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International Master of Science

In Aerospace Engineering Sciences

A Joint US/EC Consortium

The IMS Program

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1  SUMMARY of the IMS Proposal

This proposal will entail the formation of an International Master of Science (IMS) Degree Program in Aerospace Engineering. Qualifying students at each participating university will assemble a personalized degree program, choosing course- and project modules from among the partner universities. Approximately one third of each student’s chosen modules will be taken in overseas institutions. The IMS Degree Program will include both coursework and research project work in Aerospace Engineering.

The title of the degree (intended to be common to all the participating institutions) will be International Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering and Research (IMS).  The duration of the course will be one-and-a-half years.

All students will be full time status, and each participating institution will engage a minimum of five students during the program of the course (Torino & Milano will count as one institution), representing a total enrollment of at least 40 students.

2  BACKGROUND

Aerospace engineering is a multidisciplinary branch of engineering that encompasses aspects of mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering in the development of large and complicated engineering projects.  The growth in the complexity of such projects in recent years is reflected in the enormous costs of the major aerospace projects.  This growth in the cost of aerospace projects has led to a concomitant trend towards executing such projects via multi-country collaborations.  Recent examples of such collaboration may be seen in the International Space Station, The Eurotiger Attack Helicopter, The Eurofighter, the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), large multinational consortia such as Rolls Royce-BMW, Fairchild-Dornier and many recent projects conducted by Ariane, Boeing, General Electric, and Airbus.

As a result, aerospace companies throughout Europe and North America are increasingly in need of project management engineers who are able to work in an international arena.  The engineers who will meet this need must be able to communicate well with their colleagues from other countries and other cultures, they must be sensitive to the cultural milieu in which overseas projects are pursued, and they must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the academic backgrounds of their international colleagues.  In addition, as such projects become more common throughout the world, tomorrow’s successful Aerospace Engineer must have international mobility, so that as personal professional opportunities arise in international projects, his professional and academic qualifications are recognized in the international community.  Tomorrow’s aerospace engineer will also need a broad understanding of the global markets driving the aerospace industry.

The aerospace industry is among the most successful industries in both the EC and the US.  To maintain its leading position it must change in response to technological, social, economical and political pressures and challenges.  In developed economies, a principal method of both instigating and adjusting to change is through education and training.  Thus a specific purpose of the IMS program is to promote the development, by further education, of competent technical managers and designers who are capable of managing collaborative EC-US projects in the context of the changes facing the global aerospace industry.

No such formal postgraduate degree scheme between the EC and the US in the field of aerospace engineering exists at present.  This should be seen as a shortcoming rather than a problem.  The IMS proposal directly addresses this shortcoming.  The IMS program will focus the attention of the worldwide organizations; institutions and individuals that are concerned with the technical and managerial development of engineers on the growing need to manage international collaborations efficiently.  The IMS program will be seen as an educational route for those who can take their places, with confidence, in an increasingly competitive and challenging international environment.  The implementation of the IMS proposal will thereby improve current practice in transatlantic cooperation.

The present proposal addresses these needs by establishing a formal International Master of Science (IMS) in Aerospace Engineering Degree Program.  The successful IMS graduate will demonstrate an ability to work in  foreign cultural and linguistic environments, and will complete a substantial part of his coursework in the overseas Universities.  The recognition of the IMS degree by the international consortia of universities responsible for the degree will further aid his ability to make both technical and managerial contributions to international aerospace projects.

It is recognized that the success of the IMS scheme depends upon the satisfaction of the IMS graduates and the sponsoring organizations, as well as the achievement of high academic and professional engineering standards.

3  OBJECTIVES

The activities carried out under the grant seek to:

1.      Provide expanded opportunity for overseas study to the students at participating universities.

2.      Promote contact between foreign university administrations, leading to a development of greater transatlantic   portability of advanced degrees in engineering.

