The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

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The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

Invention, Career Readiness at Core of AME Programs! We are all about real life experiences that prepare you to contribute to the next discoveries.

The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME) tackles challenges from biomedical devices and renewable energy to space exploration and sustainable flight. Through flexible programs, internships, faculty-led research, design projects, and competitions, AME gives students hands-on experience to improve lives and advance technology. Students work alongside interna

tionally renowned faculty in areas like hypersonic flight, space situational awareness, heat transfer, tissue engineering, and robotics. Ranked 4.5/5 among top graduate programs (Money Magazine), AME fosters discovery at every level. With $9.2 million in annual research expenditures, students and faculty drive innovations from microdevices to space technologies, collaborating closely with nearby aerospace, defense and high-tech companies.

03/06/2026

UA College of Engineering hosted its annual Scholarship Reception, celebrating donors and student award recipients this academic year.

In attendance were many AME donors and their student recipients. A video highlighted how scholarships support UA AIAA students in hands-on projects, competitions and research.

Student speaker Molly Auer, a senior in mechanical engineering with a minor in software engineering, received the Benjamin W. Cowperthwait Memorial Endowed Scholarship and the Christian Montoya Scholarship. Scholarships have allowed Molly to fully engage in coursework, societies and clubs, while conducting research on advancing metal 3D printing, solar cells and rainforest gas exchange. She will graduate with honors this May and will be giving back through her career in robotics and automation.

Thanks to our donors for changing the lives of our students—empowering them to succeed academically, build community and contribute to the future of engineering.

11/17/2025

We were delighted to welcome the AME community back to U of A campus for a memorable Homecoming celebration.

The day began with behind-the-scenes AME lab tours, where attendees explored cutting-edge research in hypersonics guided by lab director Alex Craig. Next in the AME Robotics Lab attendees learned about autonomous robotic systems, guided by student researchers and lab director Daniel Larsson. The tour concluded with a visit to the AME machine shop, where Joseph Hartley guided attendees through the facility’s advanced design and fabrication equipment used by students and to support industry partners.

It was wonderful to see everyone connect with the current generation of student clubs — UA AIAA, University of Arizona: Wildcat Formula SAE, University of Arizona ASME and Wildcat Rocketry Engineering Club (WREC) and explore the innovative projects they are bringing to life.

The BBQ lunch in the AME courtyard was a big success, bringing together AME Wildcats across generations on the beautiful fall day.

During the Applied Research Building tour, attendees explored world-class facilities advancing space and defense innovation, from the anechoic chamber, dynamics and vibration testing lab to the additive manufacturing lab and mission control center.

The celebration concluded with the Alumni Career Forum and Q&A, where panelists Hannah Budinoff, Anthony Mulligan, Bob Rutherford and Elijah Greenfield discussed their career journeys. They reflected on the advice they’d give their college selves and the unexpected turns that shaped their lives after graduation — a perfect close to a day full of connection and discovery.

We enjoyed reconnecting with all of you and celebrating the spirit of innovation, discovery and Wildcat engineering pride that makes our AME community leaders in real-world change.

11/06/2025

University of Arizona: Wildcat Formula SAE and Wildcat Baja Racing hosted Women’s Shop Night (aka Ladies’ Night).

The event brought together women in engineering to learn and practice hands-on shop skills used in everyday mechanical engineering and design within a supportive environment.

Engineering students gained confidence and experience using the bench grinder, bandsaw, soldering iron and welder, guided by peers and mentors from Wildcat Formula Racing and BAJA.

The night was a huge success and helped enhance the strong community of women within engineering and in STEM

11/04/2025

AME hosted the 2025 Dimitri B. Kececioglu Memorial Lecture Series featuring Karen E. Willcox, Director of the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences and professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin.

Her presentation “Computational Foundations for Predictive Digital Twins,” explored how data-driven models and reduced-order modeling are transforming decision-making in engineering, science and medicine.

Willcox explained how digital twins — virtual models that mirror real-world systems — are reshaping how we design, monitor and optimize complex systems. These technologies bridge physical and digital formats to improve performance, safety and reliability across disciplines.

The lecture series honors the legacy of Dimitri B. Kececioglu, whose work in reliability continues to inspire generations of engineers and researchers.

To learn more visit https://ame.engineering.arizona.edu/news-events/kececioglu-memorial-lecture.

10/22/2025

AME recently celebrated the outstanding achievements of students at the Honors Convocation. These honors recognize aerospace and mechanical engineering students’ dedication, high achievement and consistent academic excellence.

