Thanks to George F. Kirchoff, a 1955 engineering physics graduate, we can drive easy. Kirchoff worked for 35 years — with Thiokol Inc., Morton International and Autoliy Inc. — to develop a successful airbag, and he has the patents to show for it. He didn’t invent the airbag, per se, but he did perfect it, working long and hard through hundreds of trials to create a bag of gases that would explode, contained, in 35 milliseconds. At the same time, it had to keep us safe. Read the full story about Kirchoff from the Mobile Press-Register online at eng.auburn.edu/airbag
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AUBURN ENGINEERING NEWS
- Aerospace engineering professor earns unprecedented fourth Abe Zarem Educator Award March 20, 2026Auburn aerospace professor Joe Majdalani earns a record fourth AIAA Abe M. Zarem Educator Award for excellence in aeronautics and astronautics education.
- The sky’s the limit: Aerospace students best in the U.S. in solar system trajectory competition March 18, 2026Auburn Engineering students rank No. 1 in the U.S. and 10th globally in NASA’s Global Trajectory Optimization Competition, showcasing elite skills in astrodynamics and space mission design.
- Auburn Engineering hosts Defense Industrial Base Digital Engineering Summit March 17, 2026Leaders from industry, government and academia gathered at Auburn University March 3-4 for the Defense Industrial Base Digital Engineering Summit, a two-day event focused on strengthening the nation’s defense capabilities through digital engineering, workforce development and collaboration.