Are Engineering Professors Conducting Research and How Can I Get Involved?

[Angry Citizen]

I'm an aerospace engineering student, and I'd like some information from fellow or former engineering students about, well, being an engineering student. I know engineers tend to do summer internships to gain experience.. but I also understand that physics undergrads try to involve themselves in faculty research. Do engineering students do the same thing? Do engineering professors even conduct research? If so, how do I go about securing a research position? And is such a research position useful during job searches and for intellectual fulfillment?

I'd just like to establish a game plan here so I can maximize my educational experience. I'm interested in certain theoretical aspects of my field (notably plasma propulsion and fluid flow modeling), so I'm hoping I can find something to do in that area.

 

[Chunkysalsa]

Do you plan on going to grad school after or go straight into industry?

 

[Angry Citizen]

I'm not sure. Probably grad school.

 

[MissSilvy]

A good friend of mine was an aerospace undergrad who did research in plasma propulsion, actually. He's now a nuclear engineering grad student and his group just got a government grant for plasma propulsions, so yes it definitely happens.

The only thing that worries me is that you didn't know that engineering professors did research. Either your school is not a research university or you're not really involved in your department at all, neither or which is great for your chances of actually finding and getting a research position.

 

[MissSilvy]

A good friend of mine was an aerospace undergrad who did research in plasma propulsion, actually. He's now a nuclear engineering grad student and his group just got a government grant for plasma propulsions, so yes it definitely happens.

The only thing that worries me is that you didn't know that engineering professors did research. Either your school is not a research university or you're not really involved in your department at all, neither or which is great for your chances of actually finding and getting a research position.

 

[Angry Citizen]

The only thing that worries me is that you didn't know that engineering professors did research. Either your school is not a research university or you're not really involved in your department at all, neither or which is great for your chances of actually finding and getting a research position.

Well, I'm not actually at the school yet. I'm transferring to Texas A&M from a community college, and it's definitely a research university.