Jose Navarrete II, a senior mechanical engineering student from Sahuarita, Arizona, was the student speaker at the convocation. A Dean’s List honoree, UA Tau Beta Pi member and UA College of Engineering, Jose leads both in and out of the classroom.

264 undergraduate students made the Dean’s List, completing 24–29 units with a GPA of 3.5 or higher and 168 made the Dean’s List with Distinction.

94 undergraduate students earned Academic Distinction and 37 students achieved Highest Academic Distinction for maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Congratulations to our AME students. We’re proud of your hard work and excellence, keep soaring, Wildcats.

07/30/2025

The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering recently welcomed two guest speakers as part of the Arizona Research Center for Hypersonics Seminar Series.

Professors Ingo Jahn and David Buttsworth from the University of Southern Queensland - Australia visited the University of Arizona to discuss their hypersonics research.

Ingo kicked off the event by sharing a new way to design hypersonic glide vehicles – aircraft that travel more than five times the speed of sound! His approach combines both the shape and flight path into one streamlined process, making these ultra-fast systems more efficient and capable of flying safely and effectively.

David provided updates on Australia’s TUSQ hypersonic wind tunnel, which simulates the extreme conditions of high-speed flight. His team is expanding the facility’s testing capabilities, supporting innovation for aerospace systems flying at speeds from Mach 3 to Mach 7.

Both presentations gave insight into the future of aerospace engineering and the power of collaboration in global research.

06/24/2025

Our aerospace and mechanical engineering students traveled to Midland, Texas to compete in the 2025 International Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC)—the world’s largest university rocket engineering competition 🚀. Hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA) and supported by AIAA - The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, IREC brings together over 150 student teams from around the world to design, build, and launch high-powered rockets reaching altitudes up to 45,000 feet.

Representing The University of Arizona, UA AIAA team “Desert Power” successfully designed, built, and launched a custom rocket—housing a 3U-sized payload, which measured and collected atmospheric data including ozone levels, temperature, air density, ambient pressure, and additional variables. With an onboard camera system the entire flight was recorded from the rocket’s point of view. From initial design to final launch, the experience was a true culmination of technical skill, teamwork, and hands-on engineering.

Meet the Desert Power Team:

Aidan Fritzler, President – Aerospace Engineering
Adrian Torres, Vice President – Mechanical Engineering
Brandon Chaloupka, Hobby Rocket Lead - Aerospace Engineering
Carly Wingness, Team Member – Aerospace Engineering
Christopher Kruep, Team Member & Photographer - Aerospace Engineering
Christopher Mason, Avionics and Camera Systems Lead – Aerospace Engineering
Noah Clark, Rocket Competition Team Lead – Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
Razak Adamu, Payload Lead - Aerospace Engineering

Interested in joining the team? The UA AIAA Student Chapter welcomes students of all experience levels and teaches members how to design, build, test, and fly model rockets and planes. You’ll gain hands-on experience with engineering software, presentations, professional development, and competitions—all while having fun and building community. To get involved, please visit https://uaaiaa.org/

05/27/2025

More than 14 years of collaboration between the The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, STU - Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave (STUBA) has earned international recognition! 🎉🏆

At IEEE Educon Conference 2025 in London, the paper, “BicopShield: A Twin-Rotor Portable Laboratory for Control Engineering Education,” received the Best Paper Award in the Non-Traditional Lab Concepts category. At the core of this work is AutomationShield—an open-source hardware that offers affordable, Arduino-based tools for teaching control systems and mechatronics. These resources make high-quality, practical learning experiences accessible for students both inside and outside the classroom. They demonstrate that meaningful learning doesn’t require a traditional lab setup.

This milestone project was developed in collaboration with Jan Boldocky and Dr. Martin Gulan (STU - Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave) and Dr. Eniko Enikov (The University of Arizona). Overall, the collaboration began in 2011, when Dr. Gulan first visited the University of Arizona as a master’s student and worked with Dr. Enikov. Since then, it has grown into a dynamic collaboration dedicated to advancing hands-on engineering education.

A Memorandum of Cooperation and Erasmus (exchange program) bilateral agreement was signed between STUBA and U of A in 2024. Boldocky and Dr. Gulan visited Enikov in Sept 2024 and began work on the “BicopShield”.

