1. Home
  2. Service

Service

Service is a central part of my mission: building aerospace and manufacturing capacity through student organizations, professional societies, outreach, technical community leadership, and institutional program development. My service activities focus on connecting students with the broader aerospace and advanced manufacturing ecosystem while supporting the growth of the aerospace engineering program at the University of South Carolina.

Professional Service

I actively serve the aerospace, composites, and manufacturing communities through professional society leadership, conference organization, technical committees, and peer review. Current and recent professional service includes:

  • AIAA Region 2 leadership, including service as Carolinas Midlands Vice Chair and Faculty Advisor Liaison for student chapters.
  • AIAA Committee on Higher Education, contributing to national conversations on aerospace education and ABET-aligned academic quality.
  • AIAA Region 2 Student Conference organizing committees, supporting student technical presentations, networking, and professional development.
  • SAMPE Thermoplastics Technical Committee and SAMPE Thermoplastic Repair Committee, supporting technical exchange in composite materials, thermoplastic composites, and repair technologies.
  • Automated Composite Manufacturing Conference service, including program and doctoral committee roles.
  • Peer review for journals in additive manufacturing, materials, design, micromachines, manufacturing letters, and applied science.
  • Technical panels and invited discussions on additive manufacturing, aerospace and defense, autonomous manufacturing, and South Carolina aerospace workforce development.

These activities support the dissemination of technical knowledge and help connect university research with industrial and professional needs in aerospace, composites, and manufacturing.

Student Organization Leadership

I serve as faculty advisor and mentor for several aerospace-focused student organizations at USC. These organizations provide students with hands-on experience in aircraft design, rocketry, aviaton, systems engineering, and professional networking. Current and recent student organization service includes:

  • Faculty Advisor, USC AIAA Student Branch (Since inception in 2015)
  • Faculty Advisor, USC Rocketry Club (Tied to the National Association for Rocketry, Since inception in 2022)
  • Faculty Advisor, Carolina Flight Club (Tied to the Experimental Aircraft Association, Since inception in 2023)
  • Faculty mentor for AIAA Design/Build/Fly (2015, 2016, 2025, 2026)
  • Organizer and mentor for student participation in AIAA regional conferences, aerospace symposia, SAMPE events, SmallSat education activities, and industry site visits.

This work supports a vertically integrated aerospace community at USC, linking classroom learning with design-build-test experience, professional society participation, and exposure to aerospace and aviation careers.

Aerospace Outreach and Workforce Development

A component of my service is outreach to K–12 students, undergraduate students, and the regional aerospace workforce pipeline. I regularly support activities that expose students to aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, robotics, composites, satellites, and aircraft design. Examples include:

  • Advising the South Carolina Aerospace High School Education Working Group.
  • Supporting the South Carolina High School Aviation Competition.
  • Delivering STEM outreach sessions at middle-school and summer-camp programs.
  • Hosting Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics students for summer research experiences.
  • Supporting aerospace events such as the Midlands BLAST Aerospace Festival.
  • Organizing student field trips to aerospace conferences, aviation museums, airports, Boeing, HondaJet, and other industry-relevant sites.

These activities are intended to strengthen the regional aerospace talent pipeline and make aerospace engineering more accessible to students before they enter college.

University, College, and Department Service

Within USC, I contribute to program development, faculty governance, student engagement, facilities, recruitment, and aerospace curriculum support. Selected university, college, and department service includes:

  • Service as a USC Faculty Senator (2022-2026).
  • Service as a Graduation with Leadership Distinction Faculty Fellow through the Center for Teaching Excellence.
  • Member of the Aerospace Engineering Program Committee.
  • Contributions to aerospace program development, ABET-related activities, curriculum revision, and student recruitment.
  • Support for McNAIR Center tours, industry visits, prospective student visits, and laboratory demonstrations.
  • Participation in search committees and technical committees for aerospace and industrial engineering faculty and infrastructure.
  • Support for aerospace laboratory development, CATIA licensing, Redbird simulator use, and student-facing technical workshops.

This service supports the continued growth of aerospace engineering at USC and helps build infrastructure for experiential learning, student research, and industry engagement.

Mentorship Through Service-Based Courses and Projects

In addition to formal teaching and research advising, I mentor students through independent research, senior design, capstone projects, and service-oriented technical projects. These activities include student teams working on aerospace systems, CubeSats, additive manufacturing, composite tooling, robotics, flight simulation, laboratory automation, and manufacturing process development.

I view these projects as an important bridge between research, teaching, and professional formation. Students gain experience with open-ended engineering problems, documentation, design reviews, prototyping, testing, and communication with technical stakeholders.

Service Philosophy

My service is focused on high-leverage activities that create durable value for students, the university, and the broader aerospace and manufacturing communities. The highest-impact activities are those that:

  • Expand student access to aerospace and advanced manufacturing experiences.
  • Build professional networks between USC students, industry, and technical societies.
  • Strengthen aerospace engineering infrastructure at USC.
  • Translate research capabilities into educational and workforce-development opportunities.
  • Support regional growth in aerospace, composites, additive manufacturing, and space systems.

Through these activities, I aim to help build a stronger aerospace engineering ecosystem at USC and in South Carolina.