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At South, Research Reaches New Heights For Dr. Carlos Montalvo and his team of students, their futures are definitely up in the air. And that’s how they like it. Montalvo, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Alabama, is also director of South’s Facility for Aerial Systems and Technology. FAST, in other words. It’s an appropriate acronym, because the aerospace industry is moving very fast.

Lisa Schibelius, a master's student in mechanical engineering, is the lead researcher on the FAST lab's quadrotor project, which gathers atmospheric data along the Gulf Coast.

“ I think Airbus put aerospace engineering on everyone’s radar,” Montalvo said, referring to Airbus’ Defense and Space, Engineering, and Final Assembly Line facilities in Mobile. “‘I want to work there,’ kids say. ‘How do I get there?’ They see our research and they say, ‘Wow, that is what I want to do.’ "