Wichita State University hosted Lieutenant General L. Neil Thurgood and representatives
from the U.S. Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office on July 10
for discussions and tours of National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) laboratories.
LTG Thurgood is the director for Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisition
in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. He and his team met with WSU
Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer John Tomblin and NIAR researchers
to discuss future Army needs related to advanced materials.
They toured NIAR headquarters, the NIAR Aircraft Structural Test and Evaluation Center
in Park City and the 3DEXPERIENCE Center, a partnership with Dassault Systèmes, in
WSU’s Experiential Engineering Building.
The WSU visit also included a lunch and discussion with Wichita State’s Senior Reserve
Officer Training Corps (ROTC) team, Shocker Battalion. The ROTC program is new to
WSU this fall.
The team also met with representatives from Spirit AeroSystems and toured the production
facilities.
Spirit and the U.S. Army are integral partners in NIAR’s new Advanced Technology Laboratory
for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS), which investigates the development of manufacturing
protocols for automated fiber placement and automated tape laying for aircraft structures.
NIAR recently announced a $33 million contract from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities
Development Command Aviation & Missile Center for a project focused on emerging materials
for high-speed missile applications.
The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the
greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly
15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas
of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and
12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation
Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use
areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to
the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on
Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.
