Tag: Science and Technology

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:

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

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

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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Amazon Switches to Atlas V Rocket for First Project Kuiper Satellite Launch

Bloomberg reports Amazon “said it plans to launch the first two test satellites for its Project Kuiper constellation this fall on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket, rather than its next-generation Vulcan, as previously planned.” The change “comes amid repeated delays of the debut launch of Vulcan, which has been in development for much of the last decade.” Space News reports spokesman James Watkins said the target launch date is September 26.
Full Story (Bloomberg); More Info (Space News)

USAF Completes First Uncrewed Test Flight Utilizing AI

Bloomberg Government reported that the US Air Force “has completed its first flight with an uncrewed combat aircraft using artificial intelligence, according to the Department of Defense.” The XQ-58A Valkyrie combat aircraft by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions “led a three-hour simulated combat mission at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio on July 25.” The AI-led flight “was a product of an Air Force Research Laboratory effort, the Skyborg Vanguard program, which uses an autonomous aircraft teaming architecture and integrates multiple technology components.” Skyborg is “building a system that is portable and modular – fitting into multiple aircraft platforms.”
Full Story (Bloomberg Government)

Lockheed Martin Contracted by NASA to Design, Test New Nuclear-Powered Propulsion System

The New York Times reports NASA and DARPA have announced that Lockheed Martin has been selected “to design, build and test a propulsion system that could one day speed astronauts on a trip to Mars.” The nearly $500 million program “is named DRACO, short for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations.” The DRACO development “is to culminate with a flight test of the nuclear-thermal engine.” Kirk Shireman, a vice president at Lockheed Martin, “said the launch was currently scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.”
Full Story (The New York Times)

EASA Publishes Noise Standards for EVOTLs

Aviation International News reports that EASA “has published what it claims are the world’s first proposed noise certification standards for eVTOLs.” The proposals, known as the Environmental Protection Technical Specifications (EPTS), “are applicable to eVTOL vehicles powered by multiple vertical, non-tilting, evenly distributed rotors.” EASA says that the proposed specifications “are intended to fill a regulatory gap and use the internationally harmonized noise certification standards for heavy helicopters” as a starting point while it “collects more noise data from specific eVTOL designs through certification projects.” In addition, a hover noise level “has been developed to aid in the assessment of flight operations in the vicinity of vertiports.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Boeing Engineers Break World Record for Longest Paper Airplane Flight

CNN reported that three engineers from The Boeing Company broke the world record for the farthest flight by paper airplane with a new distance of 289 feet, 9 inches, beating out the previous record of 252 feet, 7 inches. The success came after months of effort, including nearly 500 hours of studying origami and aerodynamics, and of testing multiple prototypes. The engineers’ design focused on speed and on minimizing drag.
Full Story (CNN)

NASA Refining Designs of Mars Helicopters

SPACE reports that NASA is drawing on experience from the Ingenuity Mars helicopter’s nearly 50 flights in designing the two Mars Sample Recovery Helicopters for the Mars Sample Return campaign. At the American Astronautical Society Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Chief Engineer of Autonomy and Aerial Flight Håvard Fjær Grip “outlined plans for how Ingenuity’s guidance, navigation, and control system would be adapted and extended.” In an interview afterwards, he said, “What’s fairly clear is that the fundamental rotorcraft configuration and how we control it has been worked out and is heritage that can be relied upon.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Challenger Center and AIAA Announce 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Awardees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Three STEM Educators and Schools Receive Cash Award and Free STEM Programming

Washington and Reston, Va. – March 22, 2023 – Challenger Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announce Caroline Little, Aymette Medina, and Taylor Whisenant as the winners of the 2023 Trailblazing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educator Award. Each teacher and their respective schools will be awarded $5,000. Additionally, each teacher will receive free access to Challenger Center STEM programming, a trip to Washington, D.C., to be honored at the 2023 AIAA Awards Gala, and an invitation to attend a future space launch.

The award celebrates K-12 teachers who go above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators. The three winners come from schools across the United States and were selected from 51 nominations. The nominations demonstrate the incredible efforts teachers make every day to empower underserved and underrepresented students in STEM while using unique strategies, tools, and lessons in and out of the classroom to further energize students.

The 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award recipients are (in alphabetical order by last name):

Caroline Little, 6^th–8^th grade science teacher at Visitation School (Mendota Heights, Minn.). Little has spent more than 20 years teaching science and world languages and is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and astronauts. She creatively breaks down complex STEM principles into easy-to-understand lessons and connects her students to real-world examples through personal experiences. For example, her students recently presented their research on lunar crop growth during a NASA Space Food webinar. Little is a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Teacher Innovator Institute Fellow, DiscoverE Girl Day ambassador, and an advisor for several national STEM-based educational programs.

Aymette Medina, high school teacher at Odyssey Academy Galveston (Galveston, Texas). As an educator for more than a decade, Medina’s mission is to give her students every opportunity to see their potential within STEM fields. Recently, she engaged her students in the NASA TechRise Challenge, International SeaPerch Space Exploration Challenge, and the SystemsGo Rocketry Program. She uses Challenger Center and AIAA educational materials throughout her lessons and takes students on field trips to connect their learning experiences within the classroom to the real world. Medina is a Space Foundation teacher liaison and an ambassador for both Space Explorers and SeaPerch (Robonation).

Taylor Whisenant, K-12 STEAM teacher at Athens Renaissance School (ARS) (Athens, Ala.). With a background in special education, particularly in autism spectrum disorders, Whisenant is a champion for equity and access to quality STEM education programs for all students. During her first year at ARS, she developed a robotics program with eight FIRST® Robotics teams spanning the K-12 age groups. The program has grown to 14 teams now. Whisenant is a University of Alabama in Huntsville Alumni of Achievement Honoree and a FIRST® Inspire the Future Educators Recognition Program Honoree. She is also a program delivery partner for FIRST® LEGO® League.

