Tag: Award

AIAA Announces 2024 Sustained Service Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 5, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Sustained Service Awards. The award recognizes sustained, significant service and contributions to AIAA by members of the Institute.

“AIAA volunteers are the aerospace community’s greatest resource,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “These AIAA members lead by example, using their talent and energy to guide the community. We are grateful for their dedication and hard work.”

Recipients must be AIAA members in good standing who have shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions over a period of time, typically 10 years or more. Active participation and service at the local section/regional level, and/or the national level is a potential discriminator in the evaluation of candidates.

The 2024 Sustained Service Awards winners are:

Ronald M. Barrett-Gonzalez, University of Kansas
For continued support of AIAA in the Wichita Section, as a student branch faculty advisor, and on national technical committees.Barrett-Gonzalez received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kansas in 1988 and 1993, respectively, and an M.S. from the University of Maryland in 1990 in aerospace engineering. He has authored more than 400 technical publications, holds 19 patents, and is a member of the Aircraft Design and Adaptive Structures Technical Committees (TC). He has served on faculties at Auburn, Alabama, TU Delft, and KU as the AIAA Student Branch Faculty Advisor.
John W. Dankanich, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
For continued and dedicated service to AIAA and the aerospace community.Dankanich received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Purdue University in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. He is the Chief Technologist of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the NASA agency Capability Lead for In-Space Transportation. He is a subject-matter expert in trajectory optimization, mission architecture design, and propulsion technology development and testing.
Stanley D. Ferguson, The Boeing Company (retired)
For sustained service and support to the AIAA Pacific Northwest Section, national committees, technical meetings, student competitions, and STEM activities. Ferguson retired from Boeing after a 40-year career in aerodynamic design, analysis, aircraft integration, and certification. His contributions resulted in numerous patents and awards. He received his MSE degree from the University of Washington in 1979, and BSAE from West Virginia University in 1973. Ferguson has served AIAA in local section positions, national committees, and is an AIAA Associate Fellow.
Kenneth Lui, Ken’s Consulting
For outstanding volunteer service to the AIAA Los Angeles-Las Vegas Section, demonstrating tireless dedication in organizing conferences, and establishing young professional, student branch, and diversity events.Lui is Chair of the AIAA Los Angeles-Las Vegas(LA-LV) Section and has been a Council Member since 2015. An AIAA Senior Member, he is also a member of the AIAA Space Settlement TC and the Microgravity and Space Processes TC. He obtained his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Carnegie Mellon University and worked in institutes such as the University of Alabama, City of Hope, and UCLA. He has been a consultant for several years.
Anastasios S. Lyrintzis, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
For over 35 years of sustained AIAA service, including leadership roles on committees, conference organization, and publicationsLyrintzis has done research in aeroacoustics, authoring over 200 papers and advising 22 Ph.D. students. He has been a member and Chair of the AIAA Aeroacoustics TC, a member and Chair of the Aerospace Department Chair Association, and the Higher Education Committee. An AIAA Fellow, Lyrintzis has organized several AIAA conferences and served as an Associate Editor for AIAA Journal.
Kurt A. Polzin, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
For sustained, significant service and contributions at the local, regional, and national levels of AIAA.Polzin received his B.S. from Ohio State University and completed his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. He joined NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in 2004, and is presently the Chief Engineer for NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project. Polzin is an AIAA Associate Fellow and recently completed his second three-year term as Director–Region II.
Lawrence W. Stephens, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control
For many years of impactful leadership and dedicated service to AIAA and its members at the student branch, section, regional, and national levels.Stephens is Director of Engineering Affordability for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. He was previously Director of Systems Engineering and then Chief Engineer for Advanced Programs and Special Programs. His contributions include system development programs in aircraft, space, and missile systems from concept studies through flight demonstrations. Stephens is an Aerospace Engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and an AIAA Fellow.
Marilee J. Wheaton, The Aerospace Corporation
For sustained contributions to the Economics and the Systems Engineering Technical Committees, for impactful service to the Fellows Selection and Honors and Awards Committees, and for technical leadership of the AIAA SPACE Forum and AIAA SciTech Forum.Wheaton is a Systems Engineering Fellow at The Aerospace Corporation. She provides technical leadership and building capability to include enterprise systems engineering, digital engineering, systems architecting, and model-based systems engineering. Wheaton is a 2008 AIAA Fellow, and she is also a Fellow and current President of INCOSE, and a SWE Fellow and Life Member.

