Hume Center for National Security and Technology

Manufacturing Engineering Education Program (MEEP)

About MEEP

This program isfounded on an award fromthe Office of Naval Research (ONR)/Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD)from the Manufacturing Engineering Education Program -MEEP. The premise of the Hume Centeraward is built oneducation and research into the design, fabrication and production of embedded/conformal antennas, arrays, radomes, related structures and related objectives. Our approach is to produce a curriculum that is multidisciplinary and includes design and analysis methods for these electromagnetic structures as well as materials, composites and the application of 3D printing to applied electromagnetics. We intend to recruitelectrical engineering students into the electromagnetics field and to instructall participating engineering students in the requirements, considerations and art of functional aerospace composites. In support of this objective, we are creatingseveral cross-disciplinary classes (undergrad and graduate) and have established teams of undergraduate/graduate researchers working outside the classroom. These students will gain a broad perspective on integrating antennas and other functional devices into composites. The VT team includes electrical, chemical, structural, materials, industrial, and mechanical engineering students and faculty.

Animportant aspect of the program is to create a workforce pipeline aligned with the needs of the DOD community (industry and government). To support this and keep it relevant to actual defense community needs, we areconstructing a consortium where members are involved with student research, projects and curriculumand can recruit interns and new employees earlyin their schooling. We are also developing related short courses for employee professional development (new employees in particular) in composites, materials and electromagnetics: antennas, arrays, radomes, FSS and their creation with 3D printing and integration with composites.