Tag: Dan Dumbacher

AIAA Announces 2022–2023 University Student Design Competitions Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022–2023 Design Competitions. AIAA Design Competitions give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to respond to requests for proposals outlining a design problem that requires specialized technical solutions. Several of the competitions allow students to perform theoretical work and gain real-world insight into the design process.

“Design competitions help students solve real-life problems and prepare them to make an impact in the aerospace community. These young people receive valuable feedback from technical experts who serve as volunteers on AIAA technical committees,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher. “Everyone who participates in these competitions is shaping the future of aerospace.”

Five competitions were held in the following categories:

Aircraft: Undergraduate Individual, Undergraduate Team, Graduate Team
Space:    Undergraduate Team
Engine:  Undergraduate Team

The 2022–2023 AIAA Design Competitions winners are:

Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design

    • First Prize: Daniel Pacheco, University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas), for his design, “Design and Analysis of Little Goose.” Dr. Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, faculty advisor.

 

    • Second Prize: David Sztajnbok, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California), for his design, “AirSChooner-105 P/C.” Dr. Geoffrey Spedding, faculty advisor.

 

  • Third Prize: Riley Schwartzhoff, University of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas), for his design, “The Frog Hopper.” Dr. Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, faculty advisor.

Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design

    • First Prize: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Champaign, Illinois), for their design, “Hybrid-electric Regional Turboprop – Team Jackalope.” Stephanie Dutra, Sarah Erne, Krishna Modi, Evher Benjamin Aponte, Noor Ansari, Anish M. Joshi, and Hsien-Kuei Chang. Dr. Jason Merret, faculty advisor. Team name: Jackalope.

 

    • Second Prize: University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia), for their design, “University of Virginia SkyKings Hybrid-Electric Turboprop Design.” James Caputo, Ryan Keller, Ryan Grant, Darius Espinoza, Jannik Grabner, Alex Wang, Kangyi Park, Eun Park, and Alexander Poley. Dr. Jesse Quinlan, faculty advisor. Team name: SkyKings.

 

  • Third Prize: University of California – Davis (Davis, California), for their design, “Regional Hybrid-Electric Turboprop.” Ryan Chen, Ethan Brown, Loe Yer Yang, Bryan Tiang, and Jackie The. Christina Harvey, faculty advisor. Team name: EcoProp.

Graduate Team Aircraft Design

    • First Prize: Université de Liège (Liège, Belgium), for their design, “RADAR Disaster Response Search and Identification Attritable Air Vehicle.” Alexandre Spits, Sven Michiels, Deogracias Mulamba, Robin Tamburrini, Emrah Altin, Oumar Sow, Nabil Bouyakhrichan, and Wildy Mervil. Dr. Ludovic Noels and Dr. Dimitriadis Grigorios, faculty advisors. Team name: Team Omega.

 

    • Second Prize: Université de Liège (Liège, Belgium), for their design, “BeLI.” Lucas Batlle Mari, Louis Page, Thibaut Dupont, Mathieu Van houte, Jonas Gerard, Justin Pesesse, Lucas Viseur, and Cem Biz. Dr. Ludovic Noels and Dr. Dimitriadis Grigorios, faculty advisors. Team name: BeLIvers.

 

  • Third Prize: Université de Liège (Liège, Belgium), for their design, “The Drop.” Charles Jacquet, Benoit Laurent, Lucie Linotte, Florian Muller, Mathias Brach, Leonore Colson, Colette Remacle, Eric Pavel Azangue Dongmo, and Cedric Seret. Dr. Ludovic Noels and Dr. Dimitriadis Grigorios, faculty advisors. Team name: Team The Drop.

Undergraduate Team Space Design

    • First Prize: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia), for their design, “Transit, Rendezvous, & Taxi Launcher.” Jurist Chan, Trey Farmer, Lonnie Webb, Reid Fly, Pessi Laensirinne, Sparsh Desai, Elle Smith, Aaron Hammond, and George Blackwell. Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo, faculty advisor. Team name: Transport and Retrieval with Two Landers (TRTL).

 

    • Second Prize: California State Polytechnic University – Pomona (Pomona, California), for their design, “Maverick.” Basil Aranda, Amanda Ewing, Tyrone Collins, Fateme Tahmak, Edgar Romero, Ashley Anderson, Cesar Villa, and Daniella Dorantes. Dr. Navid Nakhjiri, faculty advisor. Team name: Space Pirates.

 

  • Third Prize: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Georgia), for their design, “Mars Twin Lander Descent and Ascent System.” Rebekah Geil, Kendall Seefried, Claire Keller, Landon Jarrel, Tabitha D’Amato, Jonathan Lin, Satvik Kumar, Michael Keraga, Lachlan Holliday, and Braden Kerstin.  Dr. Álvaro Romero-Calvo, faculty advisor. Team name: Project Cupid.

Undergraduate Team Engine Design

    • First Place: Turkish Naval Academy (Istanbul, Türkiye), for their design, “A New Hybrid Propulsion System Design for the NASA STARC-ABL Plane.” Burak Üzülmez (Team Captain), Mehmet Demir, Mehmet Adnan Karagöz, and Göktuğ Karaca. Doğuş Özkan, faculty advisor. Team name: The Century.

 

    • Second Place: Milwaukee School of Engineering (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), for their design, “Dream Stream Propulsion System.” Devon Lallensack, Izaiah Dietrich, Michael Gavin, and Cade Beekman. Mia Mattingly, Prabhakar Venkateswaran, faculty advisor. Team name: Team Dream Stream.

