ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) has announced the establishment of the new Office of Naval Research (ONR) Vertical Takeoff and Landing and Rotary Wing (VTOL/RW) Chair in the Academy’s aerospace engineering department.
The Chair, established through a Memorandum of Understanding between ONR and USNA, will focus on the area of VTOL/RW engineering, technology, education and research at the prestigious military institution.
Funded directly by ONR for the next five years beginning with the 2008-2009 academic year, ONR and USNA will jointly manage this cooperative relationship. Beginning with the 2009 spring semester, the Academy will appoint a research professor to serve as the ONR VTOL/RW Chair to oversee planning and execution of the objectives specified in the agreement.
The faculty member will also be responsible for teaching classes to Midshipmen; developing laboratory exercises; conducting or overseeing VTOL/RW research projects; and facilitating seminars, visits and lectures by experts in the field from the Navy and other organizations.
According to Aerospace Department Chairman and Professor Gabriel Karpouzian, the new Chair “…will benefit the Midshipmen in preparing them for flying rotorcraft in the Navy and Marine Corps. As many as 45% of Navy pilots and 65% of Marine pilots will be flying rotorcraft in the near future. So this is a timely achievement thanks to the support by ONR.”
This cooperative agreement will further the long-term objectives of the Navy and Marine Corps and will directly benefit ONR by heightening the awareness of future Navy and Marine Corps officers in need of rotorcraft research and technology advancement.
For more information about the ONR VTOL/RW faculty position, contact the USNA media relations office by phone at (410) 293-2292 or by e-mail at mediarelations@usna.edu.