Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Job prospects for KU aerospace students remain strong despite Boeing’s recent decision to close its Wichita facilities by the end of 2013.
“I think there will be a huge need for airplanes in the future, which requires aerospace jobs,” said Jan Roskam, emeritus professor at the University. “There’s a need for the skills we impart on them all over the world.”
David Schroer, a senior from Lincoln (front), and Julian McCafferty, a junior from Lawrence (back), finish working on the main spar for one of the wings of the unmanned plane known as the Meridian. The Aerospace students, along with many other majors, have developed this unmanned system which is designed to fly over Antartica and Greenland to record the depths of ice which have never been recorded until the invention of this plane. They are shown working in the composite lab which will soon be upgraded to a much larger space once the construction is finished on the new one in May.
Roskam worked for Boeing from 1958 until 1967 before coming to the University. He sees the decision having little effect on students’ job prospects, considering the move affects 2,100 Wichitans, most of whom are not aerospace engineers.
Alejandra Escalera, a sophomore aerospace engineering student from La Paz, Bolivia, hopes to work in the space industry, perhaps for Lockheed Martin, a global security and information technology company that works with the U.S. Department of Defense. For the past school year, she worked in the composites lab where she applied concepts learned in the classroom.
“You’re learning with the book and also applying what you’re learning,” Escalera said.
The composites lab develops materials that are constructed for use on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Escalera is not too concerned about finding a job after graduation, though prospects are more difficult as a foreigner because of security clearance issues. She is considering becoming a U.S. citizen, which would allow her to join the Air Force as a test pilot, another dream of hers.
Chris Jasperse, a senior from Gardner, has worked in the composites lab for the past two years and will be looking for a job after graduating in May. He is interested in wind turbines, which is a growing field because of the popularity of green energy. Jasperse has yet to send out job applications but would be happy working locally or abroad.
“Going abroad would be ideal, but I need to get experience in the U.S. before going anywhere else,” Jasperse said. He points to his experience in the lab, where he has built radar wings for NASA, as preparing him for the industry.
Roskam would understand if the company moved because of losing money, but said that the company, like many American businesses, suffers from “optimize quarterly profits syndrome.” This means businesses only consider short-term gain versus long-term growth and the needs of their employees.
“It was a perfectly legal decision, but unethical,” Roskam said. “They should have honored their oral commitment.”
— Edited by Pat Strathman
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