People Category: Moderator

Todd Nygren

Todd M. Nygren is the senior vice president of the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG) at The Aerospace Corporation. ETG comprises nearly half of the corporation’s technical staff, providing support to all national security space programs in the areas of space and launch vehicles, electronics and sensors, computers and software, communications and networking, and systems engineering and architecting. The organization also includes the corporate physical sciences laboratories and the corporate research portfolio. Nygren was elected to this position in April 2020.

Previously, Nygren was general manager of the Corporate Chief Engineer’s Office (CCEO) and corporate chief engineer at Aerospace. In this role, he was responsible for leading efforts within the corporation and externally to advance mission assurance practices, identify improvements in engineering developments and practices, engage with industry and senior customers, and accelerate the growth of new architectures and capabilities in the national security space enterprise with a special focus on integrating the space enterprise. In addition to his role as the corporate chief engineer, Nygren established the corporation’s inaugural support to the portfolio architect as part of the Space and Missile Systems Center 2.0 initiative, with key goals of establishing integrated architectures that can outpace the threat.

Nygren joined Aerospace as a summer hire in 1985 and, then, as a member of the technical staff in 1987. He held positions of varying responsibility in the MILSATCOM Division, culminating in 2002 as principal director, EHF Systems, where he oversaw the program definition and eventual development of the AEHF space, ground control, and mission planning elements; the Enhanced Polar Systems; and sustainment of the legacy Milstar system. Nygren then served as general manager in the Systems Engineering Division and the Development Planning and Architecture Division.

EDUCATION

Nygren received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Bethel College and master’s degree in system architecting and engineering from the University of Southern California.

Official Bio

Rob Button

Rob Button has been at NASA for 34 years and is currently serving dual roles as Deputy Chief of the Power Division at the NASA Glenn Research Center, and Deputy Technical Fellow for Electrical Power for the NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC). His early career involved development of the International Space Station (ISS) power generation and distribution system, development of satellite power systems with industry, and research into modular and intelligent power system technologies. From 2007-2009 Mr. Button served as power system lead on the Altair lunar lander project, and for the past 12 years has managed multiple engineering organizations at NASA Glenn developing aerospace power system technologies. During that time he has also led teams to resolve power and avionics failures that were preventing delivery of major spaceflight hardware, and was a leader of battery engineering research that significantly enhanced the safety of several lithium-ion batteries for NASA crewed vehicles. His major awards include a NASA Engineering Safety Center Leadership Award, a NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and a NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.

Matteo Ugolotti

Matteo Ugolotti is currently working as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wyoming. He holds a Bachelor and a Master of science in Mechanical Engineering and he also obtained a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati in Aerospace Engineering. His research focus is on advanced numerical technologies for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and aerodynamic design optimization. His interests also include Turbomachinery flows, Aerodynamics, and Machine Learning. Matteo joined the Networking & Professional Development branch of the AIAA Young Professionals Group in 2020 and he is also helping the AIAA Fluid Dynamics Technical Committee at Aviation and Scitech forums.

Bhavya Lal

As the Associate Administrator for Technology, Policy and Strategy within the Office of the NASA Administrator, Bhavya Lal is responsible for providing evidence-driven advice to NASA leadership on internal and external policy issues, strategic planning, and technology investments. She also provides executive leadership and direction to the newly created Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy within the Office of the Administrator at NASA. Dr. Lal is also the Acting Chief Technologist of NASA, the first woman to hold the position in NASA’s 60+ year history.

Prior to her current role and in the first 100 days of the Biden Administration, she was the Acting Chief of Staff at NASA, and directed the agency’s transition under the administration of President Biden. Before arriving at NASA, she had served as a member of the Presidential Transition Agency Review Teams for both NASA and the Department of Defense. For 15 years prior to that, Dr. Lal led strategy, technology assessment, and policy studies and analyses at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) for government sponsors including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the National Space Council, NASA, Department of Defense, and other Federal Departments and Agencies. Before coming to IDA, she was the Director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy Studies at Abt Associates, a global policy research and consulting firm based in Cambridge MA. Dr. Lal’s analyses have been at the center of almost all space-relevant polices for the last decade. For her many contributions to the space community, she was nominated and selected to be a Corresponding Member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Dr. Lal is an active member of the space technology and policy community, having chaired, co-chaired or served on five high-impact National Academy of Science (NAS) ad hoc committees. She served two consecutive terms on the NOAA Federal Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing (ACCRES), was an External Council Member of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, and selected to join the NASA Technology, Innovation and Engineering Advisory Committee (NAC/TIE). She co-founded and was co-chair of the policy track of the American Nuclear Society’s annual conference on Nuclear and Emerging Technologies in Space (NETS), and co-organized a seminar series on space history and policy with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Dr. Lal holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a second master’s from MIT’s Technology and Policy Program, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Public Administration from George Washington University. She is a member of both the nuclear engineering and public policy and public administration honor societies and has published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.