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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.

Michimasa Fujino to Receive the 2024 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for Design and Development of the HondaJet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 8, 2024 – Reston, Va. – Michimasa Fujino has been awarded the 2024 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for technical innovation and leadership in conceiving, designing, and bringing HondaJet to a leading position in the business jet market. Fujino will receive the prestigious award during the 2024 AIAA Awards Gala on Wednesday, 15 May, at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts*, Washington, DC.

The Daniel Guggenheim Medal was established in 1929 to honor innovators who make notable achievements in the advancement of aeronautics. Its first recipient was Orville Wright. The medal is jointly sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), SAE International (SAE), and the Vertical Flight Society (VFS).

“It is an honor and a privilege to nominate Mr. Fujino for the Daniel Guggenheim Medal. His visionary leadership and meticulous engineering have created the most advanced very light jet in the world. His innovative Over-the-Wing Engine Mount design has set a new standard for performance and efficiency in the aviation industry. Mr. Fujino is a true pioneer and a deserving recipient of this prestigious award,” said Mark Ofsthun, Senior Manager, Methods & F&DT, Honda Aircraft Company, and nominator.

Michimasa Fujino, retired founding president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, was responsible for the design and development, certification, production, sales, and service of the HondaJet. Fujino joined Honda R&D in 1984 and led aeronautical research of aircraft configuration design, aerodynamics, flight control, avionics system, advanced composite structure, and aeroelasticity. He became project leader of HondaJet in 1997 and developed HondaJet with advanced technologies. In 2006, Fujino founded Honda Aircraft Company and focused on the dual tasks of obtaining type certification of the new aircraft and creating a new company and organization for aircraft development, certification, and manufacturing. He also established a worldwide sales and service network for HondaJet. With his aeronautical breakthroughs, Fujino’s clean sheet design was proven to enhance aircraft performance and fuel efficiency and provide exceptional comfort for passengers. HondaJet became the best-selling business jet in its class.

Fujino has received international recognition for his pioneering contributions to aeronautical research and design. He has been the recipient of numerous international awards and distinctions, including the Elmer A. Sperry Award, AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award, ICAS Award for Innovation in Aeronautics, SAE Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award, AIAA Aircraft Design Award, Prime Minister Award of Japan Industry and induction to the Living Legends of Aviation. In addition, Fujino has been recognized in the industrial design field and received the Good Design Gold Award and the Japan Industrial Designers’ Association Design Museum Award. His extensive research and theories on aircraft configuration design, advanced aerodynamics, and aeroelasticity have been published in technical and academic journals, and he holds several patents for aircraft design.

Fujino holds a Bachelor of Science and Doctorate in aeronautical engineering from the University of Tokyo. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), SAE International, and the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS). He is also an international member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Past recipients of the Guggenheim Medal are some of the greatest names in aerospace, including Holt Ashley, Lawrence Bell, William Boeing, James Doolittle, Donald Douglas, Charles Stark Draper, Hugh Dryden, Robert Goddard, Jerome Hunsaker, Theodore von Kármán, Charles Lindbergh, Glenn Martin, Frank Robinson, Burt Rutan, Igor Sikorsky, and Walter Vincenti, among many others.

For more information about the AIAA/ASME/SAE/VFS Daniel Guggenheim Medal, contact Patricia A. Carr, Guggenheim Secretary, at [email protected].

*Note: This event is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

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 ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. For more information visit www.asme.org.

About SAE International
SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 128,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. For more information visit www.sae.org.

About The Vertical Flight Society
Founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, the Vertical Flight Society today advocates, promotes and supports global vertical flight technology and professional development. For 80 years, the Society has provided leadership for the advancement of vertical flight. For more information, visit www.vtol.org or follow us on Twitter at @VTOLsociety.

