Dr. Sharma received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi in India and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Birmingham University in Birmingham UK.
He joined Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford Connecticut in 1977 in Turbine Technology Group. In 1992 he was transferred to the Fans and Compressor Group as Chief of Aerodynamics. In 1998 he joined United Technologies Research Center as the Director of Modeling Simulation Analysis and Computational (MASC) initiative to enhance product development efforts in various divisions of the United Technology Corporation. He went back to Pratt & Whitney in 2000 to set up Center of Excellence in Aerodynamics to support the development of advanced commercial and military engines. Since 2007, he has been at the United Technologies Research Center as the Senior Technical Fellow in Aerodynamics and Gas Turbines.
He has made significant contributions to enhance the design processes used in axial flow turbines by utilizing a combination of physical and numerical experiments. He pioneered the use 3-D airfoils, clocking of airfoil rows, clocking of combustor generated hot-streaks to turbine first vanes to enhance the performance, and durability as well as structural integrity of turbines. He led the introduction of CFD based multi-stage codes to improve the performance and operability in fans and compressors including active stall avoidance demonstration in an operational gas turbine engine. In addition to providing assistance in solving tough technical problems, his current focus is on providing leadership in developing new design concepts to improve gas turbine engines by utilizing advanced high fidelity numerical simulations and controlled experiments.
Honors & awards:
-2019 R. Tom Sawyer Award “for contributions at the forefront of turbomachinery technology development in advanced engines for military and commercial applications through career efforts that have championed and harnessed the best available physics based analysis methods to pioneer step changes in turbomachinery capability”,
– International Gas Turbine Institute Scholar Award (2011),
– International Gas Turbine Institute Aircraft Engine Technology Award (2007),
– Distinguished Alumni Award from Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, India (1999), presented by the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Technology New Delhi in recognition of outstanding technical achievements in developing high performance propulsion systems for aircrafts and rockets,
– United Technologies Corporation’s George Mead Medal (1995) presented to Dr. Sharma and a co-worker for outstanding technical achievement in developing and demonstrating compressor stability management and control system in gas turbine engines,
– Pratt & Whitney Special Award (1989) presented for outstanding contribution to the advancement of Science and Technology in developing low pressure turbine airfoil design criteria that allowed 1% improvement in Low Pressure Turbine efficiencies operating at altitude cruise conditions.
Micah Howard is a Principal Member of Technical Staff in the Aerosciences Department at Sandia National Laboratories, where he has focused on computational science and engineering for aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics. He completed his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and joined Sandia in 2010. He is leading the SPARC project at Sandia, which is a part of the U.S. Exascale Computing Project and the DOE/NNSA Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program. The SPARC project is focused on research, development and delivery of a credible, Exascale-capable hypersonic reentry aerothermodynamics modeling and simulation code that is designed to provide both performance on and portability across next-generation HPC platforms. Additionally, he has provided technical leadership and subject matter expertise for aerodynamic and thermal protection system design and analysis for multiple U.S. hypersonics projects. He serves on several national level engagements on the topics of hypersonic CFD and ablation modeling and is an active member of AIAA.
Teri Finchamp serves as the director of the Future Production System team in Product Development for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In this role she leads efforts to create and optimize a production system for the company’s next new airplane. Her team emphasizes safety,stability and repeatability. Previously she held the position of director of Production System Engineering on the New Mid-Market Airplane (NMA) program for BCA.
Finchamp earlier served as director of Advanced Operations and Quality of Phantom Works within Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). In this position, she provided functional support by implementing cutting edge affordability initiatives into programs around Phantom Works, a research and development organization that designs, builds, tests and operates prototypes across a variety of environments – from space to seabed.
Prior to this position, Finchamp managed teams on the Joint Strike Fighter program. She led a fabrication team on the X-45C, which later operated under the name Phantom Ray. During her tenure with the program, the team completed a successful flight test program. She also served in a manufacturing leadership role on the Phantom Eye program.
Beginning her management career as a foreman on the F/A-18 program in 1996, Finchamp was promoted within a year to general foreman and moved into Phantom Works.
Her career with Boeing started in 1988, when she hired in as an industrial engineer for the F-18 and C-17, later adding responsibilities for T-45 and AV8B where she gained technical expertise in advanced aircraft and program quality excellence. Prior to her Boeing career, Finchamp worked with Ryerson Steel for three years in fabrication.
Finchamp holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering management from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
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In 2015, Karl Hutter became the President and Chief Executive Officer of Click Bond, Inc. Prior to becoming CEO, from 2013-2015, Karl served as the Treasurer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the company. From 2008 – 2013, Karl served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where he focused on building Click Bond’s reputation as a solutions partner, enabling Click Bond’s technology on the F-35 program and numerous other key platforms across the commercial and defense aerospace sector.
