Transformation Recognizes Institutional Leadership in High-Speed Aerodynamics, Advanced Manufacturing and Next-Generation Flight Technologies

The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) is reaching new heights in aerospace research and education. Driven by cutting-edge grants, state-of-the-art facilities and a dynamic spirit of collaboration, MAE is shaping the future of flight and inspiring the next generation of innovators.

When Farrukh Alvi stepped into the world of engineering, he didn’t have a grand plan.

His first direction as an undergraduate student was to pursue nuclear engineering, mostly because “it sounded so cool.” But his mechanical engineering classes, especially in fluid mechanics, proved intriguing. He followed that curiosity, which eventually led him to a supersonic wind tunnel in graduate school, where the visual beauty of high-speed flows sparked a lifelong passion for aerospace. 

When FAMU-FSU mechanical engineering professor Christian Hubicki and Morehouse College physics professor Dwayne Joseph from joined forces, their aim was to broaden the scope of robotic education at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through an exciting summer course. 

They met while participating in a distributed teaching collaborative involving several institutions that share access to robotics coursework. The summer course is designed to provide a rapid introduction to advanced robotics algorithms, a course not commonly offered at the undergraduate level.