We’re creating two new working committees. One is an ad-hoc committee on undergraduate programs to assess our programs and identify areas where we can improve the educational experience. A second permanent committee will be on space and resources management. The focus of this committee will be to develop a plan for better management and use of the departmental space, including teaching and lab space, and also improve the quality of the existing space.
AeroAstro: Do you plan on continuing with your research while you head the department? Peraire: Yes, very much. I’d like to do some teaching as well, although I probably won’t be able to do that in my first year as head, but I’d like to at least fill in if needed because teaching is one of the things I’d miss the most. And, I will continue with my research group. (Laughing) But, ask me that again in a couple of years!
AeroAstro: You’ve also mentioned an interest in the department’s history. Peraire: In three years we’re going to celebrate a very important anniversary: the 100th anniversary of MIT’s first aeronautical engineering class and, for all intents and purposes, the birth of this department. We have a rich history, with names like Doolittle, Draper, Hunsaker, Aldrin, Douglas, Seamans, Widnall, and research in areas like inertial navigation, and our many contributions to Apollo. Our history is so closely tied to the development of aerospace that I feel it is our responsibility to keep this information together and accessible to the general public as well as academics. We’re thinking about video interviews with emeriti and alums, exhibits of artifacts and photos, and a special website where all this may be explored.
OUR HISTORY IS SO CLOSELY TIED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF AEROSPACE THAT I FEEL IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS WELL AS ACADEMICS.
FACULTY INTERVIEW: Jaime Peraire
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