Official Bio

Douglas Blake

Dr. Douglas C. Blake heads the Aviation Force Projection and Integrated Defense Department at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Virginia. In addition, he is currently serving as the Acting ONR Executive Director. Blake is responsible for the Navy’s science and technology (S&T) investment in aircraft, air and surface weapons technology programs. He oversees the Sea Strike Pillar Future Naval Capability initiative. Blake also leads Marine Corps-focused research investments in support of mobility, firepower, command and control, manpower and training, and logistics.

Dr. Blake entered the Senior Executive Service in 2014. Blake served 20 years in the active-duty Air Force as both enlisted and an officer in a variety of positions including Korean Cryptologic Linguist, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile maintenance engineer, AFRL researcher and associate professor of aeronautics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Upon retiring in 2002, he entered the private sector where he worked as the director of research and development for a small business involved in modeling and simulation.

In 2004, Blake entered the Air Force civil service as chief of the Computational Sciences Branch of AFRL. He held subsequent assignments in the AFRL as chief of the Aeronautical Sciences Division and deputy director of the Air Vehicles Directorate. He also served as the director of the 76th Software Maintenance Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and as executive director of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex, Tennessee. Prior to his current assignment, Blake served in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Executive Service as the program director of the FAA Logistics Center, where he led a workforce of more than 600 employees engaged in supply-chain management; maintenance, repair and overhaul; and logistics support services for the U.S. National Airspace System.

Blake received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri, Rolla in 1989; master’s and doctorate degrees in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio in 1993 and 1997 respectively; and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2002. He is a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air War College (via correspondence) and holds professional certifications in Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering, Level III; Program Systems Engineering, Level III; and Test and Evaluation, Level I.

Blake was awarded the U.S. Air Force Science and Engineering Award in 2002. In 2011 and 2012, he received Exemplary Civilian Service Awards. He is also a recipient of the Meritorious Civilian Service Award in 2014 and 2018 as well as the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence in 2020.

Official Bio

Patrick J. Schirmer

Pat Schirmer is vice president of Strategy and Operations for Boeing’s companywide Engineering organization, a position he has held since December 2019. In this role, he has responsibility for major activities that integrate the company’s Engineering team, such as design practices and processes, deployment of model- based engineering, and talent management and strategic workforce planning.

Schirmer has held a variety of leadership roles during his 35-year Boeing career. Most recently, he was vice president of Engineering for Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Fabrication and Airplane Programs organizations, where he oversaw the engineering teams supporting Fabrication, the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787, including non-recurring product development efforts (737 MAX and 777X). In that role, he provided strategic direction to the Engineering function for use of common processes and tools and drove integration across programs, people and business units.

Prior to that, he served as vice president of Commercial Airplanes Customer Support, responsible for ensuring the health of the world’s largest fleet of commercial jetliners – more than 14,000 airplanes. He oversaw a complete set of technical resources that helped more than 800 operators maintain their fleets. Resources include service, maintenance and retrofit engineering assistance; round the clock technical support; field service; and maintenance publications.

Schirmer also led Customer Support Engineering, where he oversaw an operations center that provides 24/7 support to airplane customers around the globe, served as 737-900ER deputy program manager, and was fleet chief for the Next- Generation 737.

Schirmer first joined Boeing in the Missile System Division of the defense business, working on the Peacekeeper missile, Hard Mobile Launcher and Short Range Attack Missile as a dynamics and loads engineer.

A graduate of the University of Washington, Schirmer received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as a Master of Business Administration participating in the Executive MBA program. In addition, Schirmer is a graduate from the Seattle University Executive Leadership Program.

Joaquin H. Castro

 

Joaquin H. Castro has 42+ years of propulsion engineering, management and leadership experience. After the Aerojet acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) in June of 2013, he joined the Space Advanced Programs Organization of the newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne Company.

In 2012 Joaquin assumed leadership of International Advanced Propulsion Programs activities at PWR. From 2006 to 2012 he led the strategy and business development activities for the PWR product lines for DOD applications. In this role he led a national team of Field and Program Managers responsible for the support and growth of PWR’s Military Business.

Between 1998 and 2006, Mr. Castro led the high-speed air-breathing propulsion activities at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne with responsibility for all Hypersonic and Combined Cycle Programs. In this role, Mr. Castro’s was responsible for P&L, design development and deployment of hypersonic propulsion products including ramjets, scramjets, combined cycle integration and high-speed elements of combined cycle propulsion systems.

During his Pratt & Whitney career, Mr. Castro has participated and led the planning, design, development, certification, vehicle integration, field support and flight test of gas turbine, scramjet and rocket engines including TF-30, F100, SSME, RD-180, various RL10 models and RL60 engines. During his P&W tenure, Mr. Castro’s responsibilities have included the Management of P&W’s Advanced Upper Stage Rocket Projects, Engineering Manager for the RD-180 development and certification program, Engineering manager for the RL10A-5 Engine Program (four RL10A-5 engines powered the McDonnell Douglas single stage to orbit demonstrator DC-X vehicle), Project Engineer for the development and certification of the RL10A-4 nozzle extension system and Pratt & Whitney’s Venezuela’s In Country Manager for the Peace Delta Program. Mr. Castro holds two patents, has received numerous professional awards and has authored numerous propulsion publications over his career.

