Marilyn J. Smith Awarded 2026 AIAA-NAE Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering Written 7 July 2026
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Marilyn J. Smith, David S. Lewis Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Director of the Georgia Tech Army/Navy/NASA Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Rotorcraft – The New Frontier in Extraplanetary Exploration” set for 5 October
July 7, 2026, Reston, Va. — The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are pleased to announce that Marilyn J. Smith, David S. Lewis Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, and Director of the Georgia Tech Army/Navy/NASA Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence, has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering.
Smith will present her lecture, “Rotorcraft – The New Frontier in Extraplanetary Exploration,” on Monday, 5 Oct., starting at 1 p.m. ET with the lecture, followed by a reception. This lecture will be held in conjunction with the NAE Annual Meeting at 500 Fifth St. NW, Washington, D.C. Registration for this lecture and reception are free and open to the public.
Rotorcraft are highly versatile flight vehicles for a variety of missions where the ability to hover, move omnidirectionally, and land on unprepared surfaces are a must. Innovators have postulated for several decades that rotorcraft are the optimal vehicles for cost-effective and optimal extraplanetary exploration. Rotorcraft can cover larger swaths of unexplored territory to explore various geographical features than ground vehicles, as well as identify atmospheric traits at different altitudes and locations. The Mars Ingenuity vehicle indisputably proved rotorcraft’s ability to go above and beyond in these science missions.
This lecture will explore both the advantages and limitations of rotorcraft for extraplanetary missions, including rotorcraft design for extreme environments, opportunities to leverage current autonomous uncrewed aerial systems development, and mitigation of unknown planetary characteristics that could negatively impact mission requirements. The lecture will also identify research areas where innovations can lower risk in these long-term missions.
Smith’s research encompasses computational unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelasticity for complex configurations, including rotorcraft. Smith is an AIAA Fellow, as well as Honorary Fellow of the Vertical Flight Society and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. She is a Vertical Flight Society Technical Director Emeritus, and member emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Vertical Flight Society and the Vertical Lift Consortium. In 2022, Smith presented the Vertical Flight Society Nikolsky Award Lecture honoring a lifetime achievement of research and development in Vertical Flight. She is also the recipient of the 2022 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Award, and the 61st Royal Aeronautical Society Lanchester Memorial Lecture (2023).
AIAA, with the participation and support of the NAE, created the Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering to honor the memory of the late pioneering rocket scientist, AIAA Honorary Fellow, and NAE member Yvonne C. Brill. Brill was best known for developing a revolutionary propulsion system that remains the industry standard for geostationary satellite station-keeping. The lectureship emphasizes research or engineering issues for space travel and exploration, aerospace education of students and the public, and other aerospace issues such as ensuring a diverse and robust engineering community.
For more information about the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
NAE Media Contact: Sabrina Steinberg, [email protected], 202.334.2622
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About NAE
Founded in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. The mission of the NAE is to advance the welfare and prosperity of the nation by providing independent advice on matters involving engineering and technology, and by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and public appreciation of engineering. Follow NAE on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.