Students at the University of Mississippi School of Engineering are often given the opportunity to work on government projects, but this government research also requires a veil of secrecy that outsiders cannot penetrate.
The engineering school works with other schools and government agencies on a variety of projects, sometimes partnering with the Army Corp of Engineers or the Department of Homeland Security.
Not all of the projects undertaken by the engineering school are secret.
“We have a faculty member working on theoretical water quality in Sardis Lake,” said Christiane Surbeck, assistant professor of engineering.
But, students involved in the government projects are asked to refrain from talking about their research and details are hard to come by.
According to Annie Chapman, an engineering graduate student at Ole Miss from Jackson, Miss, some projects are not secret for the safety of the public, but to avoid risk of stolen patents, and to prevent other countries from developing the same technology.
Even the reasons for the security are sometimes vague.
“Certain research projects are kept confidential as a matter of safety and security,” Surbeck said.
In the past the school of engineering’s labs have helped to develop materials to prevent large-scale damages and fatalities during possible terrorist attacks.
“This is largely what our research is centered around all the time,” Chapman said.
Chapman and Cole Fowler, a graduate student from Batesville, are currently working on something similar, although neither would give many details.
Chapman is focusing on the environmental aspect, while Fowler says he is involved in studying the strength of several materials for improvement.
According to Chapman, engineers have to anticipate and expect the worst.
“In our world the worst is very often reality.”
For more information on the engineering school, visit their website:
http://www.engineering.olemiss.edu/
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