3.      Produce a new degree that is equivalent in content across the universities of the EC and the US.

4.      Develop transferable curriculum modules at the participating universities.

5.      Produce Masters level graduates with an expanded awareness of the global workings of Aerospace Engineering.

4  THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM

The IMS program will extend over one-and-a-half academic years for each student.  The curriculum will be based upon coursework modules and individual research (design) project modules performed under the supervision of the faculty of the host university.  Coursework modules will be a collection of classes in a related discipline taught at one university.  Students will choose a subset of the classes taught under the module offered by their host institution to fill their schedule during a visit to the host university.  For example a student interested in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) might elect to study in Munich, and elect three or four class offerings in CFD and fluid mechanics from the CFD module at TUM.

Credit towards the IMS degree will be calculated in the measure of “credits.”  The assignment of course “credits” awarded under the IMS program will be determined by the consortia members in the first year of the grant, and throughout the program as adjustments to available modules are made.  The credit system to be developed will be modeled in a manner similar to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) already under development in the engineering faculties in most EC Universities.  The courses offered within the modules available at each partner institution, and the number of “credits” associated with each class, will be compiled each year in The IMS Module Content Catalogue, produced by the Universities of the joint consortia.  Award of the IMS degree will be contingent upon the student accruing sufficient Coursework and Project Module “credits” to satisfy the degree requirements of his home institution.

The particular modules that a student selects, and the classes selected within each module, will be approved by a home institution advisor in a pre-program advising session, prior to the student’s beginning any work on the IMS.  This guarantees that the home institution, which will certify the student’s IMS degree, maintains control of the student’s curriculum of study, meeting the academic requirements of the home and the host institution.  The student’s selected module schedule will then be approved in writing by both the home and the host institution.  The student’s module schedule will include provision for engineering coursework, any necessary language training, and the selection of a capstone research/project module.

The modules that are listed below represent a baseline approximation of the modules that would be available to students currently.  During the lifetime of the grant it is anticipated that both coursework and project modules will continue to evolve, reflecting technological progress and shifts in the research emphasis of the university departments in the consortia.

4.1       Coursework Modules

The coursework modules will be organized so that each participating partner in the US and the EC consortia will provide related sets of courses called modules.  Very broadly these modules are:

University of Glasgow:                                        Experimental Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics, Design Synthesis, System Engineering, Space System Engineering, and CFD Modules

Technische Universitat Munchen:                        Aeronautical Systems, Space Engineering, Flight Mechanics and Navigation, Propulsion, Aircraft Aerodynamics, and Structure Integration Modules

Politecnico di Milano:                                         Space Systems, Aeroelasticity, Structures, Spacecraft Design and Helicopter Aerodynamics Modules, also Environmental and Bioengineering Modules

Politecnico di Torino:                                         Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Experimental Fluid Dynamics, CFD, Space Dynamics, and Composite Structures Modules

Universidade da Beira Interior:                            Aerospace Materials, System and Control, Propulsion, Maintenance and Management, and Smart Structures Modules

University of Colorado, Boulder:                         Space Life Sciences and Life Support, and Space Hardware Design Modules

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs:          Space Hardware Design, Space Hardware Operations, and Manned Space Flight Operations Modules

North Carolina State University:              CFD, Aerodynamics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and Spacecraft Design Modules

4.2  Project/Research Modules

Project and research modules will serve as the capstone project that will permit students to cement the gains in knowledge they make in the coursework modules.  Not every student will be required to take a project or research module.   These modules will require 50-100% of the student’s time over the duration of the module, and will greatly enhance the student’s connection between coursework and engineering practice.  Project/Research Modules that will be developed are:

University of Glasgow:

Low Speed Aerodynamics, High Speed Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics, Safety Instrumentation and Systems, and Spacecraft Dynamics and Control Modules

Technische Universitat Munchen:

Performance and Cost Analysis of Space Transport Systems, Interplanetary Missions, Laboratory Space Mission Simulation, Flight Path Optimization, Flight Simulation and Active Control, Propulsion and Environment, Fluid Mechanics, and Data Acquisition Modules Environmental Engineering, CFD, Aeromechanics, and Space Mechanics Modules

Politecnico di Milano:

Space Systems, Aeroelasticity, Structures, Spacecraft Design and Helicopter Aerodynamics Modules, also Environmental and Bioengineering Modules

Universidade da Beira Interior:

Smart Structures, System and Control, Propulsion, Instrumentation and Systems, Flight Mechanics and Flight Control Modules

University of Colorado, Boulder:

Space Flight Hardware Design, and Space Flight Hardware Integration Modules, Instrumentation.

