In 2003, the KU AE students won the first overall in all categories for the Society of Aerospace Engineers competition for students. They had to design, build, and fly a heavy-lift aircraft. This process, moving from paper to flight, is a significant award and more important than winning for a paper design.
In 2004, they won fourth overall while taking firsts in best overall design and best design report. (To see a copy of the report, click here.) This indicates that they can document their judgment better than their peers and that they can use professional judgment. I think it’s important because the judges are professional Aerospace Engineers, not academic AEs, which indicates a demonstration of their professionalism. We are trying to make professional results more representative of the KU AE students instead of academic results, and when students place high in the eyes of professionals, that indicates we are succeeding.