 

  • Third Place: Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur (Kharagpur, India), for their design, “Vidyut.” Surendra Kolhe, Jay Anantwar, Abhishek Agrawal, Aditya Bharade, and Harsh Raj. Chetankumar Sureshbhai Mistry, faculty advisor; Goutam Mandal, project advisor. Team name: Come Fly With Me.

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

AIAA Statement on the Indian Space Research Organisation Chandrayaan-3 Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2023 – Reston, Va.  The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“Congratulations to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on its successful landing at the south pole of the moon! We were thrilled watching the Chandrayaan-3 mission unfold in real time. We will be eagerly following the progress of the rover, Pragyan, and the ongoing mission in the coming days.

As the professional technical society for aerospace engineers, our members appreciate and understand the difficulty of this mission’s engineering challenges. Safely landing on the moon is a challenge and to reach the lunar south pole is an even greater accomplishment.

The ISRO team’s resilience is admirable. The Chandrayaan team has persevered over time to continue advancing its lunar exploration program. They have reached an historic milestone making India the fourth spacefaring nation to land on the moon. AIAA is honored to support the four AIAA student branches at universities in India and about 400 AIAA members across India.

We applaud India’s commitment to a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space, especially as it joined the Artemis Accords earlier this year. We believe the Artemis Accords establish important principles to guide cooperation among nations exploring space, including those participating in NASA’s Artemis program. As we expand the human neighborhood in low Earth orbit and beyond to the surface of the moon and cislunar space, we see the vital need for this type of cooperation among countries and industries.

On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we recognize the professionals in the aerospace industry involved in making this mission a success. We salute and applaud the ISRO team for making important contributions to shaping the future of aerospace.”

AIAA 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 TwitterFacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2022-2023 Section Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 23, 2023 Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its 2022–2023 section award winners. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by members of AIAA’s 57 sections around the world in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission. Section awards are given annually in eight categories based on the size of each section’s membership. Each winning section receives a certificate and a cash award. The award period is 1 June 2022–31 May 2023.

“Across AIAA, local sections are where the action begins. We believe that vital, active sections are essential to the Institute’s success. Congratulations to these sections for their noteworthy achievements!” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher.

The Outstanding Section Award is presented to sections based upon their overall activities and contributions through the year. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Central Coast of California
  • Second Place: Adelaide
  • Third Place: Delaware
  • Honorable Mention: Melbourne

SMALL

  • First Place: Northwest Florida
  • Second Place: Wichita
  • Third Place: Palm Beach

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia
  • Third Place: Illinois

LARGE

  • First Place: Northern Ohio
  • Second Place: Cape Canaveral
  • Third Place: North Texas

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas
  • Second Place: Hampton Roads
  • Third Place: Rocky Mountain

The Communications Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding communications outreach program. Winning criteria include level of complexity, timeliness, and variety of methods of communications, as well as frequency, format, and content of the communication outreach. The winners are:

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  • First Place (tie): Central Coast of California, Matthew Tanner (U.S. Air Force), communication officer
  • First Place (tie): Delaware, Jordon Wozney (Northrop Grumman Corporation), communications officer
  • Second Place: Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Naval Postgraduate School), section chair
  • Third Place: Melbourne, Frank Papa (Spacelink Consulting), communications officer

aiaa.orgSMALL

  • First Place (tie): Long Island, David Paris, section chair
  • First Place (tie): Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill (Air Force Research Laboratory), section chair
  • Second Place: Utah, Michael Stevens (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), communications officer
  • Second Place: Illinois, Kenneth Brezinsky (University of Illinois Chicago), secretary; Andrew Touvannas (Woodward Inc), honors and awards officer; Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), section chair
  • Third Place: Tucson, Huntington Gazecki (Raytheon), communications officer

LARGE

  • First Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Edmond Wong (NASA Glenn Research Center), communications officer
  • First Place (tie): Atlanta, Neil Sutherland (Delta Air Lines TechOps), section chair
  • Second Place: Alburquerque, Elizabeth Kallman (Harvard University), communication officer
  • Third Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Kevin Johnson (Jacobs Technology), section chair
  • Third Place (tie): North Texas, James Sergeant (Virgin Galactic), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Kenneth Lui (Ken’s Consulting), section chair
  • Second Place: Hampton Roads, Lee Mears (NASA Langley Research Center), Newsletter Editor Officer
  • Third Place: Greater Huntsville, Tracie Prater (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center), section chair

The Membership Award is presented to sections that have supported their membership by planning and implementing effective recruitment and retention campaigns. The winners are:

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  • First Place: Delaware, Zachary Gent (Northrop Grumman Corporation), membership officer
  • Second Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair
  • Third Place: Central Coast of California, Michelle Itzel-Montoya (U.S. Space Force), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Wichita, Mary Drouin (Spirit Aerosystems), membership officer
  • Second Place: Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill (AFRL), section chair
  • Third Place: Utah, Michael Stevens (Northrop Grumman), section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Illinois, Andrew Touvannas (Woodward Inc), honors and awards officer
  • Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Christina Layton (College of New Jersey), membership officer
  • Third Place: Tucson, Andrew Alexander (Raytheon), membership officer

LARGE

  • First Place: Northern Ohio, Jonah Sachs-Wetstone (NASA Glenn Research Center), membership officer
  • Second Place: Orange County, Bob Welge (Robert’s Engineering Development), membership officer
  • Third Place (tie): Atlanta, Aaron Harcrow (No Box Innovations), membership officer
  • Third Place (tie): St. Louis, Alexander Friedman (The Boeing Company), membership officer; Mark Kammeyer (The Boeing Company), university education officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Hampton Roads, Richard Winski and Julia Cline (NASA Langley Research Center), membership officers
  • Second Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Sherry Stukes (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), membership officer
  • Third Place: New England, Hiro Endo (Test Devices — Schenck USA Corporation), section chair