Starship Award Part of $4 Billion in NASA Flights

CNBC reports that right before Artemis I lifted off from Cape Canaveral, “NASA announced an additional Starship award under the lunar Artemis program. SpaceX is now on tap for about $4 billion worth of Starship flights for NASA – an uncrewed demonstration mission and the two crewed landings during Artemis 3 and 4 – and it’s clearly crunch time for the company.” SpaceX still has a ways to go, however, with the Federal Aviation Administration saying that the company still needs to provide the regulatory agency with more information on the “environmental mitigations that the regulator outlined in June.”
Full Story (CNBC)

Wayne Johnson to Receive the 2023 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for Landmark Contributions to Vertical Flight Aeronautics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2023 – Reston, Va. – Wayne Johnson has been awarded the 2023 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for his landmark contributions to vertical flight aeronautics and resulting computational codes enabling the design of the first tiltrotor aircraft, eVTOL aircraft, and the Mars Helicopter.

Johnson will receive this prestigious award during the Vertical Flight Society’s 79th Annual Forum, 16–18 May, West Palm Beach, Florida.

“I have worked closely with Dr. Johnson for forty-five years. He richly deserves this prestigious recognition for his exceptional career in rotorcraft technology development. His contributions span analysis, design, testing, flight, and academic endeavors for every class of vertical lift rotorcraft – from helicopters and tiltrotors to emerging technology aircraft, from civilian to military mission capable rotorcraft, from personal air taxis to flying on Mars,” said William Warmbrodt, NASA Ames Research Center and Dr. Johnson’s nominator. “His energy, knowledge, and willingness to work with many different people and organizations around the world has benefited not just the international rotorcraft technical community but has also had significant positive impact on those who have had the pleasure and privilege to work with Dr. Johnson and learn from him, including me.”

Johnson obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering in 1968, and Ph.D. in 1970 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He worked at the U.S. Army Aeromechanics Laboratory from 1970 to 1981, assigned to the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel branch of Ames Research Center. He was with NASA from 1981 to 1986, including a couple of years as Assistant Branch Chief. In 1986, Johnson founded Johnson Aeronautics, and from 1986 to 1998 developed rotorcraft software. Since 1998 he has worked at the Aeromechanics Branch of NASA Ames Research Center.

Johnson is author of the comprehensive analysis CAMRADII and the rotorcraft design code NDARC; and the books Helicopter Theory (Princeton University Press, 1980; Dover Publications, 1994) and Rotorcraft Aeromechanics (Cambridge University Press, 2013).

He is a Fellow of AIAA and VFS, and an Ames Fellow, and has received the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, NASA Medals for Exceptional Engineering Achievement and Exceptional Technology Achievement, the VFS Grover E. Bell Award, the Ames H. Julian Allen Award, the 1986 AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, the 2010 VFS Alexander Nikolsky Honorary Lectureship, and the 2014 VFS Alexander Klemin Award.

For more information about the AIAA/ASME/SAE/VFS Daniel Guggenheim Medal, contact Patricia A. Carr, Guggenheim Secretary, at [email protected].

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

About SAE International
SAE International is a global association committed to being the ultimate knowledge source for the engineering profession. By uniting over 127,000 engineers and technical experts, we drive knowledge and expertise across a broad spectrum of industries. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including programs like A World in Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series™. For more information visit www.sae.org.

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270.

AIAA Announces 2023 Sustained Service Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 5, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Sustained Service Awards. The award recognizes “sustained, significant service and contributions to AIAA by members of the Institute.”

