When Robert Joshua Dobbs throws a football across the field to his teammate, he is making adjustments based on quick calculations for distance, wind and the weight of the ball. The further away his target, the harder he has to throw the ball. These adjustments are done naturally in his head, but true engineers and scientists would say the art of throwing a football revolves around physics.
At first, it may be a surprise when Dobbs, a Chancellors Honors Program student and freshman quarterback at The University of Tennessee, explains he is studying aerospace engineering. Engineering programs are rigorous and adding football practice, film study, travel, and games to the mix might make some go into overload, or others to steer clear from attempting both the sport and choice of study altogether. But for Dobbs, physics and math are two of his favorite subjects. Aerospace engineering is the perfect fit for the two subjects I enjoy most, he said. Dobbs has been fascinated with airplanes and flight for most of his life, and two events helped solidify his passion of aerospace. The first was a visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida when Dobbs was eight years old. Touring the facility, meeting astronauts, seeing the history, and riding in a flight simulator was a dream come true for him. Then at age 13, Dobbs participated in the Tuskegee Airman ACE Camp, where he went behind the scenes at the airport, got up close to the planes, talked with the mechanics, watched the air traffic control operations, and flew with an instructor in a single engine plane. Pairing these experiences with my passion for math and science was a perfect match for a future career, Dobbs said. Maybe Dobbs will be living proof that the cores of aerospace engineering and football naturally fit together. After all, before college, Dobbs excelled both on and off the field.
