Studying Aerospace Engineering in Italy

Greetings from Italy! My name is Victoria, and I’m currently an aerospace engineering student at the University of Michigan. I had the incredible opportunity to study in the beautiful town of Sorrento, Italy last summer.

You might wonder what I am doing here. Well, I took Physics 2 and gained valuable practical work experience. Through this, I earned a micro-credential in Working Across Cultures. This micro-credential focused on job training and career networking, providing me with essential skills for my future career.

Recently, I had the privilege of visiting one of Italy’s premier aerospace research centers, and I’d love to share my experience with you. For a field visit, I visited Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali also known as CIRA in Capua. They are an Italian Aerospace Research Center and partnered with the European Space Agency. We received a personal tour of all their departments and wind tunnels.

Our visit began with a welcome from Dr. Cesare, who gave us an overview of the research projects currently underway. It was fascinating to hear about the various initiatives, ranging from advanced propulsion systems to innovative materials for spacecraft construction. The director emphasized the importance of international collaboration, which aligns perfectly with the focus of my micro-credential in Working Across Cultures. He showed us around the building of the plasma wind tunnel and told us they even did some work with NASA in Nevada. Did you know that they have the biggest plasma wind tunnel in the world?

We were then taken to their icing wind tunnel, it was smaller and was told that usually the wind tunnel is booked so it was a rarity to tour it. The icing wind tunnel simulates the conditions aircraft encounter when flying through icing clouds, helping researchers develop better de-icing technologies and improve flight safety. We walked through the whole tunnel, it was really slippery and wet from the melted ice.

We also visited the materials science lab, where researchers are developing new composite materials designed to withstand extreme temperatures and stresses. The level of precision and attention to detail in their work was truly remarkable. The parts of a space vehicle are so big, I could only imagine what it would be like put together! It was interesting to learn about what makes up each vehicle and how panels were made. They showed us their fabrication space and explained to us that they infuse liquid into fibers.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the visit was the opportunity to speak directly with the researchers. They were incredibly generous with their time, explaining their projects and the challenges they face. I even ate lunch with them in their workplace cafeteria, it was difficult to ask for things in Italian because the servers did not speak English. It was a lot of food for a good price! I met with two researchers who are coordinators at a neighboring university in Capua. They were trying to convince me to get a master's in aerophysics and work for CIRA! Everybody was so kind and they offered me to work for them next summer as my next internship. Wonder where I will be next!

If you want to get your own hands-on engineering experience in Sorrento, check out the program here!