Today, the collaboration and its legacy continues with Michal Pauco, a master’s student at STU - Slovenská technická univerzita v Bratislave. Supported by the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (SAIA - Study in Slovakia), Michal spent three months in Tucson on a research internship co-supervised by Dr. Enikov and Dr. Gulan. During his time, he developed “FurutaShield”—a new fully open-source, pocket-sized hardware designed to teach control systems through hands-on experimentation. Costing just $20 to assemble (excluding the board). When Michal Pauco returns to Slovakia he will complete his master’s thesis on this project. Additionally, his work will be summarized in a research paper that will be submitted to a renowned scientific conference. Additional potential topics for collaboration are currently being explored as well.

We are honored by this recognition and inspired by the innovative thinkers shaping the future of affordable and portable engineering education. Here’s to continued international collaboration and innovation! 🌍

05/23/2025

Senior Spotlight 💫

"As a first-generation high school graduate and college student, my journey through engineering has been anything but conventional. I faced the difficulty of starting my college career over from scratch after transferring schools yet remained determined to push forward.

I have successfully balanced the demands of the intense aerospace engineering curriculum, cutting-edge research, and hands-on projects, all while raising three daughters and being a dedicated husband to an active-duty Airman. It has truly been the ultimate test of perseverance.

Despite these challenges, I maintained a 3.93 GPA, contributed to groundbreaking advancements in Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs) and propulsion systems, and secured a full-time position at SpaceX before graduation.

My journey has been driven by resilience, grit, and an unwavering passion for aerospace engineering. More than anything, I hope to set an example for my children and others facing obstacles, proving that hard work, determination, and perseverance can overcome even the most daunting challenges.

Being named an Outstanding Senior by Dr. James K. Villarreal, PhD was a tremendous honor. I’m thankful for the support and opportunities I’ve found in The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering and look forward to shaping the future of aerospace with gratitude for the foundation that I built here.”

—Robert Lane, Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025

05/20/2025

🎉 Congrats to our mechanical engineering graduate, Aaliyah Thompson-Mazzeo—this year’s Robie Gold Medal recipient at The University of Arizona Commencement! 🎓

Only seven graduating seniors across the entire university were selected for this prestigious honor, which recognizes exceptional leadership, integrity, and service. We’re proud to celebrate Aaliyah as The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering and UA College of Engineering honoree.

Graduating magna cm laude with a degree in mechanical engineering and minors in biomedical engineering, mathematics, and dance, Aaliyah has made a powerful impact—leading the Engineering Student Council - University of Arizona, dancing with Pride of Arizona Pom Line and The Pride of Arizona Marching Band , and mentoring peers across campus. She’s also a dedicated researcher and scholar, having earned over $100,000 in scholarships.

This fall, she’ll begin her PhD in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University as a Vivien Thomas Scholar, working to advance treatments for spinal cord and nerve injuries—research inspired by her own journey as a dancer.

🔗 Learn more about Aaliyah’s incredible journey: https://news.engineering.arizona.edu/news/mechanical-engineering-graduate-accept-robie-gold-medal-commencement

05/16/2025

Each year, approximately 130 senior mechanical and aerospace engineering students in our department complete required training in control systems design. This hands-on course complements traditional lectures by teaching practical, real-world skills through the design and control of technology using the “Balancing Bi-Copter,” a portable experimental device.

Students begin by learning the fundamentals of control theory and system modeling, then apply this knowledge through hands-on experimentation with the Bi-Copter. Using engineering and simulation softwares, students design, test, and refine control systems. The wireless, cost-effective Bi-Copter allows students to independently test their designs and easily analyze their results using MATLAB (MathWorks), making the full process straightforward and efficient.

Tanner Gerard Lensing, a Mechanical Engineering major (Class of 2025), is applying the skills he's gained in the course to develop real-world engineering solutions. Driven by a passion for building and tinkering in his garage, Tanner is currently working on "Helipack"—a wearable propulsion system designed to help users scale the sides of buildings 🧑🏻‍🔧🚀🏢. With a strong sense of patriotism, Tanner hopes to one day work for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and contribute to protecting our country.

Through the course, Tanner has gained hands-on experience in system identification and controller design, transforming theoretical knowledge into practical applications. This combination of theory and practice not only prepares students like Tanner for successful careers in engineering but also boosts their confidence and deepens their engagement with the material.

This course is taught by Dr. Eniko Enikov, a professor in The University of Arizona Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering and the director of the Advanced Microsystems Laboratory. Dr. Enikov's lab specializes in the development of medical devices based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), bringing valuable expertise to the course.

Address

1130 N. Mountain Avenue
Tucson, AZ
85721

Website

https://ame.engineering.arizona.edu/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/uarizona-ame/

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