Dr. Nancy Giles, Col Jennifer Sovada, Lt Col James Fee, Dr. James Petrosky, Dr. Glenn Sjoden, Dr. Adedeji Badiru, and Dr. Heidi Ries pictured at the ceremony appointing Lt Col Fee and Dr. Petrosky AFTAC Endowed Term Chairs

On 4 Jan 2016, the Air Force Technical Application Center (AFTAC) and AFIT's Graduate School of Engineering and Management formally established a research and education partnership via a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).  Among the initiatives outlined in the MOA is the establishment of a first-of-a kind  " Endowed Term Chair" at AFIT to help focus the efforts of AFIT faculty on AFTAC mission requirements.

Colonel Jennifer Sovada, AFTAC Commander and Dr. Glenn Sjoden, AFTAC Chief Scientist, held a formal ceremony on February 1st to appoint the first two chairs. Dr. James Petrosky was appointed the AFTAC Endowed Term Chair for Nuclear Materials and Lt Col James Fee was appointed the AFTAC Endowed Term Chair for Nuclear Treaty Monitoring.  Also in attendance were Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management, Dr. Heidi Ries, Dean for Research, and Dr. Nancy Giles, Head of the Department of Engineering Physics. 

Dr. Petrosky and Lt Col Fee will serve as Endowed Term Chairs for a period of two years with the responsibility to serve as the technical points of contact for the MOA and the principal investigators for research relating to the nuclear materials and nuclear treaty monitoring, respectively.  In addition, Dr. Petrosky and Lt Col Fee are to serve as advocates for and an information resource about AFTAC within AFIT.

Lt Col Fee stated   " This appointment as an AFTAC endowed chair represents a culmination of the trust and faith AFTAC has placed in me since I was a Captain.  In 2000, AFTAC sponsored my master's degree research knowing that my follow on assignment would be not to be AFTAC.  At the time, the AFTAC technical leadership stated that they knew my education would pay off for AFTAC in the future, even though not immediately as a follow-on assignment."

" This MOA is a testament to the value placed in our education and research mission, especially for the graduates who eventually serve at AFTAC. I am humbled to have been selected for this appointment" commented Dr. Petrosky.

Dr. Petrosky is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering and the Nuclear Engineering Curriculum Chair in AFIT's Department of Engineering Physics.  He earned his doctorate in Engineering Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1995. Dr. Petrosky has expertise in radiation effects on electronic devices, EMP, experimental design, radiation detection, and nuclear weapon effects.  His research spans narrow and wide band gap materials using combinations of electrical, optical, and absorption spectroscopy to gain information on the damaging effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

Lt Col Fee is an Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering in the Department of Engineering Physics.  He earned his doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from AFIT in 2015.  Lt Col Fee's research is primarily focused on computational simulation of nuclear weapon effects with a focus in electromagnetic pulse. He has also previously managed radiation hardened microelectronics programs for satellite and missile systems.  He also deployed to Iraq as an Intelligence Advisor in support of Operation New Dawn. Lt Col Fee is the faculty advisor for and member of the American Nuclear Society and additionally holds a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air University (2012).