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs:

Remote Sensing, GPS, Spacecraft Design, Space Mission Operations Planning, Space Experiment Design, and Manned Operations Modules

North Carolina State University:

Aerodynamics, CFD-transition/turbulence, CFD-Adaptive grids, Flight Testing for RPVs, Spacecraft Design for Mars Missions Modules

4.3  Intensive Programs.

Intensive programs will be available in select topics, and will be scheduled around the broader IMS coursework and project modules so that student may attend these shorter courses without interrupting larger blocks of study.  These may cover the use of new software, new hardware or new experimental techniques in cases where such training may be useful to students in upcoming modules.

4.4  Language mastery.

Mastery of a foreign language skill will be a required element of the course for students.  Students will have to demonstrate conversational fluency in the language of their host country in order to qualify for mobility grants under the IMS proposal.  In cases in which a student’s language skills are judged insufficient by either the host or the home institution, the student will be required to improve his language skills through coursework at the home institution before traveling abroad.

Additional foreign language instruction will be provided by host institutions for all visiting students whose native language is different from that of the host country.  It is anticipated that in general these language courses will address advanced proficiency, rather than introductory level material.

4.5  Cultural Instruction

As part of the exchange program, students will receive cultural instruction in each host country.  Cultural instruction will address:

-         the general stages of the “culture shock” curve.

-         an overview of etiquette and customs specific to the host country.

-         a survival guide to the host country (bank accounts, taxes, immigration, work permits…).

-         an orientation to the university system of the host country.

-         an overview of the engineering traditions/history specific to the host country.

-         an introduction to the cultural activities/opportunities in the vicinity of the host institution.

5  STUDENTS

The International Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Research will benefit graduates in mathematics, science, environmental studies, or engineering based subjects.  Both immediate post-graduates and those currently employed in the aerospace industry will qualify by demonstrating a potential for personal development, both as students during the course and subsequently, in senior positions within Industry, both in their country of origin and abroad.  These entry conditions point to a potential student pool drawn from each year’s graduating class, and from those just beginning a career in aerospace engineering or a related sphere of activity.  Candidates who are employed will demonstrate a career potential which, in their own and their employer’s judgment, will be enhanced or accelerated by participation in the IMS course.

6  MANAGEMENT ROLES AND PROJECT ORGANIZATIONS

The project organizations will be organized as two consortia, one in the United States, one in the European Community.  Each consortium will have “lead” institution, The University of Glasgow in the EC consortium, and The University of Colorado at Boulder in the US Consortium.  (The project management structure is presented in Fig. 1.)   The program administrators of the lead institutions are Dr. George Morgenthaler and Dr. Michael Horner (University of Colorado) and Dr. Ladislav Smrcek (University of Glasgow).  These lead program administrators each have experience in international academic programs:

Dr. G. W. Morgenthaler: has been associated with international education since the First International Symposium on Human Exploration of Mars in 1963. Has chaired the IAA Subcommittee on International Exploration of Mars since 1991, and was elected a Lifetime Member of the International Academy of Astronautics in 1994.

Dr. M. B. Horner: Spent three years performing engineering research in Britain, worked with Dutch, German and Spanish fourth-year engineering students in carrying out capstone research projects, and is currently collaborating with a team of Chilean scientists in developing an educational life sciences payload for the Space Shuttle (STARS).

