Tag: Graduate awards

AIAA to Honor Aerospace Award Winners at the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 22, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will bestow awards to over 20 aerospace innovators who made an impact on the industry over the past year during the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 6–10 January 2025, Orlando, Fla. The awards will be presented during the forum at a special Awards Recognition Ceremony, 6 January, 5:30 p.m. Forum registration is available now. Journalists can request a Press Pass here.

“Congratulations to this year’s award winners! These exceptional individuals are highly regarded and have been chosen by their peers. They have not only advanced aeronautics and astronautics, but are also inspiring the next generation of professionals,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “We are immensely grateful for their contributions. They are truly shaping the future of aerospace.”

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

GRADUATE AWARDS

2024 Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics
This award was established by AIAA Honorary Fellow Abe Zarem, founder and managing director of Frontier Associates, to annually recognize graduate students in aeronautics and astronautics who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship in their field.

Mohammed Abir Mahdi
Oklahoma State University

Shafi Al Salman Romeo
Oklahoma State University

For their paper “Convolutional Neural Network and Homogenization based Hybrid Approach for Lattice Structures”

Advisor:  Zhao Wei, Oklahoma State University

LITERARY AWARDS

2025 AIAA Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Literature Award
The award is presented for the best original contribution to the field of aeronautical or astronautical non-fiction literature published in the last five years dealing with the science, technology, and/or impact of aeronautics or astronautics on society.

Michael W. Hankins
Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Flying Camelot: The F-15, the F-16, and the Weaponization of Fighter Pilot Nostalgia

2025 AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award
The award is presented for an outstanding contribution or contributions to aeronautical and astronautical literature in the relatively recent past.

Joseph M. Powers
University of Notre Dame
Mechanics of Fluids

SERVICE AWARD

2025 AIAA Mary W. Jackson Diversity and Inclusion Award
This award recognizes an individual or group within AIAA who has devoted time and effort and made significant contributions to the advancement of diversity and inclusion within the Institute.

Karen A. Thole
University of Michigan
For her sustained significant contributions to raise awareness on the value of diversity and inclusion in the aerospace workforce at large, an AIAA core value.

TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

2024 AIAA–ASEE J. Leland Atwood Award
This award is bestowed upon an outstanding aerospace engineering educator in recognition of the educator’s contributions to the profession. This award is co-sponsored by the ASEE Aerospace Division and AIAA.

Stephen D. Heister
Purdue University
For his transformative impact on the aerospace industry in revitalizing Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratory, and mentoring leaders currently developing advanced rocket and airbreathing propulsion systems.

2025 AIAA–ASC James H. Starnes Jr. Award
This award is presented to recognize continued significant contribution to and demonstrated promotion of the field of structural mechanics over an extended period of time emphasizing practical solutions, to acknowledge high professionalism, and to acknowledge the strong mentoring of and influence on colleagues.

Paul M. Weaver
University of Limerick, Ireland
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
For his outstanding contribution in the field of composite structures and his supportive and inspirational mentoring of young academics and professionals.

2025 AIAA Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Award
This award is presented to recognize outstanding sustained contributions and achievements in enabling technologies and/or the integration of technologies for system applications in the advancement of hypersonic flight.

Gary Polansky
Sandia National Laboratories (retired)
In recognition for decades of technical leadership in pioneering U.S. hypersonic boost-glide vehicle development and testing in service of the national defense.

2025 AIAA Information Systems Award
This award is presented to recognize outstanding technical and/or management contributions in space and aeronautics for computer, sensing, and fusion aspects of information technology and science.

Radhakrishna Sampigethaya
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
For his pioneering work and research in aviation cybersecurity in the areas of developing aircraft and air traffic control systems countermeasures, educating the current and next-generation workforce, and enhancing aerospace safety and security.

2025 AIAA Ashley Award for Aeroelasticity
This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the understanding and application of aeroelastic phenomena. It commemorates the accomplishments of Professor Holt Ashley, who dedicated his professional life to the advancement of aerospace sciences and engineering and had a profound impact on the fields of aeroelasticity, unsteady aerodynamics, aeroservoelasticity and multidisciplinary optimization.

Mordechay Karpel
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
For outstanding contributions to structural dynamics, aeroelasticity, and aeroservoelasticity, including engineering leadership, research innovations, influential publications, development of industrial software, and mentoring of aerospace professionals.

2025 AIAA de Florez Award for Flight Simulation
This award is presented for an outstanding individual achievement in the application of flight simulation to aerospace training, research, and development.

Heinrich H. Bülthoff
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Germany
For groundbreaking research into how the brain processes multisensory perceptual information and the application of this knowledge for developing revolutionary new motion simulation technologies.

2025 AIAA Air Breathing Propulsion Award
This award is presented to an individual for sustained, meritorious accomplishment in the arts, sciences, and technology of air breathing propulsion systems.

Zoltán S. Spakovszky
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
For outstanding and sustained contributions to air breathing propulsion, through rigorous discoveries and advancements in compressor aerodynamic and aerostructural stability and in aeroengine acoustics.

2025 AIAA Aerospace Power Systems Award
This award, established in 1981, is presented for a significant contribution in the broad field of aerospace power systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the generation, storage, management, and distribution of electrical energy to aerospace power systems.

Margot Wasz
The Aerospace Corporation (retired)
For exceptional technical contributions to advanced spacecraft battery power systems, outstanding service to the mission success of high-value United States Space Force launch vehicle systems, and transformational leadership of AIAA space power activities.

2025 AIAA Energy Systems Award
This award honors a significant contribution in the broad field of energy systems, specifically as related to the application of engineering sciences and systems engineering to the production, storage, distribution, and conservation of energy.

