Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Missouri-Rolla, is one of nine U.S. researchers selected to participate in this year’s Boeing A.D. Welliver Faculty Summer Fellowship program.

As part of the eight-week program, Pernicka will "look over the shoulder" of working engineers and professionals at several levels of the technical, business and management career paths to develop a better understanding of Boeing’s business, including its research needs. At the end of the summer, the fellows will present a joint report containing their collective observations and recommendations. In addition, each fellow will present a personal plan to begin activities aimed at improving engineering and business education.

Pernicka is the fourth UMR faculty member to participate in the program since 1997. The others are Dr. Venkata Allada, associate professor of engineering management, Dr. K. Krishnamurthy, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and associate dean of graduate affairs, and Dr. Frank Liou, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the manufacturing engineering program.

"The experience has allowed these faculty members to play an important role in enhancing the learning environment at UMR in the design and manufacturing areas, and to influence the engineering curricula to be more relevant and responsive to the changing needs of the workplace," says Dr. Ashok Midha, chair and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UMR.

Established in 1995 in honor of the late A.D. "Bert" Welliver, corporate senior vice president of engineering and technology at Boeing, the program’s purpose is to provide faculty with a better understanding of the business realities of engineering in industry.

Pernicka’s research interests include astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, spacecraft design, spacecraft mission design, satellite attitude dynamics, nonlinear analysis, dynamics and control, and optimization.

His memberships include the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Astronautical Society, American Society for Engineering Education, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Gamma Tau.

Pernicka received his bachelor of science, master of science and doctoral degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1984, 1986, and 1990, respectively. He joined the UMR faculty in 2001.