Mr. Castro is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Director of the AIAA Propulsion and Energy Group. Mr. Castro was inducted in the International Space Hall of Fame in 2013 as a member of the DC-X Team.

Mr. Castro is a commercial, instrument, land and sea rated pilot and a licensed aircraft mechanic. When not generating thrust with rocket and scramjet engines, Mr. Castro spends some of his time flying and restoring general aviation aircraft.

Joaquin has been married to his wife Lourdes for 42+ years. They have two beautiful daughters Chelsy and Leilani and three granddaughters Eva, Belen and Mackensie.

Education:
BSE, Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, 1978
Undergraduate and Graduate Business Studies, Florida Atlantic University, 1980-82 MBA, University of Florida, 2006.

Jason Cassibry

Jason Cassibry is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and affiliated with the Propulsion Research Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. His research includes theoretical and experimental study of magneto-inertial fusion and fission/fusion for interplanetary space travel and terrestrial power, hypersonics, and smooth particle hydrodynamics. He is currently the chair of the AIAA Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion committee.

Richard Kamin

Mr. Kamin currently serves as the lead for the Naval Aviation Operational Energy Program and as the NAVAIR Aviation Fuels and Lubricants Technical Warrant Holder. His responsibilities include Technical Authority for Navy and Marine Corps aviation fuels and lubricants and direction of the Navy’s Aircraft Operation Energy and Tactical Fuels programs.

From 2010-2016, Mr. Kamin led both the Navy’s Task Force Energy Aviation Operation Energy and Tactical Fuels Working Groups. Under his guidance the Tactical Fuels Working Group developed systematic synthetic fuel qualification protocols and successfully tested and qualified multiple synthetic fuel processes for both Naval Aircraft and Ship applications. In addition, the WG successfully led the first operational fleet demonstration of a synthetic fuel in 2012. The Aviation Operational Energy Working Group successfully developed and demonstrated multiple air vehicle and engine efficiency technologies and implemented operational best practices to enhance mission capability through more energy efficient operations.

From 2006-2009, Mr. Kamin served as the Tactical Energy Plans, Policies and Technologies Lead for the Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Readiness Division. Responsibilities included management of the Operational Energy portfolio, the development of the Navy’s Alternative Fuels Program and the framework that led to the implementation of the Navy’s Task Force Energy.

From 2001 to 2006, Mr. Kamin served as Navy Fuels Team Lead. Responsibilities included the technical direction of the Navy’s In-service Engineering and RDT&E programs. Under his direction the team provided technical support to the Fleet, Program Offices and IPTs. In addition, the team developed and demonstrated the performance and durability impacts of fuel properties/chemistry on Naval aircraft and ships, as well as technical advancements in areas of fuels prognostics and diagnostics, fuel handling/filtration and aircraft ground refueling.

In 2000, Mr. Kamin served as Mobility Fuels Manager for the Chief of Naval Operations Energy Plans and Policies Office. Responsibilities included the development and chartering of the Navy-wide Naval Fuels and Lubricants Cross Functional Team.

Mr. Kamin holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.

Mr. Kamin was inducted into the NAVAIR Technical Fellows Program in 2001, was selected as a full Fellow in 2004 and as an Esteemed Fellow in 2011. He holds one U.S. Patent and has authored over 60 technical papers. He is a member of the ASTM D2 Petroleum Products and Lubricants Committee, Coordinating Research Council Aviation Fuel Steering Committee, International Association for the Stability, Handling and Use of Liquid Fuels Steering Committee, NATO Fuels and Lubricants WG, Five Eyes Air Forces Interoperability Council Aviation Fuels and Lubricants WG, Tri-Service POL Users Group Steering Committee, and Chairs the Naval Fuels and Lubricants Cross Functional Team.

Marilee J. Wheaton

Marilee J. Wheaton is a Systems Engineering Fellow in the Engineering & Technology Group at The Aerospace Corporation. Wheaton is responsible for providing technical leadership and building capability across the Corporation to include enterprise systems engineering, systems architecting, digital engineering and model-based systems engineering. Previous leadership roles over her thirty-year career at Aerospace include General Manager for the Systems Engineering Division and the Computer Systems Division, and Executive Director of The Aerospace Institute, the corporate university. Wheaton holds a B.A. in mathematics from California Lutheran University, an M.S. in systems engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and is a graduate of the UCLA Executive Program in Management. Wheaton has served as adjunct faculty in the Systems Architecting and Engineering Program at USC Viterbi. A Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Wheaton is an active member of the Systems Engineering Technical Committee. She is also a Fellow and Life Member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and a Fellow of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), where she is the current INCOSE President-Elect.