The 2023 Sustained Service Awards winners are:

David L. Carroll, CU Aerospace LLC
Citation: For distinguished and sustained service to AIAA; the enhancement of science, innovation, and entrepreneurial leadership in aerospace engineering; and education of scientist engineers.Carroll co-founded CU Aerospace in 1998 and has served as its president since 2011. The company’s focus is engineering innovation for new aerospace technology products. He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1992. Carroll is an AIAA Fellow.
John W. Daily, University of Colorado Boulder
Citation: In recognition of sustained contributions to the Institute’s technical services, publications, and education committees.Daily is Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1975. He works in the field of combustion and fire. He has served AIAA in numerous positions and is an AIAA Fellow.
Luisella Giulicchi, European Space Agency
Citation: For over two decades of service to the Institute’s governance, regional organization, and technical activities, and for being the advocate of international cooperation and AIAA engagement worldwide.Giulicchi is a system manager at the European Space Agency (ESA), The Netherlands, for the Copernicus Program – the largest operational Earth observation program in the world. Her technical and programmatic management contributions include Bepi Colombo, SMART-1, LISA Pathfinder, Copernicus Sentinel-1, and Copernicus Sentinel-6. She is an AIAA Associate Fellow, RAeS Fellow, WIA-Europe President, and past member of the AIAA Board of Directors.
Walter O. Gordon, Moog Inc. (retired); Colonel, U.S. Air Force (retired)
Citation: For exceptional service to AIAA and for significant advancement of aerospace activities.Gordon worked as an engineer in Western New York for 41 years before retiring recently to devote his time to the AIAA Niagara Frontier Section and to local aerospace history. He also flew C130s in the Air Force Reserve, retiring in 2014 as the commander of the 914th Airlift Wing.
Dawn Phillips, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Citation: In honor of 20 years of dedicated service, leadership, and tireless work on behalf of AIAA, the AIAA Structures Technical Committee, and AIAA members.With NASA, Phillips has supported the Space Shuttle, Ares, and SLS programs as a stress analyst and member of the NESC Structures Team. She is currently in Huntsville, Ala., as the MSFC Assistant Chief Engineer for the International Space Station.
Sidra Silton, U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory
Citation: For two decades of dedicated service to the applied aerodynamics and fluid dynamics technical communities.Silton received her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. Upon graduation she began working for the Army Research Laboratory where she now serves as Chief of the Mechanical Sciences Division. Silton is an AIAA Associate Fellow.

Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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.

Ozires Silva to Receive the Daniel Guggenheim Medal for Influential Contributions to Aerospace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 18, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Ozires Silva, Co-Founder/Past President, Embraer, has been awarded the 2020 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for his education and inspiration of today’s aerospace engineers and scientists and for his influential contributions to the fields of combustion and propulsion. The award presentation will be hosted by the Brazilian Air Force and is tentatively planned for March 2021.

The Daniel Guggenheim Medal was established in 1929 to honor innovators who make notable achievements in the advancement of aeronautics. Its first recipient was Orville Wright. The medal is jointly sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), SAE International (originally the Society of Automotive Engineers) and the Vertical Flight Society (originally the American Helicopter Society).

“This distinguished recognition to Ozires Silva reflects his innovative and exceptional contributions to aviation. His passion, courage, and leadership paved the way for Embraer to expand in ways that few imagined, transforming regional aviation, and leading our company to be admired globally. It is an honor and a great privilege for me and all my colleagues at Embraer to be inspired every day by his pioneering vision and innovative spirit,” said Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer.

Silva was born on January 8, 1931, in Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil. In 1948, he joined the Aeronautical School, linked to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), in Rio de Janeiro, where he received his military license four years later. He moved to São José dos Campos, State of São Paulo, to join the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA) in 1959, graduating with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1962. After graduation, he led the Department of Aircraft at the Institute of Research and Development (IPD), linked to the then Technical Center of Aeronautics (CTA).

In 1965, he travelled to the United States to complete a master’s degree at the California Institute of Technology, where he would spend a year. At the same time, he started the IPD-6504 project, which would later become the Bandeirante aircraft. Silva promoted, alongside a group of visionaries, the creation of Embraer in 1969, becoming the company’s superintendent director until 1986, when he accepted the offer to take command of the Brazilian oil company Petrobras. After two years as Minister of Infrastructure and Communications for Brazilian President Fernando Collor, Silva returned to Embraer in 1992 and chaired the company until its privatization in December 1994.

Silva became president of Varig airline in 2000, remaining in the position for two years. In 2003, he created Pele Nova Biotecnologia, whose mission was focused on the development of therapeutic and dermo-cosmetic innovations based on Brazil’s biodiversity. In the last few decades, Silva has become an active voice in favor of education, writing several books and articles on the subject. He currently is the president of the Innovation Council of Ânima Educação in São Paulo.