Dr. L. Smrcek: spearheaded the successful ERASMUS and TEMPUS programs linking instructional programs at the University of Glasgow with universities in other EC and former East Bloc countries.  Dr. Smrcek’s ties with institutions throughout the EC and the US have been instrumental in forming the two consortia of the present proposal.

These three program administrators at the lead institutions will be responsible for:

-         coordinating the activities of their respective consortia,

-         tracking the progress of the IMS program across their respective consortia,

-         distributing information on progress and hurdles to consortia members,

-         and performing longitudinal program evaluation

-         reporting progress to the grant’s funding agencies.

In addition, every University in each consortium will be involved in:

-         establishing the IMS postgraduate degree,

-         promoting the course offerings,

-         identifying and delivering the course and project modules that make up the IMS curriculum,

-         disseminating information about the degree to potential employers in aerospace,

-         recruitment of graduate students to participate in the IMS,

-         establishing student advising and matriculation procedures,

-         awarding the IMS degree to program students matriculated in the institution,

-         ensuring that full recognition of the project will be made by their institution, and by appropriate institutions.

In addition coordinating faculty members from every participating university will work with his central administration towards the certification of the new degree labeled “International Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering”.  In a case where the central administration is unable to accommodate a new degree title, graduates will receive the Master of Science degree with certification from the IMS Consortia Advisory Committee that this degree was earned in part under the direction of the IMS degree program in overseas universities.

Each participating university already offers postgraduate Aerospace Engineering courses on the Masters or Ph.D. level.  The nature of financial support for students varies from country to country.  In the past American students and their European colleagues did not have an established way to enter into “foreign” postgraduate degree courses, and were left on their own to make these arrangements.  This was, in many cases, difficult.  The proposed IMS program will address these problems and offer unique access into international postgraduate education.

The EC partners have been collaborating for nearly ten years on European Community programs such as ERASMUS (ref. ICP-1518), TEMPUS (ref. SJEP 09093), LEONARDO (ref. UK-95-3185), European Credit Transfer System (ref. CTS-95-UK0005/5), and earlier participation in COMETT,.   These programs usually involve student exchange modules within EC countries with full academic recognition of the student’s home institution.  The University of Glasgow’s Faculty of Engineering participated in the pilot study for the European credit transfer scheme organized by the European Community.

The US partners generally operate educational programs more independently.  The University of Colorado, Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the University of Colorado Springs (UCCS) are independent sister campuses in the University of Colorado system, but have not to date collaborated in engineering education.

Academics in both the EC and US consortia are actively involved in various international research programs. For example, the University of Glasgow is collaborating with the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory in research into unsteady aerodynamics, and the University of Colorado is working with microgravity scientists in Israel and South America in the field of gravitational biology..  While such research ties are common throughout academia, true international collaboration in education is very rare, due in part to the varying structure and sequence of the degree programs in different nations.

6.1  US Consortium Members

University of Colorado, Boulder:  The US consortium will be led by Dr. Michael Horner and Prof. George Morgenthaler, both of BioServe Space Technologies in the Aerospace Engineering Department at CU Boulder.  CU-Boulder is the flagship campus of the University of Colorado, and currently serves 25,000 students.  BioServe is a NASA Center for Space Commercialization (CSC) which is cited within the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences.  BioServe has given students unique opportunities to design and build space-flight hardware since its founding, ten years ago.  To date BioServe has flown 35 payloads aboard the NASA Space shuttle, in addition to numerous sounding rocket and KC-135 microgravity experiments.  BioServe will be assisted in its role as the lead of the US consortium by the Colorado Space Grant College, which is also located at CU Boulder.  In addition to project management functions, BioServe, together with the Colorado Space Grant College, will develop and provide a capstone project module for IMS program.  Students participating in this hands-on module will receive three months of intense hands-on participation in the design, integration, and testing of aerospace payloads that will fly aboard the NASA Space Shuttle, MIR Space Station, or the International Space Station.  Coursework accompanying this project module will include Space Life Sciences, space Habitation, operations Research Models in Systems Engineering, Engineering Probability and Statistics, and Stochastic Methods in Systems Engineering.

