The Center for Rapid Product Development at the Air Force Institute of Technology held its third certificate completion ceremony earlier this month to honor graduates of the 2007 OpTech Certificate Program.  Dr. Al Thal, OpTech Director, and Dr. Adedeji Badiru, Department Head for Department of Systems & Engineering Management, hosted the ceremony.  During the ceremony, both speakers remarked upon the value of this experience for the students in their future endeavors.

The ceremony concluded a nine month program that includes class work, immersion experiences, and prototype design and development.  The OpTech certificate program grants junior scientists, engineers, and program managers valuable education and experience in the development and fielding of new technologies and products.  Students in the program complete five courses designed to improve their understanding through hands-on experience with an academic foundation to become better product development leaders.

The AFIT OpTech Certificate Program was first offered in the fall of 2004.  Since that time, more than 30 students have graduated from the program.  The products developed by previous classes have been selected for further development to provide invaluable support to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.