs, we are cultivating a research enterprise that broadens idea sharing while expanding the pool of reliable STEM professionals able to meet both our mission and our workforce objectives.”