Past recipients of the Guggenheim Medal are some of the greatest names in aerospace, including Walter Vincenti, Holt Ashley, Lawrence Bell, William Boeing, James Doolittle, Donald Douglas, Charles Stark Draper, Hugh Dryden, Robert Goddard, Jerome Hunsaker, Theodore von Kármán, Charles Lindbergh, Glenn Martin, Frank Robinson, Burt Rutan, and Igor Sikorsky, among many others.

For more information about the AIAA/ASME/SAE/VFS Daniel Guggenheim Medal, or the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia Carr at [email protected].

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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

About The Vertical Flight Society
Founded as the American Helicopter Society in 1943, the Vertical Flight Society today advocates, promotes and supports global vertical flight technology and professional development. For 75 years, the Society has provided leadership for the advancement of vertical flight. For more information, visit www.vtol.org or follow us on Twitter at @VTOLsociety.

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270.

Jackson Hole Airport Board Wins 2021 Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award

Award recognizes the prioritization of sustainability at the airport to protect the environment

January 27, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the Jackson Hole Airport Board as the 2021 winner of the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award. The Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is located in Jackson, Wyoming.

The Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award honors an individual or individuals judged to have contributed most significantly in recent years to the enhancement of relationships between airports and/or heliports and other surrounding environments via exemplary innovation that might be replicated elsewhere. The award is cosponsored by AIAA, the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), and the Airport Consultants Council (ACC). For more information on the AIAA Honors and Awards Program, contact Patricia Carr at [email protected].

Jerry Blann, Jackson Hole Airport Board President, will accept the award during the virtual 2021 ACC/AAAE Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium on March 1, 2, and 4. Get more information on the virtual event, here.

The Jackson Hole Airport Board has worked tirelessly to implement numerous initiatives and programs to protect the natural environment, support passengers, staff, and the local community, and to employ resiliency in every aspect of their work. Highlights of their recent sustainability achievements include:

Waste Diversion and Recycling. The Airport Board, in alignment with Teton County and Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), established an aggressive goal of diverting 60% of its waste from the landfill by 2030. In just over two years, the airport has more than doubled its waste diversion rate (from 18% to 38%).
Air Quality and Emissions Reduction. The Airport Board has implemented multiple initiatives to reduce emissions, including receiving a grant from the Volkswagen Settlement grant program to replace an older piece of snow removal equipment with a cleaner burning unit. The Airport Board also joined the Good Traveler Program to provide carbon offset opportunities to Jackson passengers and to offset all Airport Board employee work-related travel, along with all work commuting miles for Airport Board employees. To date the airport has offset 1,183 metric tons of carbon.
Water Quality. The airport worked with consultants and stakeholders to construct a state-of-the-art fuel and glycol facility with above ground, double-walled tanks and a containment system to protect water quality. The Board approved the installation of an airport-wide underground stormwater detention and filtration system, which allows all stormwater to be filtered prior to leaving the property, thus protecting the Class I watershed that exists in Jackson.
Wildlife. The airport coordinated with GTNP to develop a Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Plan that identifies strategies to protect both birds and aircraft.

Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270

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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

AIAA Announces 2025 Sustained Service Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 3, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Sustained Service Awards. The award recognizes sustained, significant service and contributions to AIAA by members of the Institute.

“Volunteers are the driving force of the Institute – we couldn’t achieve our mission without the ingenuity, hands-on collaboration, and selfless service of our members,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “This year’s Sustained Service honorees exemplify servant leadership. We are grateful for their invaluable contributions to our community.”

The Sustained Service Award winners are AIAA members in good standing who have shown continuing dedication to the interests of the Institute by making significant and sustained contributions over a period of time, typically 10 years or more. Active participation and service at the local section/regional level, and/or the national level is a potential discriminator in the evaluation of candidates.

