William Durand joins the faculty. With a background in fluid mechanics, Durand works on water and power problems in the West. He later becomes the nation's leading authority on airplane propeller design. In WWI he plays a vital role in development of military aircraft. In 1941, at age 82, he is called to Washington to head a project to develop jet propulsion for aircraft. The first U.S. jet plane is test-flown the next year.