The Public Policy Award is presented for stimulating public awareness of the needs of aerospace research and development, particularly on the part of government representatives, and for educating section members about the value of public policy activities. The winners are:

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  • First Place: Delaware, Di Ena Davis, public policy officer
  • Second Place (tie): Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): Central Coast of California, Michelle Itzel-Montoya (U.S. Space Force), section chair
  • Third Place: Melbourne, Kaja Antlej (Deakin University), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place (tie): Northwest Florida, Michael Kelton (U.S. Air Force), public policy officer
  • First Place (tie): Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons (BLUECUBE Aerospace), public policy officer

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Greater Philadelphia, Joi Spraggins (Legacy Bridges STEM Academy); public policy officer
  • Second Place: Illinois, Mordechai Levin (Masterflight Inc), public policy officer
  • Third Place: Tucson, Robert Tagtmeyer (Raytheon), public policy officer

LARGE

  • First Place: Northern Ohio, Michael Heil (ML Heil Consulting LLC), public policy officer
  • Second Place: Cape Canaveral, Linda Andruski (The Aerospace Company), public policy officer
  • Third Place: Albuquerque, Mark Fraser (U.S. Air Force), public policy officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place (tie): Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Kenneth Lui (Ken’s Consulting), section chair; Roz Lowe (Delta Hi-Tech), public policy officer
  • First Place (tie): Rocky Mountain, Lisa Luedtke (Lockheed Martin Corporation), public policy officer
  • Second Place: Hampton Roads, Steven Dunn (Jacobs Technology), public policy officer
  • Third Place: Houston, Wayne Rast (CCP SW Safety), public policy officer

The STEM K–12 Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding STEM K–12 outreach program that provides quality education resources for K–12 teachers in the STEM subject areas. The winners are:

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  • First Place: Central Coast of California, Thomas Stevens (Space Launch Delta 30), STEM K-12 officer
  • Second Place (tie): Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair
  • Second Place (tie): Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Navel Postgraduate School), section chair
  • Third Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Palm Beach, Shawna Christenson (Aerospace and Innovation Academy), STEM K-12 officer; and Kevin Simmons (BLUECUBE Aerospace), public policy officer
  • Second Place: Northwest Florida, Judith Sherrill (AFRL), STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Northern New Jersey, Raymond Trohanowsky (Army Futures Command), section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Tucson, Michelle Rouch (Artwork by Rouch), STEM K-12 officer
  • Second Place: Phoenix, Paul Kaup (STEM+C Inc), STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Greater Philadelphia, Christopher Reynolds (Lockheed Martin Corporation), STEM K-12 officer

LARGE

  • First Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Melissa Sleeper, STEM K-12 officer
  • First Place (tie): St. Louis, Jackie Blumer (Greenville Jr. High School), STEM K-12 officer
  • Second Place: Orange County, Binay Pandey (International Vitamin Corporation), STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Northern Ohio, Jonathan Kratz (NASA Glenn Research Center), STEM K-12 officer

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Hampton Roads, Amanda Chou and Karen Berger (NASA Langley Research Center), STEM K-12 officers
  • Second Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Robin Osborne (ERC), STEM K-12 officer
  • Second Place (tie): National Capital, Susan Bardenhagen, STEM K-12 officer
  • Third Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Arpie Ovsepyan (Herbert Hoover High School), STEM K-12 officer

The Section-Student Branch Partnership Award recognizes the most effective and innovative collaboration between the professional section members and student branch members.

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  • First Place: Central Pennsylvania, Puneet Singla (Pennsylvania State University), section chair
  •  Second Place: Adelaide, Harry Rowton (University of Adelaide), student branch liaison
  • Third Place: Central Coast of California, Eva McLaughlin, education officer

SMALL

  • First Place: Wichita, Linda Kliment (Wichita State University), education officer
  • Second Place: Twin Cities, Kristen Gerzina (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Sydney, Tjasa Boh Whiteman (University of New South Wales), section chair; Ramzel Liwanag (University of New South Wales), vice chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Illinois, Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois Urbana Champaign), section chair
  • Second Place: Tucson, Peter Olejnik, young professional officer
  • Third Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair

LARGE

  • First Place: North Texas, James Sergeant (Virgin Galactic), section chair
  • Second Place: St. Louis, Alexander Friedman (The Boeing Company), membership officer; Mark Kammeyer (The Boeing Company), university education officer
  • Third Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, J. Keith Sowell (Star Voyager), education officer
  • Third Place (tie): Central Florida, Walter Hammond (Walter Sierra LLC), section chair
  • Third Place (tie): Orange County, Dino Roman (Boeing Commercial Airplanes), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: New England, Thomas “Phoenix” Robbins, outreach officer; Charles Wilson, advisor
  • Second Place: Rocky Mountain, Cordero Orona (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), outreach officer
  • Third Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Soumyo Dutta (NASA Langley Research Center), section chair
  • Third Place (tie): Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Luis Cuevas (Lockheed Martin Corporation), young professional chair
  • Third Place (tie): National Capital, David Brandt (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section chair

The Young Professional Activity Award is presented for excellence in planning and executing events that encourage the participation of the Institute’s young professional members, and provide opportunities for leadership at the section, regional, or national level. The winners are:

VERY SMALL

  • First Place: Delaware, Taylor Coleman, young professional officer
  • Second Place: Adelaide, Daniel Kilonzo (University of Adelaide), young professional officer
  • Third Place: Melbourne, Kaja Antlej (Deakin University), section chair

SMALL

  • First Place: Northwest Florida, Prashant Ganesh (University of Florida), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Utah, Michael Stevens (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair
  • Third Place: Twin Cities, Kristen Gerzina (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair

MEDIUM

  • First Place: Antelope Valley, Joseph Piotrowski (NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Indiana, Robert Kapaku (Rolls-Royce), young professional officer
  • Third Place (tie): Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Corporation), section  chair
  • Third Place (tie): Illinois, Savas Mavridis (Northrop Grumman Mission Systems), vice chair
  • Third Place (tie): Tucson, Peter Olejnik, young professional officer

LARGE

  • First Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Kineo Wallace (Vaya Space), young professional officer
  • First Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Halle Buescher (NASA Glenn Research Center), young professional officer
  • Second Place: North Texas, James Sergeant (Virgin Galactic), section chair

VERY LARGE

  • First Place: Hampton Roads, Kyle Thompson (NASA Langley Research Center), young professional officer
  • Second Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Courtney Best (The Boeing Company), young professional officer
  • Third Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Christopher Kitson (nou Systems), young professional officer
  • Third Place (tie): New England, Shreyas Hegde (Pratt & Whitney), section chair

The Outstanding Activity Award allows the Institute to acknowledge sections that held an outstanding activity deserving of additional recognition. The winners are:

VERY SMALL:

  • Melbourne, International Moon Day 2022 event—”The (Re)birth of Australia in Space: Towards Sustainable Lunar Exploration.” As Australia looks to go to the moon for the first time, no earlier than 2026 through the development of a Foundation Services Rover, AIAA Adelaide Section and the Moon Village Association partnered on an event to celebrate the UN’s International Moon Day 2022. The (Re)birth of Australia in Space brought together highly recognized Australian and U.S. speakers in the areas of space archaeology, space history, space law and heritage, space industry and space studies who discussed the past, present, and future of Australian involvement in sustainable lunar exploration. The event was well received, including discussion with the panelists at the end of the session. At the event, AIAA announced the intention to establish the AIAA Melbourne Section.

SMALL:

  • Long Island, “Landing on the Moon” at the Cradle of Aviation Museum. AIAA partnered with IISE, ASME, ISA, IEEE (AESS) for this hybrid event with presenter John Connolly, a member of NASA’s Artemis team and Human Landing System Program. Connolly drew upon his 36 years of NASA expertise, including lunar lander design, lunar surface systems, and human Mars mission planning experience, to describe the Grumman-built lunar module (LM) and the differences between that original lunar lander and the SpaceX lander that will carry astronauts to the moon within the next three years and then take humans to Mars and beyond. He also made a point of explaining that the mission fundamentals have not changed over the last 50 years.
  • Honorable Mention, Wichita, “To the Moon and To the Planets Beyond: What is the Future of the Artemis HLS.” This joint event between the AIAA Wichita Section, and the Kansas University, University of Missouri Kansas City, and Wichita State University student branches was planned to engage all of the student branches in the section to build bridges and encourage collaboration. The featured speaker, Alicia Dwyer Cianciolo, Senior Technical Lead for Advanced Entry, Descent and Landing Vehicle Technology Development at NASA Langley Research Center, provided a fascinating talk focusing primarily on the various challenges facing the Artemis III Human Landing System mission. She also covered her experience with Mars exploration over the past 20 years, including her work on the Odyssey and Reconnaissance Orbiter aerobraking operations and as a member of the Entry, Descent and Landing Team that successfully landed the Curiosity Rover in 2012 and the InSight lander in 2018. In-person attendance was encouraged to promote networking and collaboration between the student branches and professional members, but there was a hybrid component to enable a much wider reach. The event was received very enthusiastically by all participants and will serve as a model for future events.

MEDIUM:

  • Antelope Valley, First Flights in the Antelope Valley. This large dinner event at the Hellenic Center in Lancaster, Calif., was moderated by Colonel Grant Mizell. A First Flight Consideration Panel, including Dan Canin, Bob Hood, and Evan Thomas, discussed first flight experience with the Stratolauncher, B-2, and the upcoming X-59. Doug Shane also presented on “Reflections on First Flight from a Pilot’s Perspective.” The section secured an agreement with SETP/SFTE to agree on even cost/profit, and headed primary planning meetings to organize the dinner, manage event costs, design and purchase awards, promote the event with flyers and programs, and prepare an onsite report.
  • Honorable Mention, Phoenix, “Taking Flight.” This event was organized as a hands-on learning, immersive experience in aviation, aeronautics, aerospace, robotics, UAV/UAS, and many more STEM-related areas of interest. The event helped demonstrate the STEM applicability of hobbies including: students had the opportunity to “Buddy Box” with an instructor and fly a trainer RC airplane, a multi-rotor vehicle, or an RC car or truck. Students also had the opportunity to build small model rockets with the help of model rocketry volunteers. There were opportunities for students to learn about the many different STEM enrichment programs from all over the valley. In addition, schools from around the state were invited to showcase their engineering, aviation, aerospace, and robotics programs, and professionals spoke with students about career choices in the applicable fields.

LARGE (tie):

  • Cape Canaveral-Palm Beach, Small Satellite Education Conference. The 2022 Small Satellite Education Conference was an inaugural activity created by two AIAA members: one from Palm Beach and the other from Cape Canaveral. The Center for Space Education was the venue perfect for the conference, where they focused on presenting various technical topics around small satellites to students, educators, professors, and industry veterans. The goal was to foster both the idea that anyone, professional, collegiate, or even middle school level, could develop a small satellite program and win an opportunity to have their project sent into space. Attendees also had the opportunity to visit various vendor booths to learn about more technologies, learn about local college programs, and see what several middle schools had accomplished over the past year. Additionally, students from middle school to early professional, and several veterans (industry and academia), gave presentations. They offered several scholarships and various awards for different design and art competitions.

