Why major in aerospace and minor in materials science?

James Lippert is a junior majoring in aerospace engineering. He grew up in Savoy, Illinois, a town about a 15-minute drive from campus. Learn more about Lippert’s decision to add a minor in materials science to his educational program at Illinois.

“When I was in high school, I took a course called Materials in Today's World and found the topic fascinating. When I got to college, I joined the fabrication team of Illinois Space Society's Spaceshot project and fell in love with composite materials and declared my minor in materials science.

“Last year, I was the fabrication lead for Spaceshot and was in charge of planning and implementing the manufacturing process for our rockets, which use both fiberglass and carbon fiber composites. In Dr. Baur's composite manufacturing laboratory, I’ve made fiber metal laminates with various polymers.

“I’ve found that balancing courses for a MatSE minor with a major in AE is pretty easy because some of the courses are cross listed, so they count for aerospace technical credit and toward my minor. I also really enjoy learning about it, so it isn't really a burden.

“In my career, I want to work on structures and materials of aerospace vehicles, specifically rockets and spacecraft. Making materials that are stronger and lighter, or more sustainable, or optimizing the manufacturing process of aerospace materials, are all options that sound fun and interesting to me.”