Althea Wilson's studies are moving at high speed. At age 24, Wilson, a former science and mathematics student at JCCC, is a first- year PhD student in aerospace engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where she is researching altitude effects on the pitching moment of a missile. Her goal is a career in the research and design of high-speed flights.

Judging from past academic performance, she is on the right trajectory.

Wilson was home schooled and began taking JCCC classes as a high school senior. She completed her freshman year at JCCC, earning a total of 36 credit hours with engineering, physics, chemistry and calculus classes.

She had three incentives for studying at JCCC. "My Dad (Steve Wilson, mathematics professor) taught here, it was significantly cheaper than a university and, actually, I came out with better instruction in the classes I took.

"At JCCC, the teachers really wanted you to learn the material. They weren't weed-out classes. Instead of 100 students in the freshman-sophomore classes, I had 20-30 students. The teachers recognized me, and I could always get help when I needed it."

Wilson became fascinated with the idea of space travel in middle school. She started out wanting to be an astronaut, but became more interested in rocket design as her education progressed.

"I've become more interested in the designing than the flying, although I would still love to fly if I ever have the opportunity," Wilson said.

Wilson went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla. While completing her master's degree, she had an adviser who had worked on NASA's X-43 project, an unmanned experimental hypersonic aircraft that flew at seven to 10 times the speed of sound. After an initial boost from a rocket, the X-43 flew free using its own engine - a scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet).

Inspired by the project, Wilson's master's thesis examined ways to control the X-43's stability. Her research was done using computer simulation.

As a result, Wilson was selected to present her paper, Numerical Study of Energy Utilization in Nozzle/Plume Flow Fields of High-Speed Air-Breathing Vehicles, at the September 2008 International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences in Anchorage, Alaska, attended by aerospace engineers.

In summer 2008, Wilson moved to Huntsville to begin studies and paid research on a different subject - how the range of temperature and density of air at different attitudes affects a missile during its pitching moment.  Wilson plans to complete her PhD and continue to look at ways to build a better model for a rocket - one that is more efficient and safer in its stability.