LARGE (tie):

  • Niagara Frontier, X-1 75th Anniversary Commemoration. This event commemorated the 75th anniversary, to the day, of the Bell X-1 breaking the sound barrier on 14 October 1947. The very first X-plane, then known as the XS-1 for eXperimental Supersonic, was designed and built at the Bell Aerospace plant in Niagara Falls. The keynote speaker, Richard Hallion, past Chief Historian of the U.S. Air Force and author of numerous books and articles on the X-1 and supersonic flight, spoke on “Buffalo, Bell, and the XS-1: A 75th Anniversary Perspective.” Hallion was introduced by Bill Barry, past NASA Chief Historian, who discussed the roots of Hallion’s X-1 research in the NASA History Office. The hybrid event consisted of dinner for 110 individuals at the Calspan hangar, including a large group from the AIAA student branch at the State University of New York-Buffalo, and 38 attendees via Zoom. The event also included a walking tour of the original X-1 loading pit next to Bell plant where the aircraft was built. Paul Schifferle, Calspan VP for Flight Research, gave a tour of the Calspan experimental variable stability aircraft to the students.

LARGE (tie):

  • Northern Ohio, Young Astronauts Day. The 28th Annual Young Astronaut Day (YAD) event was held on 5 November 2022, at Cleveland State University (CSU). After a two-year hiatus, the section’s long-standing STEM outreach event successfully returned with participation from 27 teams comprising over 165 K-12 students and nearly 60 parents and teachers. NASA Senior Research Engineer Diane Linne (recently retired from NASA Glenn Research Center) provided an inspiring keynote address in which she recapped her decorated career and taught some valuable lessons, both academic and non-academic. Linne highlighted her recent work considering the establishment of sustainable human presence on the moon and Mars through the generation and use of resources from indigenous materials, which includes building the infrastructure to refine and distribute fuel locally. Linne punctuated her talk by providing opportunities for the students to engage and participate in numerous demonstrations.

VERY LARGE (tie):

  • Los Angeles-Las Vegas, “DC-X/XA—The Genesis of Fully Reusable Access to Space.” The amazing vertical launching and landing capabilities of the SpaceX and Blue Origin rockets are very exciting. NASA’s DC-X/XA was 20+ years ahead of SpaceX or Blue Origin, but the facts and histories of the NASA DC-X/XA rockets are rarely mentioned. This event was an opportunity for attendees to experience the thrills and be inspired by the leaders of this groundbreaking and historic project! Event speakers included Dan Dumbacher (AIAA), Jess Sponable (New Frontier Aerospace (NFA), Inc.), Joaquin H. Castro (Aerojet Rocketdyne), James R. French (JRF Aerospace Consulting LLC), and Jeff Laube (The Aerospace Corporation). Members from the NASA DC-X/XA team participated, spoke, and volunteered to help. It was truly beneficial and inspiring. In addition to the 101 attendees at the 12 December 2022 event, there also have been 1,155 views on the video posted online.

VERY LARGE (tie):

  • Rocky Mountain, NSBE-AIAA Space Operations Forum 2023. AIAA Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) and Dexter Johnson of NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) from Glenn Research Center collaborated on a new networking event to help increase diversity and inclusion (D&I) within the Colorado aerospace community. The 1st Annual Space Operations Forum (SOF-2023), held 16–17 February at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was a unique and successful opportunity for AIAA RMS to work directly on a D&I event with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Space City Professionals (SCP) chapter in Houston, Texas. NASA officials gave presentations discussing how to transition from the International Space Station (ISS) to commercial low Earth orbit destinations as the ISS will be decommissioned in 2030. The forum was designed as a networking, working group event to produce a set of ideas from underrepresented professionals and students. Five working groups, including one with our virtual participants, were asked two primary questions by NASA. The solutions formulated by the working groups were presented at the end of the forum to NASA Johnson Space Center representatives. Additionally, Ball Aerospace hosted a facility tour for the group in Boulder, Colorado.

 

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

AIAA Statement on the Virgin Galactic Mission ‘Galactic 01’

June 29, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate Virgin Galactic on its successful flight today of ‘Galactic 01.’ We are eager to witness the start of its commercial spaceflight service in the coming months as a major step forward in humanity’s quest to extend the human neighborhood beyond planet Earth.

Virgin Galactic is helping move us closer to the day when space travel is widely accessible to people everywhere. Their collective perseverance is admirable, reminding us of how we must accelerate innovation in space with the utmost focus on safety and our shared humanity.

We recognize the countless professionals in the aerospace industry involved in making this mission a success, from design to fabrication, to testing, to operations. We salute and applaud the Virgin Galactic team for making important contributions to shaping the future of aerospace.”

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

About ASCEND

Powered by AIAA, ASCEND promotes the collaborative, interdisciplinary, outcomes-driven community of professionals, students, and serious enthusiasts around the world who are accelerating humanity’s progress toward our off-world future! For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on TwitterFacebook, or LinkedIn.

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 TwitterFacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2023 ASCEND Guiding Coalition Comprised of Prominent Leaders Across the Aerospace Community and Adjacent Industries

June 26, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is proud to announce the 44 members of the 2023 ASCEND Guiding Coalition who represent a diverse mix of leading aerospace companies, government agencies, and academic institutions, each with a shared commitment to the mission of ASCEND to Accelerate Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery.

The ASCEND Guiding Coalition is an advisory board of technology, science, engineering, and business leaders selected to help maximize ASCEND’s reach and impact, including the design and content of its centerpiece annual event. 2023 ASCEND is scheduled for 23–25 October, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, focused on building our sustainable off-world future through collaboration.

