APRIL 4, 2022— Part of what makes the UTSA Hypersonics Lab unique is the 50-foot-long, 7,000-pound Mach 7 Ludwieg Tube Wind Tunnel it houses. What makes it especially unique, however, are the students who are running the facility and are gaining invaluable experiential learning opportunities in the process.

Students’ capability to take control while in the lab is part of the UTSA Classroom to Career initiative. The breadth of experience they encounter during their time spent in the high-speed test environment is key to preparing them for the workforce. Some days students are an aerodynamicist, while other days are spent changing the oil on a compressor. Students go from exercising their plumbing skills to writing code all while trying their hand at photography and videography.

They also gain valuable experience working directly with the Mach 7 wind tunnel, which could attract more students to pursue degrees in aerospace engineering, which are in strong demand to support the growing industry in San Antonio and the nation.