In this issue:
  • NIAR's Seneviratne to present at AeroDef Manufacturing conference
  • Employment opportunites available at NIAR
  • AVET Lab conducts first full-scale fuselage drop test in new facility
  • Grant will help NIAR purchase tools, add jobs at WERX
  • WSU, WSU Tech and NIAR WERX launch aviation maintenance earn-and-learn program
  • Spirit AeroSystems, WSU-NIAR announce defense prototype center
  • FAA awards $7.3 million to NIAR for additive manufacturing, advanced materials research
Multi-Disciplinary Ecosystems for Preparing Engineers and Educators for Factory of the Future
Seneviratne to present at AeroDef Manufacturing conference
Waruna Seneviratne, senior research scientist and director of NIAR ATLAS, will present at the AeroDef Manufacturing conference in Long Beach on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 9 a.m. The presentation will focus on how preparing engineers and educators for the Factory of the Future can help the U.S. Department of Defense meet aggressive demands for modernization of hybrid, scalable, flexible, and extensible tools and technologies.
Employment Opportunities available with NIAR, Industry & Defense Programs
Student positions are also available in multiple areas. Visit Handshake for current listings.
October 29, 2021
AVET Lab conducts first full-scale drop test in new facility
Full-scale fuselage drop test
NIAR conducted a unique full-scale fuselage drop test, its first in the new Jerry Moran Center for Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing (AVET). The test, part of an ongoing 15-year FAA-sponsored research program titled Crashworthiness Certification of Composite and Metallic Aircraft Structures, involved dropping an aircraft fuselage equipped with three post-mortem human passengers (PMHS) to validate AVET’s virtual engineering models of the same test set-up.
November 4, 2021
Grant will help NIAR WERX purchase tools, add jobs
A $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce will help NIAR purchase tools and supplies to support the Flight Test Research Center and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at NIAR WERX. The grant from the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is expected to create 75 jobs and retain seven at NIAR WERX. The funding will help NIAR advance new technologies and boost efforts by the regional aviation cluster to adjust operations efficiently and effectively as the industry changes.
October 22, 2021
WSU, WSU Tech and NIAR WERX launch aviation maintenance earn-and-learn program
Individuals interested in becoming an Aviation Maintenance Technician now have the chance to work full-time and earn a degree thanks to the new Get to WERX program through WSU Tech, Wichita State University, and NIAR WERX. Get To WERX is a three-year earn and learn program that offers full-time, paid employment with NIAR WERX in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) division while progressing through WSU Tech’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program and simultaneously earning credits towards the Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning at Wichita State.
October 15, 2021
Spirit AeroSystems, WSU announce National Defense Prototype Center
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Wichita State held a grand opening event and ribbon cutting ceremony for a new National Defense Prototype Center (NDPC), a joint project with between Spirit and NIAR. This new research center will significantly expand capabilities and production efficiencies in the defense and space market.
October 07, 2021
FAA awards $7.3 million to NIAR for additive manufacturing, advanced materials research
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded $7.3 million to Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) for advanced materials research, providing significant funding for additive and other advanced manufacturing research programs, ranging from qualification and characterization to specialized programs that address specific technical challenges. The funding was awarded through WSU’s Center for Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CECAM).
National Institute for Aviation Research
Wichita State University
1845 Fairmount St., Wichita, KS 67260-0093 
Ph: (316) 978-6427