In 1944 the nation’s first research institute for aviation psychology was established at UT by the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Tennessee Bureau of Aeronautics. The National Research Council’s Committee on Selection and Training of Aircraft Pilots directed the research through a special project committee of UT. Dr. Robert Y. Walker, director of the institute, also became a UT faculty member. The research was directed toward improved selection methods for aircraft pilots and lessening pilot error. In 1945 students were offered an opportunity to take flight training (for $5) as part of its program. The institute was disbanded following World War II.