University Of Colorado, Colorado Springs:  CU Colorado Springs is a autonomous campus in the University of Colorado System, located approximately two hours south of the Boulder Campus.   The IMS coordinator at UCCS will be Dr. Charles Fosha, the Director of the Master of Engineering Program Office.  IMS students hosted at CU Colorado Springs will select from classes including: Engineering Reliability, Engineering Optimization, Engineering Simulation, Engineering Project and Quality Control, Space Navigation, Remote Sensing in Space, Space Systems Design and Integration, Space Systems Operation and Evaluation, Dynamics for Controls, Vibrations, Control and Guidance of Aerospace Vehicles, Actuators and Sensors, Optimal Control Theory, space Mission Operations, Lauch On-Orbit and Entry Operations, Space Communications Systems Design, Space Environment, and Space Mission Analysis.

North Carolina State University (NCSU), Raleigh,:  The IMS program at NCSU will be coordinated by Prof. Fred DeJarnette, the Head of the Department of Mechanical And Aerospace Engineering.  Aerospace Engineering at NCSU offers BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees.   Students enrolled in coursework modules will choose from classes in CFD and Heat Transfer, Transition and Turbulence; Combustion; Airfoil Theory; Wing Theory; Flight Testing of RPVs; Subsonic, Transonic, Supersonic, and Hypersonic Aerodynamics; Stability and Control; Inertial Navigation; Celestial Mechanics; and Orbital Mechanics.

6.2  EC Consortium Members

University of Glasgow, Scotland:  The Chair of Aeronautic and Fluid Mechanics was endowed within the University in 1950.  The department is educating undergraduate and graduate students in the professional study of Aerospace Engineering.  The University was founded in 1451, and it is now home to more than 15,000 students.  The Department of Aerospace Engineering provides courses which integrate computer-based technologies, engineering design workshop, laboratory work, group design studies, plus individual project work.  All of these, complemented by a flight testing course, are integrated into the core of mathematics, computing, dynamics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, materials, structures and design, electronics and instrumentation, all of which are key components of the aerospace engineering course.  In all these spheres the university seeks to broaden its base even further by establishing working partnerships with Universities and companies throughout the world – in Europe, through its extensive involvement in EU programs, and in North America, the Far East and the emerging Pacific rim nations through staff and student exchanges and collaborative teaching and research initiatives.  The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Glasgow University will serve as the EC lead institution.  The Coordinating faculty member for the IMS program will be Dr. Ladislav Smrcek.

Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany:  The Technische Universitat Munchen will teach IMS course modules in the Institut  für Luft- und Raumfahrt of the Technische Universität München (ILR-TUM).  The Aerospace Institute of the TUM is located at the research centre in Garching near Munich.  ILR-TUM is made up of six departments which are:

·        Lehrstuhl für Fluidmechanik, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Boris Laschka

·        Lehrstuhl für Luftfahrttechnik, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Schmitt

·        Lehrstuhl für Flugmechanik und Flugregelung, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gottfried Sachs

·        Lehrstuhl für Flugantriebe, N.N.

·        Lehrstuhl für Leichtbau, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Meyer-Jens

·        Arbeitsgebiet für Raumfahrttechnik, Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eduard Igenbergs

and collectively contain a total of 150 professors, tutors and scientists.  In addition, extensive testing facilities in all disciplines for doing education and high level research work are available.  Consequently, scientific project work for Master these can be well guided and performed.  The ILR-TUM will offer IMS courses for the following subjects: Space systems, aircraft systems, aerodynamics, flight mechanics, guidance and control, aerospace structures and propulsion.   The IMS program at TUM will be coordinated by Prof. Boris Lashka, Head of the ILR Department

Politecnico di Torino, Italy: Was established in 1859 different departments and academic staff, and is composed of about 700 people.  The Politecnico is structured in Departments, which are scientific and culturally homogeneous areas in which teaching and research is organized.  Teaching activities involve more than 22000 students and more than 1000 courses.  The Department of Aerospace Engineering represents the centrum of excellence in most aerospace engineering disciplines.  The staff is involved in international research collaborations and also teaching.  The IMS project will be coordinated by Prof. M. Onorato and his administrative staff. Prof. Onorato is well recognized on both sides of Atlantic.

