Expert: Paul Soderman - 1/14/2011

Question
I am Corey, currently a sophomore in high school. I have to compose a report on a field of engineering that I plan to enter, and my choice was Aeronautical engineering. Part of my report asks me to compose an "interview" of someone working in the field or has previously worked in the field. I plan to attend college and get a Master's or Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering, however I am unsure on where i will be studying. Please do your best to answer my interview questions. I apologize for the length, but please be as thorough as possible.

Describe some specific duties and responsibilities as an aeronautical engineer in general? Specifically?

What does your typical work day consist of?

How is the quality of the work? Is the pay decent, are job locations nearby, are the hours nice?

Jobs can get boring quickly due to a large workload with nothing particularly new; does your job resemble that or does it not?

How much of your time is spent contacting/working with other engineers in different fields?

What are some projects that you have worked on (that you are allowed to tell me)?

Are there any specific or specialized tools that you need for your job?

Can you explain why you chose aeronautical engineering above anything else?

What courses or other programs can you recommend a high school student like myself should take to prepare for aeronautical engineering?

I noticed you attended Washington University for your degree: what other schools were on your list that you would recommend for this specialty?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your time. Please reply soon!

Regards,
Corey
Student of Mercer County High School, KY

Answer
Corey
I get many questions like this so I have a standard replay that may not answer your questions in the correct order.

degrees:  BS and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering

employment:  mostly retired but do some consulting for NASA and industry.  Formerly I was an Aerospace Engineer Group Leader at NASA Ames Research Center responsible for planning and executing wind tunnel studies aimed at improving our understanding of aeronautics and related technologies. I retired in 2004 after 38 years at NASA.

A normal day at NASA involved examination of scientific literature, planning experiments, writing code for data analysis, analyzing experimental results, meeting with my peers, assigning tasks, requesting support from management, writing reports, etc.  I traveled 4 to 6 times a year to various laboratories or scientific conferences.  Much of the work was done in the office, but we also worked in the lab, in the wind tunnels, and in the field conducting experimental studies.  Normally we worked an average 40 hour week, more during wind tunnel tests.  Not counting the wind tunnels, our primary tools were computers, books and technical reports.

The projects I worked on can be found in engineering libraries - search on my name.  One project I was proud of was the investigation of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica.  I did the aero design of the gas sample instrument.  We found what causes the hole, which led to the worldwide banning of fluro-hydrocarbons.  In addition to aerodynamics, I specialized in aeroacoustics and did many wind tunnel studies of aircraft noise and technologies for reducing noise.

I loved the challenge of investigating new technologies, new ideas and working with enthusiastic, talented people.  The downside was dealing the government bureaucracy and interminable meetings on budget planning and self improvement.  I think the same might be true of any large organization.

Education:  Astoria High School (Oregon), Oregon State U. (two years), U. of Washington (three years for a B.S. degree), U. of Washington (one year for a M.S. degree), graduate work Standford U., numerous Jr College classes in computer programming and French.  If possible, I would have taken more classes.

In high school I recommend you take as many math and science classes as possible.  That said, many engineering students struggle with writing and English, so be sure to work at that also.  For engineering schools, you can do a google search and narrow your choice down to academic record, location, and cost.  It is hard to find a bad school at the undergraduate level that is accredited.
Paul