When Farrukh Alvi stepped into the world of engineering, he didn’t have a grand plan.

His first direction as an undergraduate student was to pursue nuclear engineering, mostly because “it sounded so cool.” But his mechanical engineering classes, especially in fluid mechanics, proved intriguing. He followed that curiosity, which eventually led him to a supersonic wind tunnel in graduate school, where the visual beauty of high-speed flows sparked a lifelong passion for aerospace. 

When FAMU-FSU mechanical engineering professor Christian Hubicki and Morehouse College physics professor Dwayne Joseph from joined forces, their aim was to broaden the scope of robotic education at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through an exciting summer course. 

Florida A&M University (FAMU) and the Florida Center of Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP) have been awarded $1,200,000 by the Army Research Office (ARO). The award will expand the high-speed research capability at the facility and recruit more African American students to pursue careers in aerospace engineering. 

What’s it like to be an engineering graduate student at Florida A&M University and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering? Two students share their stories about the experience.

Milan Rede is a second-year doctoral student in chemical engineering through Florida A&M University and wants to clear up some misconceptions about college life as an engineering student. She thinks there is sometimes a little confusion about how the joint FAMU-FSU College of Engineering works. Sometimes people don’t understand the relationship between the two schools.