The 2025 Sustained Service Awards winners are:

Steven X. Bauer, NASA Langley Research Center
For sustained leadership, service, and contributions to the Hampton Roads Section, Region I, and AIAA National.Bauer became an AIAA student member in his freshman year of college, 1981. He served as student branch officer and has held many positions in the Hampton Roads Section, including section chair. He was the Region I Director for six years. Bauer has worked at NASA Langley Research Center since 1983 and is retiring in December 2024.
Gene R. Dionne, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
For his passionate, unmatched support of AIAA and the Rocky Mountain Section through volunteering across all committees.Dionne spent 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, mostly in space systems acquisition and technology development. He was intimate in the manufacturing, integration, test and launch/on-orbit operations of ~30 satellites, which all exceeded their mean mission durations. Dionne spent 22 years at Lockheed Martin Space in systems engineering and program management. He was selected as AIAA Fellow in 2014, and served on the Fellows Selection Committee for three years. He was AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Chair for two years and continued to assist on the section’s executive council for another 20 years as the “Fellow-at-large.”
Trevor S. Elliott, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
For prolific, dedicated, and outstanding service to AIAA forums, technical committees, student teams, outreach groups, rocketry organizations, and aerospace communities leading to numerous student-led recognitions.Elliott is a UC Foundation Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He serves as primary Faculty Advisor for the UTC Racing Mocs, SAE Chapter, and the UTC Rocket Mocs, roles where he has guided teams that have won national placement in collegiate competitions and set a world record in amateur rocketry. He is an active member of the AIAA Solid Rockets Technical Committee and Hybrid Rockets Technical Committee chair and technical discipline chair.
David C. Fleming, University of Michigan
For sustained service to the Cape Canaveral Section and Florida Institute of Technology Student Branch through continued participation, council leadership, and unwavering dedication to AIAA’s mission.Fleming earned a B.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park. He served on the faculty of the Florida Institute of Technology for 28 years, including a three-year term as department head. Fleming was faculty adviser of the AIAA Florida Tech Student Branch for over 25 years. Currently, he serves as Lecturer at the University of Michigan.
Aaron L. Harcrow Jr., No Box Innovations
For over 30 years of outstanding and sustained service to the Atlanta Section and Region II, contributing to the success of the Section.Harcrow joined AIAA as a student member in 1981 and regards his 42-plus-years membership as a learning experience in the many ways to volunteer for AIAA, for which there appears to be no end in sight! In addition to volunteering for AIAA, Harcrow has developed multidisciplinary skills in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, project management, innovative design, product development, CAD/CAM/CNC, computer programming, and teaching undergraduate engineering courses. He holds one USPTO patent.
Christopher J. Pestak, HX5, LLC
For dedicated service to AIAA and the field of aerospace for over 40 years, and holding significant leadership positions within AIAA.Pestak is Program Manager of the Glenn Engineering and Research Support (GEARS) contract for HX5, LLC. He manages 350 staff supporting NASA Glenn Research Center performing wide-ranging work in space and aeronautics. Spaceflight systems have been a primary focus of his 42-year career. Pestak holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering, both from Cleveland State University. He is an AIAA Fellow.
Robert W. Pitz, Vanderbilt University
For over three decades of distinguished and continuous service to AIAA, especially in national leadership roles involving publication, honors, ethics, and technical committee activities.Pitz has mechanical engineering degrees from Purdue University (B.S.) and UC Berkeley (M.S. and Ph.D.). After five years at GE Research, he joined Vanderbilt University where he is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and served as Department Chair (1998–2017). He won the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1987) and AIAA Best Paper Award in Propellants & Combustion (1996). Pitz is an AIAA Fellow. He also is a Fellow of ASME and the Combustion Institute.

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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 X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

2022 AIAA Durand Lectureship for Public Service Awarded to SpaceX’s William H. Gerstenmaier

Lecture will be Delivered on 3 January, During 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum

December 30, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2022 AIAA Durand Lectureship for Public Service is awarded to William H. Gerstenmaier, Vice President, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX. Gerstenmaier will deliver his lecture, “Human Spaceflight – The Ultimate Team Sport,” Monday, 3 January, 1250 hrs PT, during the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, San Diego and online, 3–7 January. Registration is still open to attend in San Diego in person, or online. Journalists can request a Press Pass here.