“The members of the ASCEND Guiding Coalition bring a wealth of experience and expertise as leaders in commercial space operations, government space policy, science and technology policy, new entrepreneurial ventures, and business strategy. We are thrilled for their involvement so we can build our off-world future faster,” said Julie Van Kleeck, ASCEND Executive Producer and AIAA Space Domain Lead.

The members of the 2023 ASCEND Guiding Coalition are:

  • Sirisha Bandla, Vice President, Government Affairs, Virgin Galactic
  • Bill Beckman, Director, NASA Programs, Boeing Global Sales and Marketing
  • Tejpaul Bhatia, Chief Revenue Officer, Axiom Space
  • Robert (Bobby) D. Braun, Head, Space Exploration Sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Tory Bruno, CEO, United Launch Alliance
  • Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, United States Space Force*
  • Steven (Bucky) J. Butow, Director, Space Portfolio, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)*
  • Johnathon Caldwell, Vice President and General Manager, Military Space, Lockheed Martin
  • Ahsan Choudhuri, Associate Vice President for Aerospace Center and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso
  • Carissa Christensen, CEO, BryceTech
  • Sandra Connelly, Deputy Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA*
  • Michael Costas, General Manager, Defense and Space, Bechtel Nuclear, Security & Environmental
  • Laura Crabtree, Chief Executive Officer, Epsilon3
  • Kara Cunzeman, Lead Futurist, Strategic Foresight, The Aerospace Corporation
  • Robert Curbeam, Senior Vice President, Space Capture, Maxar
  • Dan Dumbacher, Executive Director, AIAA
  • Ariel Ekblaw, Director, Space Exploration Initiative, MIT Media Lab
  • Carol Erikson, Vice President, Digital Transformation, Space Systems, Northrop Grumman*
  • Debra Facktor, Head of U.S. Space Systems, Airbus U.S. Space and Defense, Inc.
  • James Free, Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA
  • Michael Gazarik, Vice President, Engineering, Ball Aerospace
  • Bill Gerstenmaier, Vice President, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX
  • Phillip Ingle, Manager Director, Morgan Stanley
  • Lt. Gen. Larry James, USAF (Ret.), Deputy Director, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory*
  • Steve Jurczyk, Co-Founder and CEO, Quantum Space*
  • Janet Kavandi, President, Sierra Space*
  • Joe Landon, CEO, Crescent Space
  • Sandra Magnus, Principal, Astroplanetview, LLC
  • Clare Martin, Executive Vice President, Astroscale U.S.*
  • Jim Maser, Senior Vice President, Space, Aerojet Rocketdyne
  • Rob Meyerson, CEO, Delalune Space
  • Mark Mozena, Vice President, Government Affairs, Planet Federal*
  • Todd Nygren, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology Group, The Aerospace Corporation
  • Shawna Pandya, Director, Space Medicine Group, International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)
  • Lt. Gen. John Shaw, Deputy Commander, U.S. Space Command*
  • Wanda Sigur, President, Lambent Engineering LLC
  • Lauren Smith, Senior Program Manager, Satellite Servicing, Northrop Grumman
  • Melanie Stricklan, CEO & Co-Founder, Slingshot Aerospace
  • Russ Teehan, Principal Solutions Architect, Government Satellite Systems, Amazon
  • Derek Tournear, Director, Space Development Agency
  • Julie Van Kleeck, ASCEND Executive Producer and AIAA Space Domain Lead
  • Matthew C. Weinzierl, Senior Associate Dean and Chair, MBA Program; Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School*
  • Vanessa Wyche, Director, NASA Johnson Space Center

Registration for 2023 ASCEND is open now. Journalists from around the world are invited to cover the event; press passes are available for credentialed media by request.

*New Members in 2023

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

About ASCEND
Powered by AIAA, ASCEND, which stands for Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration, and New Discovery, is the world’s premier collaborative, outcomes-driven, interdisciplinary community designed to accelerate the building of our off-world future. For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

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, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Releases White Paper Advocating for Use of Digital Threads in Aerospace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 12, 2023 – San Diego – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) today released a white paper at the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum to advance the use of Digital Threads across the aerospace industry. The paper, “Digital Thread: Definition, Value, and Reference Model,” is a collaboration with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the Americas Regional Steering Committee of the International Association for the Engineering Modelling, Analysis and Simulation Community (NAFEMS). The paper is available for download on the AIAA website .

A prominent theme during the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum, the Institute believes digital transformation is the fourth industrial revolution. “The aerospace industry needs to accelerate its adoption and realization of digital engineering to achieve the value and benefits from this technology advancement,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher. Although the concept of the Digital Thread has been discussed and specific aspects of the Digital Thread are not new, this paper attempts to consolidate in one location a description representing the AIAA Digital Engineering Integration Committee’s (DEIC) position on Digital Thread. The AIAA DEIC believes the Digital Thread is central to the aerospace industry’s digital transformation.

This paper is one in a series of papers published by the AIAA DEIC. The Institute released an implementation paper in January 2023, “Digital Twin: Reference Model, Realizations & Recommendations,” also available for download on the AIAA website .

The AIAA DEIC authored this paper with approval from the AIAA Public Policy Committee. In addition, substantial contributions were made by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Patterns Working Group and the Digital Twin Consortium, a community of the Object Management Group (OMG).

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 TwitterFacebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Statement on the Axiom Mission (AX-2) Launch

May 21, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the entire Axiom team on its successful AX-2 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. We applaud this private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), showing how NASA and private industry are working together to extend the human neighborhood into low Earth orbit in meaningful ways.