Politecnico di Milano, Italy: Was founded in 1862 as the Regio Tecnico Superiore di Milano.  Its original task was the higher education and training of civil and mechanical engineers.  Now the Politecnico has three faculties offering 18 degree courses and 12 diploma courses.  Total number of student is over 40000.  The Politecnico has 950 full time academic staff and 700 administrative and technical staff.  The Department of Aerospace Engineering is active in EC education programs and has excellent infrastructure to support the proposed EC-US collaboration for implementation of an IMS.  Prof. A. Finzi is an experienced academic and also an administrator of departmental international activities.   She will be in charge of the EC-US program.

Universidade da Beira Interior, Covilha, Portugal:  The Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI) is a young and modern University located in Covilha, a town of 40,000 in the mountainous interior of Portugal.   UBI currently serves 4000 students, with a projected growth to 8000 by the year 2004.  The aerospace Engineering faculty at UBI will be coordinated by Prof. Dr. I. Camelier, Head of Aerospace Engineering Dept.  Students selecting course and project modules at UBI will study Smart Structures, Systems and Control, Propulsion, Instrumentation and Systems, Flight Mechanics and Flight Controls.

7 MOBILITY

Mobility is a primary feature of the proposed IMS program.  All students will be matriculated in an academic institution of one of the two consortia, and each student will also study at the overseas facility of the other consortium.  At least half of an academic year will be spent in study a “foreign” setting.  Mobility grants will be provided through the grant to cover the major part of the student’s travel expenses.  The financial nature of these awards is detailed in sections 9.  The students native funding for living expenses will be expected to cover the living expenses incurred by the student in the host country.  The coordinating faculty members from the lead universities will work within the two consortia to develop recommended procedures for students to find reasonably priced housing in the host universities.  This may entail working with housing offices within the host universities, or may entail developing a working relationship with private sector housing concerns to streamline the transition process for visiting students.  In order to maintain balanced student mobility at each participation, student Mobility will follow the format of the Student Mobility Matrix, showing transatlantic flows between each US and EC partner, as baselined in the Appendix.  The student mobility matrix will evolve as students become available and the consortia partners negotiate exchange conditions.  Students will not exchange without the written consent of both the home and host institution.

8  IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

The proposal requires funding for three years.  During the first year of the grant the structure of the course will be established, the syllabus and the content of the modules will be defined and the details of the proposed exchange programs will be finalized.  During the second year of the grant a pilot first year of the IMS degree program would be conducted, with consequent modification of management structures and exchange programs in the light of experience gained.  At the completion of the grant (the end of the third year), cooperation between the consortia should be fully in place, and the first IMS degrees should be awarded.

8.1  Year One

The establishment of the IMS degree program will begin with the plenary meeting at North Carolina State University.  At this three-day meeting, the coordinating faculty member from each institution will meet to form the Consortia Advisory Committee.  Each member of the committee will present the particular hurdles that the implementation of the IMS degree faces at his institution, along with an overview of academic opportunities offered.  A plan of attack will be developed for each separate institution, and for the IMS implementation team as a whole.  The meeting will also result in the final adjustments in the content of the coursework and research project modules that will be offered by the partners in the following year.  Following the meeting it is expected that the visiting faculty members will take advantage of their time in the US to visit other members of the US  consortium at their various institutions.

In the succeeding two months following the meeting, the coordinating faculty member from the EC and US lead institutions will visit each consortia partner in their home consortium (EC and US consortia respectively) in order to work with the participating faculty of each institution in address that institution’s action plan.   Follow-on visits will be scheduled as needed.

