Mississippi State University’s Engineering and Research Center has five major components, one of which is the SimCenter, or the Computational Simulation and Design Center, now headed by Dave Marcum. Each of the components of the ERC acts with its own goals of research and provides primarily for education on the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The SimCenter’s research reduced time and cost necessary for complex simulations of practical engineering analysis and design programs.
The SimCenter is a center designed for research on computational fluid dynamics, or CFD. This research deals with “the simulation of fluid-flow about aircraft, ships, automobiles, engines or any system involving fluid mechanics,” DFD programming director Joe Thompson said.
More specifically, its research involves computational design, compressible and incompressible methodology and advanced applications, unstructured grid technology and software and user interfaces.
Recently the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga lured away six MSU researchers (employees who are not members of an academic department) and two faculty members. Each of these individuals received at least a 10 percent pay raise.
This fact is significant because in Mississippi as a whole, university professors receive an average of around $52,000 a year in comparison to the $59,000 a year average for the region.
MSU professors have gone for two years without raises in pay; however, MSU faculty will receive a raise in January.
Despite this increase, MSU is at a risk to lose some of its faculty.
Joe Thompson serves as the director of Department of Defense Programming Environment and Training Center of the ERC.
“The lack of raises at Mississippi State over the last several years make us vulnerable to raids from other universities,” Thompson said.
Many fear that the SimCenter has essentially packed up and left for Chattanooga. Rumors exist that the center and its funding are moving; however, this is not true.
While two MSU faculty members did leave MSU, there were five who declined Chattanooga’s offers. According to Thompson, of the six researchers lost, at least that many or more decided to stay at MSU.
MSU’s research funding will remain at the university.
“The SimCenter is alive and well at Mississippi State under Dave Marcum’s leadership,” Thompson said.
The SimCenter serves as an essential function to the university, and while it has lost several of its employees, it will continue to serve MSU with great advancement in the years ahead.