In addition to expanding commercial research opportunities in the ISS orbiting laboratory, the AX-2 mission adds more names to the growing list of astronauts due to commercial space activity. We are seeing a new breed of explorer emerge in low Earth orbit – from a retired NASA astronaut returning to space like Commander Peggy Whitson, to adventurer and Pilot John Shoffner, to two crewmembers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are encouraged to see the space economy growing, as these explorers and innovators work to improve life on Earth and accelerate our off-world future. We look forward to following their progress.

We recognize the countless aerospace industry professionals involved in making this mission a success. We salute Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX, and their entire team, for helping shape the future of aerospace.”

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 TwitterFacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram.

2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum to Focus on Revolutionary Leaps Toward a New Age of Aviation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced its five-day program on the next age of aviation for the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 12–16 June, San Diego. The event will feature an extensive lineup of aviation leaders and innovators as speakers, panelists, and presenters, along with over 1,700 technical papers focused on the theme, “Revolutionary Leaps Toward a New Age of Aviation.”

Registration for the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum is open now. Journalists who wish to cover the forum can request a Press Pass here.

“We look forward to welcoming the worldwide aviation community to San Diego for the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum. We will be hearing from an impressive group of thought leaders and innovators about new capabilities on the horizon that will take us further, faster, safer, and cleaner. It’s truly a can’t-miss event on the calendar this year,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher.

From the main stage, attendees will get an update on the state of the aviation industry and explore timely topics including decarbonization and sustainability, advanced air mobility, new aircraft certification, as well as hypersonics and supersonics. The keynote speakers and panelists represent industry, government, and academia across the aviation community. Confirmed speakers thus far include:

  • Kathy Abbott, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor, Flight Deck Human Factors, FAA
  • Phillip J. Ansell, Assistant Professor and Allen Ormsbee Faculty Fellow, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • David Arenson, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Lockheed Martin Space
  • Paul Brinkmann, Staff Reporter, Aerospace America
  • Michael Brown, Chief Hypersonic Sciences Branch, AFRL
  • Lt. Col. Joshua Burger, VC-25B Air Vehicle Program Manager, U.S. Air Force
  • Scot Campbell, Project Executive, Airbus UTM, Acubed
  • Todd Citron, Chief Technology Officer, The Boeing Company
  • James Hileman, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Sustainability and Future Mobility, The Boeing Company; former Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Environment and Energy, FAA
  • Johnny Hodges, Vice President, Engineering, Gulfstream
  • Erika Holtz, Engineering and Quality Manager, Harbour Air
  • Marcus Johnson, Project Manager, Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO), NASA Ames Research Center
  • Laura Kushner, Lead Systems Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center
  • Nick Lappos, Senior Technical Fellow, Advanced Technology, Sikorsky, A Lockheed Martin Company
  • Jonathan Lovegren, Head of Autonomy, Wisk
  • Mark Moore, CEO, Whisper Aero
  • Ben Murphy, Vice President, Sustainability, Boom Supersonic
  • Anna Oldani, Manager, Sustainable Aviation Fuel Program, FAA
  • Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, NASA
  • Sara Roggia, Head of Protections and Controls, magniX
  • Will Roper, Founder & CEO, Istari; former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
  • Venke Sankaran, Chief Scientist, Aerospace Systems Directorate, AFRL
  • Vince Schultz, Deputy Project Manager for the Maxwell X-57 Flight Project, NASA
  • Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Director for Space Policy, Office of Science and Technology Policy
  • Graham Warwick, Executive Editor Technology, Aviation Week
  • Jeanne Yu, Senior Technologist, Sky for All Chief Strategist, Aeronautics, NASA
  • Warren Zelaya, Engineering Manager, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

The technical program will include over 1,700 presentations and papers on the latest innovations spanning 20+ aviation and aeronautics research topics, including fluid dynamics, applied aerodynamics, air transportation systems, thermophysics and heat transfer, multidisciplinary design optimization, and many more.

More than 45 companies and organizations will feature their innovative products and new technologies throughout the Exposition Hall on 13– 15 June. Attendees also can hear company updates and see technology demonstrations on the Innovation Stage at the HUB, in the heart of the Exposition Hall.

In conjunction with the forum, attendees also can focus deeper on specific aviation topics at collocated events:

  • AIAA/IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium (EATS). Designed for electrical, propulsion system, and aerospace engineers to discuss electrified propulsion technologies for future aircraft.
  • International Powered Lift Conference (IPLC). Designed for engineers, technologists, and executives to discuss developments in Vertical and/or Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL), including fully electrical V/STOL (eV/STOL), aircraft research, design, and developmental projects.
  • 29th AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference. Designed for scientists and engineers to exchange knowledge on all aspects of the generation, propagation, and control of vehicle noise, as well as the effect of noise on structures and individuals. Technical content will include innovative design concepts including recent advances in low-carbon aircraft architectures and urban air mobility vehicles.

For the most up-to-date program and registration information, visit aiaa.org/aviation.

Media Contact: Rebecca 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 TwitterFacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA to Recognize Excellence with Awards at the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2023 – Reston, Va. – May 15, 2023 – Reston, Va.  The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of technical and management excellence awards to be presented during the 2023 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 12–16 June, San Diego. Registration is open for the worldwide aviation community to attend. Journalists who wish to cover the forum can request a Press Pass here.

“We are proud to recognize these accomplished individuals for their influence on aviation,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “These visionaries and technological leaders inspire us as we benefit from their efforts working toward a safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous world.”

2023 AIAA Aeroacoustics Award
Yueping Guo, NASA Langley Research Center

Award Citation: For significant contributions to understanding airframe noise and acoustic scattering and application in development of state-of-the-art, system-level prediction methods enabling innovative noise reduction.

