For release September 27, 2005
Thirteen engineering students from The University of Tennessee
at Martin got a look at graduate school opportunities during a
recent tour of research facilities at The UT Space Institute.
Dr. Rich Helgeson, Chair of Martin’s Engineering Department, and
Associate Professor Dr. Robert A. (Bob) LeMaster, a 1983
graduate of UTSI, accompanied the students. LeMaster lived in
Estill Springs while earning his Ph.D. at the Institute and
working at Arnold Engineering Development Center.
Joining her former classmates on the tour was Ashley Owens, who
after graduating at UT Martin in May, entered the Space
Institute as a candidate for a master’s degree in mechanical
engineering. She helped arrange the tour.
“I love this place,” Owens said. “I like that my professors have
been here for a long time. I feel lucky sitting in their
lectures.”
Professor Roy Schulz and Jim Goodman, manager of research labs,
led the tour for the visitors who earlier had been to Arnold
Engineering Development Center. Dr. K.C. Reddy, acting dean of
academic affairs, also welcomed them.
The group visited the lab where a GE J85 afterburning turbojet
engine is available for private industry and the U.S. Air Force
to use as a test bed for exhaust gas emissions sensor
development, afterburner research, and component life-cycle
studies, among others. Schulz said such tests at UTSI are far
less costly than in some other facilities.
At the Center for Laser Applications, Goodman showed examples
surfaces of various metals that UTSI’s Laser Induced Surface
Improvement (LISI) process had improved for increased wear
resistance and reduced mechanical stresses. He also pointed out
how lasers are used to “mark” various kinds of tools, including
surgical instruments, for permanent identification.
While visiting UTSI’s large vacuum chamber in the Center for
Laser Applications, where space propulsion thrusters and other
space simulation studies are performed, Schulz told about the
Institute’s continuing research program in electromagnetic and
chemical propulsion, which is tied to UTSI’s internationally
known short course programs.
These short courses and similar graduate study course in
aeronautical and mechanical engineering, have been offered to
both full-time and off-campus students for many years.
“Now, some of our graduates return as lecturers for our short
courses,” Schulz said. “This is part of our historical legacy.”
An important and unique feature of the Space Institute, Schulz
says, “is the amount of personal attention that the students can
get, which provides a good background for their studies. This,
too, is one of our strengths.”
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Dr. Bob LeMaster, a graduate of UTSI and now an associate professor at UT Martin, joins students Daniel Hampton and Will Hollowell (center) in inspecting a jet engine.
-- UTSI Photos
Peering into UTSI’s vacuum chamber are UT-Martin students from left, Wesley Slone, Katie Childress, Derek Rose, and Jeff Mehan.
Ashley Owens, left, a new UTSI student, joins some of her former UT Martin students in examining a turbojet engine. With her are Jeff Mehan, Derek Rose, Dr. Rich Helgeson, Dallas Sanders, and Wesley Slone.
Dr. Roy Schulz, right, talks about UTSI’s various research facilities as Dr. Rich Helgeson, left, and some of his students, including Greg Pappard and Dallas Sanders listen. Ashley Owens, seated, formerly of UT Martin, is now a graduate student at the Institute.
Writer: Weldon Payne (931) 393-7222
wpayne@utsi.edu
