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Lockheed Martin awards $3M to University of Maryland, including rotorcraft lab

Lockheed Martin signed a $3 million charitable commitment to the University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering. The three-year contribution will fund vertical takeoff and landing research conducted at the university’s rotorcraft lab, as well as high-speed flight experiments up to Mach 8, or 6,000 mph, at the school’s hypersonic wind tunnel.

It will also underwrite programs overseen by the Clark School’s Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering that aim to increase the enrolment of women and under-represented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines.

“For 75 years, Lockheed Martin has played a significant role in the storied history of the A. James Clark School of Engineering, and we are proud to continue our relationship as the recipient of Lockheed Martin’s largest gift of the year to any institution,” said Darryll Pines, Clark School Dean and Farvardin Professor. “This generous gift will empower Clark School students and faculty to remain at the forefront of innovation in aerospace technology, and to advance our commitment to a diverse and inclusive engineering community.”

Since 2010, Lockheed Martin has funded more than $19 million in research and philanthropy at the University of Maryland. The $3 million contribution announced today is in addition to that investment.

“Lockheed Martin has partnered with the University of Maryland for more than seven decades, and we are proud to continue that successful relationship with this contribution supporting aerospace innovation,” said Keoki Jackson, Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin. “We expect to hire 50,000 STEM professionals over the next decade, and together we will inspire the next generation of engineers to join us in creating breathtaking generation-after-next technology.”

Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin awarded scholarships to nine University of Maryland students pursuing majors in engineering or computer science as part of its new STEM Scholarship Program. The students will receive up to $40,000 in total scholarship funding, or $10,000 per school year, from Lockheed Martin, and they are eligible for paid Lockheed Martin internships.

Lockheed Martin’s partnership with the University of Maryland dates back to 1944 when Glenn Martin funded four buildings, including the Glenn L. Martin Wind Tunnel and Glenn L. Martin Hall. Today, Lockheed Martin employs more than 600 University of Maryland graduates holding nearly 700 degrees, and it has a formal collaboration agreement in place with the school to research, develop and design advanced technology systems, products and services.

The A. James Clark School of Engineering consists of 14 buildings on the College Park campus and covers over 750,000 square feet and is home to eight different departments. The departments include Aerospace engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular engineering, Civil and Environmental engineering, Electrical and Computer engineering, Fire Protection engineering, Materials Science and engineering, and Mechanical engineering.