At the three-month mark the coordinating faculty members from the US lead will travel to Glasgow.  During this session the two leads will finalize the first issue of The IMS Module Content Catalogue. for the subsequent pilot year of the degree.

During months four and five, the coordinating faculty member from the EC and US lead institutions will visit each consortia partner in the home consortia (EC and US consortia respectively) in order to work with the participating faculty of each institutions in addressing that institution’s action plan, and in order to give an overview of the IMS program to potential student candidates and unaffiliated faculty and student advisors.   Follow-on visits will be scheduled as needed.

At the six month mark the coordinating faculty members form the EC lead institution will travel to Boulder.  Unresolved issues that were raised in the action plan of the Plenary meeting will be addressed intensively, so that final approval of the student exchange positions for the following year can be determined.  At the conclusion of this meeting confirmation of available host modules will be finalized, so that student recruitment can move into the assignment of modules as students become available.

In month six to twelve, the coordinating faculty member from the EC and US lead institutions will visit each consortia partner in the home consortia to ensure that each institution is ready to

a)       receive guest students, and

b)       commit to according IMS credit to its own students when they travel abroad. 

Follow-on visits will be scheduled as needed.

At the ten-month mark the coordinating faculty members of all institutions in both consortia will meet for the second Consortia Advisory meeting, in Covilha, Portugal for a three-day curriculum development meeting.  This meeting will produce the curricula of the intensive short classes that will be taught in the second year.  Following the meeting it is expected that the visiting faculty members will take advantage of their time in the EC to visit other members of the EC consortium at their various institutions.

Mobility Summary:

Glasgow:                   Two overseas and intra US trips, 6-9 intra EC trips.

Torino:                      One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Milano:                      One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Munich:                     One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Covilha:                     One overseas and intra US trip, host one Consortia Advisory Committee meeting

Boulder:                    Two overseas and intra EC trips, 6-9 intra US trips.

Colorado Springs:     One overseas and intra EC trip, one intra US trip.

North Carolina:           One overseas and intra EC trip, host one Consortia Advisory Committee meeting

Stanford:                   One overseas and intra EC trip, one intra US trip

Outcome of year one: At the end of the first year the details of the first student exchanges will be determined and agreed upon in writing by the IMS students participating, the student’s host institutions, and the student’s home institutions.  The Credit to be received for IMS courses will be agreed on and published in the first copy of The IMS Module Content Catalogue.  Publicity and dissemination for the degree in the universities of the consortia and in aerospace industry will be documented.  Final report for year one will be submitted to the funding agencies.

8.2 Year Two

At the beginning of the second year the first students (a limited subset) will begin the first overseas stays.  The coordinating faculty members from the lead universities will travel within their home consortia to visit these pioneering IMS students.  This will allow a monitoring of both the students’ and the host faculty members’ perceptions of the success of the exchange.

Over the first three months of the second year lessons learned from the pilot exchange will result in refined management and exchange schemes.  The IMS Module Content Catalogue will be updated with any changes that are relevant for the second half of the year.  Student selection and appointment for the second half of the pilot year (slightly more students) will be finalized.

Publicity and dissemination for the degree in the universities of the consortia and in aerospace industry will continue.

At the eighteen-month mark a (larger) second wave of IMS students will begin the first overseas stays.  Overseas Faculty visits will be made by the coordinating faculty member from each participating university from each consortium.  These visits will serve as in-depth observational studies to check for any further need to alter the IMS program.  Following these visits the coordinating faculty members will meet in Glasgow for the third Consortia Advisory Committee meeting, where changes, progress and action items for the IMS program will be determined.  Work on these alterations will subsequently proceed through mail, email and phone connections whenever possible.  This will produce a final iteration of the IMS plan for the second year of the exchange (first full program year.)

Mobility Summary:

Glasgow:                One overseas and intra US trips, 3-6 intra EC trips,

                                 host one Consortia Advisory Committee meeting.