“With educators like Caroline, Aymette, and Taylor, STEM experiences are not only introduced to students, but they are brought to life. They go above and beyond to ensure that students of all backgrounds are given the opportunity to see the world of possibilities that STEM careers offer,” said Lance Bush, president and CEO of Challenger Center. “We are thrilled to award each of these teachers with the 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award.”

The U.S. aerospace and defense industry leads the world in innovation, while still facing challenges of staffing a properly skilled and qualified workforce. Crucial gaps in diversity, equity, and inclusion must be addressed – more STEM-literate graduates are needed, greater participation is needed by women and ethnic minorities, and early retirements are creating a growing knowledge gap.

“These three Trailblazing STEM Educator Award winners are awesome educators! It is our honor to recognize them with this award. We believe teachers are invaluable to their communities, bringing their passion for learning to inspire their students. They are enabling a diverse and robust STEM-literate next generation. Together, they are shaping the future of aerospace,” said Dan Dumbacher, executive director, AIAA.

The three winners will be recognized at the 2023 AIAA Awards Gala, scheduled for May 18 at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.* The evening celebrates the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace. Tickets are available now. The three winners also will be celebrated in their local communities in the coming weeks.

Each winner can select from Challenger Center’s suite of hands-on, simulated learning experiences based on their classes’ needs. Center Missions, delivered at Challenger Learning Centers around the globe; Virtual Missions, delivered by Challenger Learning Center Flight Directors to students in and out of the classroom; and Classroom Adventures, digital experiences delivered by teachers in their classrooms, bring classroom lessons to life through exciting Earth and space-themed journeys.

*Please 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.

About Challenger Center
As a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, Challenger Center provides more than 250,000 students annually with experiential education programs that engage students in hands-on learning opportunities. These programs, delivered in Challenger Learning Centers and classrooms, strengthen knowledge in STEM subjects and inspire students to pursue careers in these important fields. Challenger Center was created by the Challenger families to honor the crew of shuttle flight STS-51-L. For more information about Challenger Center, please visit www.challenger.org or connect on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About AIAA
The American Institue of 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.

Contacts:

Challenger Center
Sara Espinosa, Director, Communications
[email protected]
202-827-1575

AIAA
Rebecca Gray, Senior Manager, Communications
[email protected]
804-397-5270

ISS National Lab Looks for Projects

Aviation Week reports that demand for conducting experiments “on board the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory remains strong after 75 payloads were sent to the orbiting platform last year.” The laboratory, “which hosts non-NASA experiments, is looking for its next crop of in-space projects.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

AIAA Announces 2023 Premier Award Winners

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

February 13, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2023 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. A new award – the AIAA Award for Aerospace Excellence – was added in 2023 in order to celebrate a unique program or mission in the aerospace community deserving timely recognition.

Presentation of the 2023 AIAA Premier Awards and recognition of the Institute’s Class of 2023 Honorary Fellows and Fellows will take place at the AIAA Awards Gala, Thursday, 18 May, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts*, Washington, DC. Tickets are available now.

“Congratulations to our premier award winners,” said AIAA President Laura McGill. “We are inspired by their hard work 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 innovations and discoveries that make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous.”

The winners are:

AIAA Award for Aerospace Excellence – Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Team, NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

AIAA Public Service Award – Bill Nye, The Planetary Society

AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award – John S. Langford III, Electra.Aero

AIAA Distinguished Service Award – David R. Riley, Boeing Research & Technology (retired)

AIAA International Cooperation Award – Vincent A. Orlando, MIT Lincoln Laboratory

AIAA Engineer of the Year Award – Alison A. Nordt, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center

AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award – Charlie Atkinson, Jennifer Love-Pruitt, Michael T. Menzel, and Lee D. Feinberg, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Northrop Grumman Team – James Webb Space Telescope

AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award – Phillip J. Ansell, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Award Citations

AIAA Award for Aerospace Excellence
This award honors a unique achievement by a group or team in the aerospace community that is shaping the future of aerospace and inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in aerospace. The award is designed for timely recognition of a recent program or mission.

NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Team

, honored “In recognition of humanity’s first time purposely changing the motion of a celestial object by a team of protectors of our home planet.” Accepting the award on behalf of the DART team: Jeremy John, JHUAPL, and Lindley Johnson, NASA.

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

Bill Nye,

The Planetary Society, honored “For demonstrating sustained and visible support for aviation and space goals through popular media outreach.”

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.

John S. Langford III,

Electra.Aero, honored “For exemplary achievement as an outstanding aeronautical engineer, visionary leadership in the development of autonomous flight, and relentless advocacy of the future aerospace workforce.”

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

David R. Riley

, Boeing Research & Technology (retired), honored “In recognition of over four decades of dedicated leadership and service to AIAA at the section, region, national, and international levels.”

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.

Vincent A. Orlando,

MIT Lincoln Laboratory, honored “For over 40 years of sustained technical innovation, standards development, and international harmonization of aviation surveillance system technology.”

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.

Alison A. Nordt,

Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, honored “For exceptional engineering and technical leadership in the development of the Near Infrared Camera critical to the success of the James Webb Space Telescope.”

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.

Charlie Atkinson, Jennifer Love-Pruitt, Michael T. Menzel, and Lee D. Feinberg,

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Northrop Grumman Team – James Webb Space Telescope, honored “For delivering groundbreaking engineering performance for the James Webb Space Telescope, to advance the study of every phase of cosmic history.”

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.

Phillip J. Ansell,

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, honored “For outstanding contributions to electrified aircraft technologies and pioneering work toward sustainable aviation.”

*Please note that this event is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.

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.