Ying Zheng
Western University
For remarkable contributions in advancing applied catalysis for clean and renewable energy innovations through exceptional dedication to research, education and application.

2025 AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award
This award is presented for an outstanding recent technical or scientific contribution by an individual in the mechanics, guidance, or control of flight in space or the atmosphere.

Ilya Kolmanovsky
University of Michigan
For significant contributions to advances in theory and methods enabling development of reference governors and model predictive control algorithms enforcing safety constraints in aerospace systems.

2025 AIAA Propellants and Combustion Award
This award is presented for outstanding technical contributions to aeronautical or astronautical combustion engineering.

Robert P. Lucht
Purdue University
For numerous contributions to combustion, propulsion, and power generation through innovative development of advanced laser diagnostics and applying them to practical energy systems.

2025 AIAA Wyld Propulsion Award
This award is presented for outstanding achievement in the development or application of rocket propulsion systems.

Alon Gany
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
For pioneering contributions in propulsion research on metalized propellants, energetic materials, hybrid rockets, ramjets, and scramjets, with sustained excellence in educating generations of propulsion experts.

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 Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.

AIAA Announces 2025 Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 14, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA has announced the winners of its 2025 undergraduate scholarships and graduate awards. Through the AIAA Foundation and supported by its nearly 30,000 members, AIAA annually presents over $235,000 in academic scholarships and STEM educational grants to support the next generation of aerospace professionals.

“Congratulations to these remarkable students on earning scholarships and awards to further their education. We are proud to call them AIAA student members,” said Laura McGill, chair, AIAA Foundation. “Preparing the next generation of innovators is part of AIAA’s commitment to the aerospace community. We look forward to seeing how these students make the next breakthroughs to shape the future of aerospace.”

Applications for the 2026 scholarships and graduate awards are being accepted from 15 October 2025 to 31 January 2026. Visit the AIAA Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Awards website for more information.

The 2025 undergraduate scholarship winners are:

  • The $10,000 David and Catherine Thompson Space Technology Scholarship, named for and endowed by former AIAA President David Thompson, retired chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Orbital ATK, Dulles, Virginia, and his wife Catherine, was presented to Paige Rust, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
  • The $10,000 Daedalus 88 Scholarship, endowed by former AIAA President John Langford, founder and chairman of Electra.aero, was presented to Abigail Frank, Purdue University.
  • The $10,000 Mary W. Jackson Scholarship, honoring the late NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer, Mary W. Jackson, was presented to Joshua Kassel, University of Colorado Boulder.
  • The $5,000 Vicki and George Muellner Scholarship for Aerospace Engineering, named for and endowed by the late Lt. Gen. George Muellner, U.S. Air Force, former AIAA President, president of advanced systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and his wife Vicki, was presented to Ishaan Kalanadha Bhatta, Purdue University.

Additional AIAA Foundation scholarships were presented by AIAA technical committees (TC) to students performing research in the TC discipline:

  • The Space Transportation TC presented a $1,500 scholarship to Avah Cherry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The Digital Avionics TC presented four scholarships of $3,000 each:

  • The Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Geenadie Rathnayake, University of Washington.
  • The Ellis F. Hitt Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Karsten Caillet, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  • The Dr. Amy R. Pritchett Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Karson Schaefers, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
  • The Dr. James Rankin Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Julianna Schneider, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The AIAA Rocky Mountain Section, comprising AIAA members located in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut presented a $500 scholarship to Titus Smith, Colorado School of Mines. The scholarship is presented to a student studying at a school that sits within the section’s geographical boundaries.

The 2025 graduate award winners are:

  • Patrick Bailey, University of South Carolina, received the Neil Armstrong Graduate Award. This $10,000 award honors the character and achievements of the late astronaut, military pilot, and educator, Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon.
  • Veera Venkata Ram Murali Krishna Rao Muvva, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, received the Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award. This $10,000 award is given to a full-time graduate student in memory of the Wright brothers’ contributions to the evolution of flight.
  • Stephen West and Andrew Strawn, both from North Carolina State University (NCSU), are the recipients of the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Graduate Award in Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Hassan established the award shortly before his death in January 2019 to entice top NCSU aerospace engineering seniors, who also are AIAA members, to earn their graduate degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in aerospace engineering at NCSU. Two $8,000 awards are presented each year.
  • Marwa Yacouti, University of Colorado Boulder, received the $1,250 John Leland Atwood Graduate Award. Established in 1999, the $1,250 award, sponsored by endowments from Rockwell and what is now The Boeing Company and named in memory of John Leland “Lee” Atwood, former chief executive officer of Rockwell, North America, recognizes a student actively engaged in research in the areas covered by the technical committees of AIAA.

Five AIAA TCs also presented graduate awards:

  • Akshaj “Akku” Kumar, Texas A&M University, received the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) TC’s $3,500 Guidance, Navigation and Control Graduate Award.
  • Cole Nielsen, Purdue University, received the Liquid Propulsion TC’s $2,500 Liquid Propulsion Graduate Award.
  • Ari Jain, Georgia Institute of Technology, received the Propellants and Combustion TC’s $1,500 Martin Summerfield Propellants and Combustion Graduate Award.
  • Kaurab Gautam, University of Cincinnati, received the Propulsion and Energy Group’s $1,000 Gordon C. Oates Air Breathing Propulsion Graduate Award.
  • Aayush Bhattarai, Auburn University, received the General Aviation TC’s $1,000 William T. Piper, Sr., General Aviation Systems Graduate Award.

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 www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.