Torino:                     One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Milano:                    One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Munich:                   One overseas and intra US  trip, one intra EC trip.

Covilha:                   One overseas and intra US trip, one intra EC trip.

Boulder:                  One overseas and intra EC trip, 3-6 intra US trips.

Colorado Springs: One overseas and intra EC trip.

North Carolina:       One overseas and intra EC trip.

Stanford:                 One overseas and intra EC trip.

Outcome of year two:  At the end of the second year the first student exchanges will be documented, and reports from students participating, the students’ host institutions, and the students’ home institutions on the success and difficulties of these exchanges will be compiled, and any changes in management of the degree arising from these activities will be documented.. An updated version of The IMS Module Content Catalogue will be produced.  Publicity for the degree in the universities of the consortia and in aerospace industry will be documented.   Final report for year two will be submitted to the funding agencies.

8.3 Year Three

In the beginning of the third year the IMS students will begin another wave of overseas stays.  Overseas Faculty visits will be made by the coordinating faculty member from each participating university from each consortium.  These visits will again serve as in-depth observational studies to check for any further need to alter the IMS program.  Following these visits the coordinating faculty members will meet in Boulder for the fourth Consortia Advisory Committee meeting, where changes, progress and action items for the IMS program will be determined.  Work on these alterations will subsequently proceed through mail, email and phone connections whenever possible.  This will produce a final iteration of the IMS plan that is intended to guide exchanges in years following the grant, when money for faculty travel, investigations, and adjustments in the program structure may be more limited.

During the first three months of year three The IMS Module Content Catalogue will be updated with any changes that are relevant for the second half of the year.  Student selection and appointment for the second half of the pilot year will be finalized.

Publicity and dissemination for the degree in the universities of the consortia and in aerospace industry will continue.  Faculty at all participating universities will collaborate in establishing funding for the program in subsequent years.  The coordinating members of the lead organizations may visit other institutions to collaborate in the development of follow-on funding.

In the second half of the year students will begin another wave of overseas visits.  Student selection and appointment for the second half of the pilot year will be finalized.

At the end of the year the first IMS degrees will be awarded.

Mobility Summary:

Glasgow:                  One overseas and intra US trip, 1-3 intra EC trips.

Torino:                      One overseas and intra US trip.

Milano:                      One overseas and intra US trip.

Munich:                     One overseas and intra US trip.

Covilha:                    One overseas and intra US trip.

Boulder:                    One overseas and intra EC trip, 1-3 intra US trips, host one Consortia Advisory Committee meeting

Colorado Springs:  One overseas and intra EC trip.

North Carolina:        One overseas and intra EC trip.

Stanford:                  One overseas and intra EC trip.

Outcome of year three: At the end of the third year the experiences accrued in managing the student exchanges will be documented, and reports from students participating, the students’ host institutions, and the students’ home institutions on the success and difficulties of these exchanges will be compiled.  Final changes in management of the degree arising from these activities will be documented.  An updated version of The IMS Module Content Catalogue will be produced.  Publicity for the degree in the universities of the consortia and in aerospace industry will be documented.   Program graduates will provide data for the longitudinal evaluation of the IMS program. Final report for year three will be submitted to the funding agencies.  First IMS degrees will be awarded by the home institutions.

9  EVALUATION

The lead institutions will carry out a longitudinal evaluation of the ability of the IMS program to attain programmatic goals.  Exit surveys of the program graduates will allow quantification of the rate that graduates place in overseas engineering positions, or overseas doctoral programs.  Comparisons with the rate of overseas placement for nonparticipating graduate students from the home institutions will provide the meter of IMS program success.   This evaluation will be documented in the year three final report, and for any further years of the exchange program.  Ms. C. Goulart, of BioServe Space Technologies will perform the evaluation.  Ms. Goulart has her degree in Psychology (B.A.) and has performed statistical evaluation of questionnaire responses in previous employment at NASA Ames Research Center.

Annual Report to FIPSE 1999