The Durand Lecture for Public Service, named in honor of William F. Durand, Ph.D., is presented for notable achievements by a scientific or technical leader whose contributions have led directly to the understanding and application of the science and technology of aeronautics and astronautics for the betterment of humanity. Durand was a United States naval officer and a pioneer in mechanical engineering. During his remarkable 99-year life, Durand contributed significantly to the development of aircraft propellers. He was the first civilian chair of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA.

The Institute’s Public Policy Committee takes pride in selecting accomplished leaders in aeronautics and astronautics for this honor who can share their knowledge through the Durand Lecture for Public Service.

Gerstenmaier leads SpaceX’s quality engineering and process development teams, oversees the launch readiness process, and serves as Chief Engineer on select missions. Prior to joining SpaceX, Gerstenmaier served as the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. He began his career at NASA in 1977, at the then Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. Throughout the next 40 years, he oversaw programs at NASA (such as the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) Operations); led the Space Shuttle/Space Station Freedom Assembly Operations; served as Shuttle/Mir Program operations manager; managed the Space Shuttle Program Integration; and served as the ISS Program manager. Named associate administrator for the Space Operations Directorate in 2005, Gerstenmaier directed the safe completion of the last 21 Space Shuttle missions that witnessed assembly completion of the International Space Station.

Gerstenmaier is an Honorary Fellow of AIAA, having been a member of AIAA since the 1990s. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from Purdue University, as well as a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an honorary Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics Engineering from the University of Toledo. He was elected into the 2018 class of the National Academy of Engineering.

For more information about the AIAA Honors and Awards program, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].

# # #

Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, APR, [email protected], 804.397.5270 (cell)

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.

AIAA Announces 2022 Premier Award Winners

Aerospace’s Best and Brightest to be Honored at AIAA Awards Gala

February 1, 2022 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients of its most prestigious awards, the AIAA Premier Awards, recognizing the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace, whose outstanding contributions merit the highest accolades.

Presentation of the 2022 AIAA Premier Awards and recognition of the Institute’s Class of 2022 Honorary Fellows and Fellows will take place at the AIAA Awards Gala, Wednesday, 27 April, Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, DC. Tickets are available now.

“Congratulations to our premier award winners,” said AIAA President Basil Hassan. “We are inspired by their hard work, skill, and achievements, and we thank them for their dedication to the aerospace industry. AIAA is committed to ensuring that aerospace professionals are recognized and celebrated for their achievements, innovations, and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous.”

The winners are:

AIAA Public Service Award – Lori B. Garver, Earthrise Alliance

AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award – Peretz P. Friedmann, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

AIAA Distinguished Service Award – David A. Throckmorton, National Institute of Aerospace

AIAA International Cooperation Award – Dominique Collin, Safran Group (retired)

AIAA Engineer of the Year Award – Paul R. Gradl, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award – Kyle T. Alfriend, Texas A&M University

AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award – Michael P. Snyder, Redwire Space

Award Citations

AIAA Public Service Award
The award honors a person who has demonstrated sustained and visible support for aviation and space goals.

Lori B. Garver, Earthrise Alliance, honored “For sustained leadership in the arenas of public, private, and commercial aviation and aerospace research, development, technology transition, and mentorship.”

AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award
The highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievements in the field of aeronautics. The award is named after Dr. Sylvanus A. Reed, aeronautical engineer, designer, and founding member of the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences in 1932.

Peretz P. Friedmann, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, honored “For inventing on-blade control for vibration reduction in rotorcraft and developing aerothermoelastic scaling laws facilitating hypersonic vehicle wind tunnel testing and design.”

AIAA Distinguished Service Award
AIAA recognizes an individual member who has provided distinguished service to the Institute over a period of years.

David A. Throckmorton, National Institute of Aerospace, honored “For over three decades of leadership and exemplary service to AIAA at the section and national level.”

AIAA International Cooperation Award
The award is presented to a member who has made a recent individual contribution in the application of scientific and mathematical principles leading to a significant accomplishment or event worthy of AIAA’s national or international recognition.

