Mercer County Community College Students, Instructors Visit

By Ginger Cairnes

Several New Jersey colleges have become increasingly interested in providing education for students planning a career in the field of aviation. Several of these colleges request visits to the Technical Center to allow students to see first hand the research and development taking place in the aviation field. Among those institutions is Mercer County Community College (MCCC).

In 1966, a merger was formed with Trenton Junior College to establish MCCC. Located in Central Jersey, MCCC has two campuses: a 292-acre campus in West Windsor, N.J., and the James Kerney Campus in downtown Trenton. MCCC offers learning opportunities for all segments of the county’s population. Children, teens, traditional-age college students, the unemployed, working professionals, new immigrants, and senior citizens all find educational opportunities at MCCC.

	Dr. Thomas N. Wilfrid, Acting President MCCC, states: “Mercer serves over 30,000 people each year in our associate degree programs, credit and noncredit certificate programs, continuing education, customized training for businesses, career training, youth programs, and summer camps for children. MCCC's vast array of credit courses can be applied towards both career and transfer programs.”

Late this summer, Dianne Loving, instructor from the MCCC pilot program brought a group of 12 prospective professional pilots and another instructor to visit the Technical Center. Ginger Cairnes, Visitor Program Manager, assisted by Barbara Harris-Para (who is also a flight instructor), hosted the group while they explored the many aspects of research being done here. The following facilities and programs provided outstanding support to help peak the students love for aviation: Tower/TRACON Modeling and Simulation Facility, Free Flight Technology Integration Laboratory, Automated Dependant Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) program, flying laboratories, Air Flow Induction Test Facility (wind tunnel), High Performance Research Vehicle (HPRV) and the crashworthiness program.

Students stated that the visit provided them with a much broader perspective regarding the field of aviation, and the vast array of research taking place.