Aerospace Explorer--First-Year Seminar

Catalog description

First-Year Seminar explores aerodynamics, structural mechanics, flight mechanics, rotorcraft systems, high performance computers, air/space propulsion, and space systems. AERSP 1 Aerospace Explorer--First-Year Seminar (1) (FYS)Aerospace Engineering deals with vehicles that fly -- airplanes, sailplanes, jets, helicopters, rockets, satellites, the space shuttle, space stations, etc. Students with an interest in these subjects can learn more about the variety of challenges and opportunities in the aerospace field through the small-class environment of the Aerospace Explorer First-Year Seminar.An introduction to both the academic major and career paths in Aerospace Engineering, this seminar deals with the design, analysis and operation of aircraft and space vehicles. Students will learn about aerodynamics, structural mechanics, flight mechanics, rotorcraft systems, high performance computers, air-breathing propulsion, space propulsion, and space systems. The classes will include presentations by the Aerospace Engineering faculty, tours of the Aerospace Engineering laboratories, and presentations by student officers in the Penn State chapters of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the American Helicopter Society (AHS), as well as introductions to the use of scientific plotting, graphing, and analysis software.