The AIAA Aeroacoustics Award is presented for an outstanding technical or scientific achievement resulting from an individual’s contribution to the field of aircraft community noise reduction.

2023 AIAA Aerodynamics Award
Roy J. Hartfield Jr., Auburn University

Award Citation: For the development of fast and practical predictive approaches to the problem of aerodynamic analysis of air vehicles at both conceptual and preliminary design stages.

The AIAA Aerodynamics Award is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application, and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods.

2023 AIAA Aircraft Design Award
Adnan Raghdo, The Boeing Company

Award Citation: For leadership of the Boeing MQ-28A design team, a stealth, multirole, UAS, force multiplier aircraft capable of teaming with crewed aircraft and performing autonomous missions.

The AIAA Aircraft Design Award is presented to an individual or team for an original concept or career contributions leading to a significant advancement in aircraft design or design technology.

2023 AIAA Chanute Flight Test Award
Mark P. Stucky, Blue Origin

Award Citation: For being at the forefront of design, analysis, instruction, and flying in the military, NASA, and civilian flight test for over 40 years.

The AIAA Chanute Flight Test Award honors Octave Chanute, pioneer aeronautical investigator, and is presented for an outstanding contribution made by a pilot or test personnel to the advancement of the art, science, and technology of aeronautics.

2023 AIAA F.E. Newbold Award
Lars Blackmore, SpaceX

Award Citation: For vehicle-level design and the development of critical guidance and control technologies to achieve precision vertical landing of space rockets, and advance their viability through full reusability.

The F. E. Newbold V/STOL Award recognizes outstanding creative contributions to the advancement and realization of powered lift flight in one or more of the following areas: initiation, definition and/or management of key V/STOL programs; development of enabling technologies including critical methodology; program engineering and design; and/or other relevant related activities or combinations thereof that have advanced the science of powered lift flight.

2023 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Award
Kozo Fujii, Tokyo University of Science

Award Citation: For many pioneering contributions to robust and efficient computational algorithms and their application to solve major industrial challenges using leading-edge supercomputers.

The AIAA Fluid Dynamics Award is presented for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion as related to need in aeronautics and astronautics.

2023 AIAA Ground Testing Award
Luca Maddalena, University of Texas at Arlington

Award Citation: For pioneering contributions in the development of arc-heated test facilities, advanced optical diagnostics, and data processing.

The AIAA Ground Testing Award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or effective utilization of technology, procedures, facilities, or modeling techniques for flight simulation, space simulation, propulsion testing, aerodynamic testing, or other ground testing associated with aeronautics and astronautics.

2023 AIAA Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management
Parimal Kopardekar, NASA Aeronautics Research Institute

Award Citation: For excellence in developing a concept, initiating, and managing NASA UAS Traffic Management research as well as setting up a novel collaborative approach that resulted in a global impact for integrating new entrants into airspace systems.

The AIAA Hap Arnold Award for Excellence in Aeronautical Program Management was named in honor of General Henry “Hap” Arnold, a lifelong devotee to the concept of air power and Chief of the Army Corps in 1938. The award is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions in the management of a significant aeronautical or aeronautical-related program or project.

2023 AIAA Hypersonics Systems and Technologies Award
Joseph A. Schetz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Award Citation: For sustained contributions to hypersonics through graduate education of a large cadre of Ph.D. students and seminal research on high-speed aerodynamics, heat transfer, and propulsion.

The AIAA Hypersonics Systems and Technologies Award recognizes outstanding sustained contributions and achievements in enabling technologies and/or the integration of technologies for system applications in the advancement of hypersonic flight.

2023 AIAA Losey Atmospheric Sciences Award
Jeanne G. Mason, Boeing Commercial Airplanes (retired)

Award Citation: For exceptional service to aviation safety for aircraft icing by organizing and directing partnerships that invest in solutions to understand convective weather ice crystal phenomena.

In 1940, the AIAA Robert M. Losey Award was established in memory of Captain Robert M. Losey, a meteorological officer who was killed while serving as an observer for the U.S. Army, the first officer in the service of the United States to die in World War II. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the atmospheric sciences as applied to the advancement of aeronautics and astronautics.

2023 AIAA Thermophysics Award
Michael Wright, NASA Ames Research Center

Award Citation: For outstanding contributions to improving thermophysical models and simulation capabilities for high-enthalpy flows, and for leadership and dedication to NASA missions and the aerothermodynamic community.

The AIAA Thermophysics Award is presented for an outstanding singular or sustained technical or scientific contribution by an individual in thermophysics, specifically as related to the study and application of the properties and mechanisms involved in thermal energy transfer and the study of environmental effects on such properties and mechanisms.

Media Contact: Rebecca 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 TwitterFacebookLinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Statement on the Artemis II Crew

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher:

“Congratulations to Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Christina Hammock Koch, and Reid Wiseman on being named the four explorers who comprise the crew of the Artemis II mission. You are inspiring the Artemis generation through this first crewed mission to the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years. Congratulations to NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on this historic announcement.

We were thrilled to witness the engineering marvel of the successful Artemis I mission last year. The Artemis program – including the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, and the ground systems needed to launch them – provides a fundamental new capability enabling us to retain and grow global cooperation and peace in space by establishing a sustainable presence on the moon in preparation for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. We look forward to the continued progress of the Artemis program by the NASA/industry team and the international partners to land the first woman and the first person of color on the lunar surface in the future.

We can’t wait to join Victor, Jeremy, Christina, and Reid as we go together for all humanity to the moon and back in 2024. They are shaping the future of aerospace!”

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, LinkedIn, andInstagram.