UTSI student receives ITEA scholarship, works with AEDC team on experiment

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  James Rogers, a second-year aerospace engineering graduate student at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI), got a pleasant surprise at a recent Arnold Professional Society lunch and learn event at the Arnold Lakeside Center.

Prior to a presentation from Ted Fecke, Senior Leader for Propulsion at Wright-Patterson AFB, the UTSI student was presented with a scholarship check.

Tom Best, AEDC's technical director of plans and programs, who presented Rogers with the check from the Volunteer chapter of International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA), said, "I was glad to restart the tradition we had in the past of awarding scholarships to UTSI students. ITEA is strong in supporting testing and evaluation education through short courses, conference tutorials and chapter scholarships."

"ITEA encourages college students to choose a career in test and evaluation and the scholarships are a way to do that."

Rogers, who is helping with an experiment being conducted at AEDC's Space and Missiles Test Division through the UTSI Task Order Contract, said he can trace his interest in engineering back to his childhood.

"Ever since I was little, outer space and building things like Legos® seemed to be the things I liked the most," said the Columbia, Tenn. native. "[Initially] I went to college at Tennessee Tech and was studying physics, and astronomy, but it wasn't really clicking for me. I think I just really wanted to build something. [With] engineering, it finally seemed to click for me, that's what I want to do and aerospace engineering really seemed to be calling me because it's involved with space."

Rogers added, "Being an engineer is probably what I should have been doing from the beginning. My dad is a chemical engineer and my mom was a draftsman before I was born; so I guess it just sort of runs in my blood somewhere."

Rogers credits his father with giving the final push for the young man to return to school.

"At first I wasn't thinking about grad school and then I was thinking well, I'll just float around for awhile, but my dad said, 'You need to go to grad school.'"

Dr. Trevor Moeller, Rogers' adviser and instructor, explained how his student became involved with a project at AEDC.

"There's an experiment that we're working in the ultra high vacuum [chamber] there," he said. "James came to UTSI from Tennessee Tech and he had good grades, letters of recommendation and I had an opportunity for somebody to work on that project at AEDC and James was available under a UTSI research assistantship."

Dr. Moeller was particularly impressed with the way Rogers approached the work with confidence and didn't hesitate to contribute in any way he could.

"James was highly motivated and didn't shy away from challenges and unknowns," Dr. Moeller said. "He wasn't afraid to try and tackle things and nothing ever goes perfectly, but James seemed to bounce back pretty well.

"I like working with students who don't need to be micromanaged, you give them a task and they work towards the goal and report to what their finding is as they go along. He fits these qualities very well. Out of all of my students currently working on experiments, I thought he was the most deserving of a nomination."

Dr. Heard Lowry, an ATA technical fellow for space sensors, is heading up the project with help from Rogers and another student, who are playing a crucial role in the design and development of the experiment.

"The purpose of the experiment was to learn ways to limit the deposition of contaminants, including water vapor, on optical and mechanical surfaces in the cryo-vacuum space simulation chambers," Dr. Lowry explained. "James and another graduate student, Jesse Labello, supported all of the setup and test work.

"Education is more than just book learning and solving application problems on paper. The experience gained by participating in actual experimentation and test activities is vital to bringing the students successfully from the classroom into the workplace. It will allow them to 'hit the ground running' and give them confidence in the environment of their new job."