Kenneth "Ken" M. Rosen, PhD

I decided that engineering was a good profession for me and that I could get a great education at an affordable price at CCNY. I knew that it was an excellent school with a good reputation. CCNY instituted a course in humanities taught by Professor David Gaines. There was a limited opportunity to study humanities in most engineering schools in the country. CCNY was not like that. The college had a very rich humanities program to complement their engineering program. The greatest skills an engineer can have are writing and communication. CCNY provided those skills. The mechanical engineering program was very strong. I fell in love with the jet engine in my advanced thermodynamics courses. After graduation, I started a career at United Technologies Corporation, or UTC. One day, my boss said, 'Our sister company, Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, Connecticut, needs someone like you for about three months. What do you think about going down there and working in helicopters?’ I said, 'That sounds extremely interesting.' I stayed for 40 years. Sikorsky is the leading helicopter designer and manufacturer I became the vice president of research and engineering. I led many teams that produced fantastic helicopter designs. I was the original chief engineer of the UH-60 Black Hawk. UTC and Sikorsky supported my MSME - master's in mechanical engineering - at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I earned my PhD in mechanical engineering from RPI. In 2010, CCNY’s School of Engineering gave me the Career Achievement Award. I have received the NASA Civilian Public Service Medal and election to both the NAE and the CASE. I'm honored to be a fellow of the AIAA, AHS, ASME, SAE, and Royal Aeronautical Society. After I retired from Sikorsky, I founded a consulting engineering firm, General Aero-Science Consultants, LLC. I have had a very rich career. I owe it all to CCNY. If I had not had that superb basis and that wonderful education, my career wouldn't have developed the way it did.