Prior to leading the sales department, Karl spearheaded the company’s business development and applications engineering efforts across the Asia Pacific region, creating a strong foundation for global growth, particularly in Japan, China, and Australia. Karl holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science and in Entrepreneurial Management and Operations management from the Wharton School.
Karl is a certified Airline Transport Pilot and is an active advocate for the aerospace industry. He serves on the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Board of Governors Executive Committee and Civil Aviation Leadership Council, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Board of Directors, the Aerospace Locknut Manufacturers Association (ALMA) Board of Directors, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Board of Directors . He is and the immediate past-Chairman of the Carson City Nevada Airport Authority and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cardigan Mountain School.
Cindy Hasselbring currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor and Assistant Director for STEM Education at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this role, Cindy co-chairs the FC-STEM committee that provides leadership, guidance, and coordination to Federal agencies with STEM education investments to implement the Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan in addition to shaping Federal policy in STEM education.
Previously, she was the Senior Director for AOPA’s High School Aviation Initiative and led efforts to build a four-year aviation STEM curriculum to inspire more students to enter careers in aviation and aerospace. In addition, she developed and planned AOPA’s annual High School Aviation STEM Symposium, which most recently hosted more than 350 educators, administrators, industry representatives and government officials at the United Airlines Flight Training Center in Denver, Colorado.
She led STEM initiatives as Special Assistant to the State Superintendent at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) including the expansion of computer science, development of a youth apprenticeship program, and conducting STEM education workshops for approximately 300 Maryland educators. Prior to working at MSDE, Cindy completed two years as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia where she participated in the development of the former Federal STEM education strategic plan.
She is a 16-year veteran mathematics teacher at Milan High School in Michigan and was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching and earned National Board Certification during her teaching tenure. As a teacher, she was heavily involved in NASA’s Network of Educator Astronaut Teacher program and participated in numerous teacher workshops and two reduced gravity flights. Cindy was one of 120 applicants invited to interview for the NASA Astronaut Candidate program in 2013. She learned to fly in Ann Arbor, Michigan and enjoys flying as a private pilot and has her seaplane rating.
James Frederick “Jim” Bridenstine was nominated by President Donald Trump, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and sworn in as NASA’s 13th administrator on April 23, 2018.
Bridenstine was elected in 2012 to represent Oklahoma’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Bridenstine’s career in federal service began in the U.S. Navy, flying the E-2C Hawkeye off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. It was there that he flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and accrued most of his 1,900 flight hours and 333 carrier-arrested landings. He later moved to the F-18 Hornet and flew at the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, the parent command to TOPGUN.
After transitioning from active duty to the U.S. Navy Reserve, Bridenstine returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be the Executive Director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.
Bridenstine completed a triple major at Rice University, and earned his MBA at Cornell University. He has three children with his wife, Michelle.
Walt Odisho is vice president of Manufacturing, Safety and Quality for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and is responsible for ensuring the Commercial Airplanes global production system consistently operates in an aligned, integrated and effective manner. He also leads the Commercial Airplanes focus on employee safety. In July 2017, the Quality organization was combined with Manufacturing and Safety to strengthen Commercial Airplanes’ unified production system approach.
Prior to joining Boeing in 2014, Odisho was vice president of Manufacturing for Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing America, in Erlanger, Kentucky. In this role, he was responsible for the overall management of assembly production and logistics at Toyota’s largest manufacturing facility in North America.
Odisho joined Toyota in 1989 as an engineer in the company’s truck division. In 1991, he transitioned into a quality assurance role. From 1993 to 2010 he held various leadership positions in production, manufacturing, new model launches, plastics, body structure engineering, fabrication and assembly. In 2011, he was named as the general manager of Assembly at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Kentucky and two years later, he was named vice president of Manufacturing.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from California State University (CSU), Fresno and attended the Wharton Business School of Management. He has served on the CSU Eastbay and Cal-Poly advisory boards as well as the Governors Manufacturing advisory board for the State of Kentucky.
Jenette Ramos is senior vice president of Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Operations at Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems, and provider of global services. Appointed in June 2017, Ramos is a member of the Boeing Executive Council.
Ramos oversees all aspects of Boeing manufacturing, the global end-to-end supply chain, and operations functions which include the Environment, Health & Safety and Facilities & Asset Management teams.
Ramos was previously vice president and general manager of Boeing Fabrication. Fabrication is a global manufacturing team with employees in four countries who are dedicated to building world class composite, metal, electrical and interior aerospace parts, tools and assemblies.
She has also held several leadership positions in business operations, facilities engineering, manufacturing, supplier management, and environment, health & safety.
Ramos began her career in 1986 as a student and joined full-time in 1988 as a facilities engineer responsible for managing environmental operations systems in several global facilities.
Ramos completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, earned a master’s degree in business from Seattle Pacific University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University.
Ramos is actively involved in the community. She is currently on the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy of Washington and is a member of the board of directors for the National Organization on Disability (NOD), and serves as a mentor for the Executive Development Institute.
