Neel Mehta
Lockheed Martin and the University of Colorado-Boulder have partnered to implement academic programs focused on space-based radio frequency technology.
The company said Thursday it will invest $3 million in the partnership over four years and the Lockheed Martin Radio Frequency Research Center will collaborate with the university to develop curriculum to train future space engineers.
RF engineers can help aerospace companies to develop spacecraft tracking, navigation and control methods as well as global navigation technologies, Lockheed noted.
The partnership aims to establish a new master of science in electrical engineering on RF, a new academic path for aerospace engineering sciences students to obtain a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a Lockheed Martin chair of RF engineering, faculty fellow and graduate fellowships.
Lockheed added it will provide students and graduates access to the company’s RF Payload Center of Excellence in Colorado as well as make the RF-focused degree programs available to the company’s employees.
Keoki Jackson, chief technology officer of Lockheed, said that the partnership seeks to provide UC graduates with the skills needed to build new systems while helping to advance technology development efforts at the company.
“We greatly value our partnership with Lockheed Martin to propel our students, the aerospace industry and the state of Colorado to even greater heights,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano.
Lockheed has hired graduates from 15 of CU’s majors during 2015 and provided almost $7 million to help fund various research projects at the university.