Dominique Collin, Safran Group (retired), honored “For sustained leadership in building international collaborations on noise and emissions reduction strategies for subsonic transport aircraft.”

AIAA Engineer of the Year Award
The award is presented to a member of the Institute who has made a recent individual, technical contribution in the application of scientific and mathematical principles leading to a significant technical accomplishment.

Paul R. Gradl, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, recognized “For exceptional engineering and technical innovation developing metal additive manufacturing techniques, advanced materials, and large-scale techniques for rocket components while proactively promoting technology transfer.”

AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award
The highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievement in the field of astronautics. It was endowed by Mrs. Goddard in the 1940s as the ARS Goddard Memorial Award to commemorate her husband, Robert H. Goddard—rocket visionary, pioneer, bold experimentalist, and superb engineer whose early liquid rocket engine launches set the stage for the development of astronautics.

Kyle T. Alfriend, Texas A&M University, honored “For extraordinary contributions and advancements in the fields of orbital mechanics and space situational awareness.”

AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award
The award is presented for a notable contribution made by a young person, age 35 or under, to the advancement of aeronautics or astronautics. This award honors Lawrence B. Sperry, pioneer aviator and inventor, who died in 1923 in a forced landing while attempting a flight across the English Channel.

Michael P. Snyder, Redwire Space, honored “For outstanding and notable contributions to advance in-space additive manufacturing to ensure safer, sustainable spaceflight missions and manufacturing industrial products to benefit Earth.”

Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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.

Stephen W. Tsai to Receive the 2025 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for Revolutionizing Composite Materials Technology for Aerospace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 28, 2025 – Reston, Va. – Stephen W. Tsai has been awarded the 2025 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for his series of pioneering innovations revolutionizing design and simplifying manufacturing processes of composites, shaping today’s composites industry. Tsai is Research Professor Emeritus, Stanford University. He will receive the prestigious award during the 2025 AIAA Awards Gala on Wednesday, 30 April, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC.

“Dr. Steve Tsai is a visionary scientist and advocate for innovation through his practical and easy to interpret problem solving approach. His foundational and transformational contribution in lamination theory, manufacturing, to failure criteria for over 60 years brought renewed excitement in composites technology to aeronautical systems as it stands today. It is my true honor to nominate him for this prestigious award,” said Ajit Roy, Principal Materials Research Engineer, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and nominator.

“On behalf of the Guggenheim Medal Board, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. Dr. Tsai’s groundbreaking contributions to composite materials and their application in Aerospace Structural Engineering have had a profound impact on both the aerospace industry and the broader community,” added Sivaram Gogineni, president, Spectral Energies, and chair, Guggenheim Medal Board.

Born and raised in Beijing, Tsai earned his D.Eng at Yale University in 1961. He began his work in composites at Ford/Aeronutronic, continued onto Washington University in 1966, Air Force Materials Laboratory in 1968, and has been with Stanford University since 1990.

Tsai’s early works included Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu failure criteria, lamination parameter plots, and invariant transformation relations. His series of pioneering innovations for composites property (stiffness) optimization and strength estimation enabling simplified approaches has been universally accepted by industry worldwide. Since his retirement from Stanford in 2001, his work led to single parameters for laminate stiffness in Tsai’s modulus, and von Mises area in laminate failure envelopes. Materials and laminates can then be ranked and scaled. He also discovered double-double lamination that is rapidly replacing the legacy Quad.

He is the founding editor of the Journal of Composite Materials begun in 1967, and he co-authored the textbook, Introduction to Composite Materials, in 1980, which has been translated into numerous languages. He began conducting the annual Composites Computation Workshops at the University of California Berkeley in 1966, training thousands of engineers for 17 consecutive years. In 2006, he started the Composites Design Workshop at Stanford, transitioning to online training, which continues to be offered.

Tsai was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1995. He became a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1983.

For more information about the AIAA/ASME/SAE/VFS Daniel Guggenheim Medal, contact Patricia A. Carr, Guggenheim Secretary, at [email protected].

AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270

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 SAE International
SAE is the leader in connecting and educating mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Our core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International’s charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series. For more information visit www.sae.org.

Tag: Award

Award Cosponsors

Award Citations