Coursework To Be Offered in Martinsville: 

MET 305         Principles of Mechanics
MET 300         Thermodynamics
MET 310         Dynamics
MET 330         Fluid Mechanics
MET 335         Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
MET 350         Thermal Applications 
MET 387         Power & Energy Laboratory  
AE 407            Ground Vehicle Aerodynamics
AE 467            Race Car Performance           
AE 457            Vehicle Dynamics
AE 477            High Performance Piston Engines
MET 435W     Senior Capstone Project
ENMA 301     Engineering Management
ENMA 302     Engineering Economics
ENMA 401     Project Management
ENMA 420     Statistics    

The uniqueness of the Aerospace Motorsports courses warrant their description below.

AE 407 Ground Vehicle Aerodynamics

Catalog Description: (3 credits) Lectures and Laboratory. Prerequisites: MET 303 or MET 330 or CEE 330. (Fluid Mechanics). Introduction to ground vehicle aerodynamics, bluff body aerodynamics, automobile aerodynamics, high performance vehicle design, truck and bus aerodynamics, high speed trains, boats, overview and discussion of methods and facilities.

AE 457 Motorsport Vehicle Dynamics

Catalog Description: (3 credits) Lectures and Laboratory. Prerequisites: MET 204 (Statistics), 205 (Dynamics), or equivalent. Basic mechanics governing vehicle dynamic performance. Analytical methods in vehicle dynamics. Laboratory consists of tests of various vehicle suspension-systems components and skidpad tests of several small race cars, (Legends and Baby Grand) to illustrate dynamics performance change associated with tire, springs and dampers, ride height and wedge.

AE 467 Race Car Performance

Catalog Description: (3 credits) Lectures and Laboratory. Prerequisites: AE 457 Motorsports Vehicle Dynamics, AE 407, Motorsports Aerodynamics. On-track performance of a typical racecar (Legends and Baby Grand racecars) to demonstrate and evaluate changes in suspension system geometry and tire selection. Operation and installation of sensors and data acquisition system. Use of computer simulation in specification of car set-up.

AE 477 High Performance Piston Engines

Catalog Description: (3 credits) Lectures and Laboratory. Prerequisites: MET 300, MET 350. A study of fundamental principles and performance characteristics of the internal combustion engines (spark ignition). The study includes introduction to chemical reactions, engine types and their operation, engine design and operating parameters, ideal models of engine cycles, combustion in spark ignition engines, and heat transfer.

As listed in the course descriptions, each of the motorsports courses has laboratory components. Currently, in the on-campus delivery of the minor, those laboratory sessions are delivered in facilities on campus and at the NASA Full-Scale Wind Tunnel operated by ODU. These facilities include the wind tunnel, engine test dynamometers and engines, and a flow bench. Students in Martinsville will have access to facilities used by Patrick Henry Community College in its associate degree program. These facilities are currently provided by Arrington Industries, at their nearby manufacturing and test facilities. Other new laboratory facilities have been and are being developed at the Virginia International Raceway, as part of the VIPER project and the development of ODU’s graduate program in Motorsports Engineering. Students in the bachelor’s program will also travel to the NASA Wind Tunnel in Hampton, Virginia, for weekend laboratory experiences.

A baccalaureate level program in Motorsports, provided by New College Institute and administered by ODU, will provide associate degree graduates with the opportunity to increase their analytical skills and enter the Motorsports workforce as technologists/engineers. Having skilled technicians and technologists will enhance the region’s ability to continue to grow the motorsports industry, as well as have a positive economic impact. In addition, a baccalaureate program in the region will attract more students from outside the region and state to enter the motorsports profession. It is anticipated that many graduates of the baccalaureate program will pursue the newly developed graduate program in Motorsports Engineering, which will also be delivered in the region by Old Dominion University.