Tag: winners

AIAA Announces 2024-2025 Section Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 4, 2025 – Las Vegas – AIAA announced its 2024-2025 section award winners during its Regional Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by members of AIAA’s 58 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 2024–31 May 2025.

“Across AIAA, local sections and student branches are where the action begins. We believe dynamic local communities are the core of AIAA member engagement. They’re essential to the Institute’s success. Congratulations to these sections and student branches for their noteworthy achievements!” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry.

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: Delaware
Second Place: Wisconsin
Third Place: Adelaide

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First Place: Illinois
Second Place (tie): Greater Philadelphia
Second Place (tie): Indiana
Third Place: Palm Beach

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First Place: San Diego
Second Place: Tucson
Third Place: Tennessee

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First Place: Saint Louis
Second Place: North Texas
Third Place: Houston

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First Place: Los Angeles
Second Place: New England
Third Place: Hampton Roads

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: Delaware, Zachary Gent (Northrop Grumman Defense Systems), section chair
Second Place: Central Coast of California, Matthew Tanner (United States Space Force), secretary
Third Place: Adelaide, Michael Evans (University of South Australia), university liaison officer

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First Place: Indiana, Hannah Snyderburn (Naval Surface Warfare Center), communications officer
Second Place (tie): Michigan, Pradip Sagdeo, section chair
Second Place (tie): Greater Philadelphia, Matthew Johnson (Saker Shoprites Inc), communications officer
Third Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Steven Jacobson (General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc), secretary
Second Place: Carolina, Will Stavanja (USTRC), vice chair, Greensboro Chapter
Third Place: Tennessee, Phillip Kreth (University of Tennessee Space Institute), section chair; Taylor Swanson (AEDC), council member

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First Place: North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair
Second Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Edmond Wong (NASA Glenn Research Center), communications officer
Second Place (tie): Saint Louis, Mario Santos (The Boeing Company), communications officer
Third Place (tie): Albuquerque, Robert Malseed, treasurer
Third Place (tie): Houston, Kendall Mares (Jacobs), University Liaison Officer

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First Place: Los Angeles, Kenneth Lui (Ken’s Consulting), website editor officer
Second Place: New England, Aaryan Nagarkatti (GE Aerospace Research), social media officer; DurgeshChandel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), publicity officer
Third Place: Hampton Roads, Soumyo Dutta (NASA Langley Research Center), newsletter editor

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 Defense Systems), section chair
Second Place: Wisconsin, Todd Treichel (Sierra Space), section chair
Third Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair

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First Place: Illinois, Andrew Touvannas (Woodward Inc.), honors & awards chair; David Caroll (CU Aerospace LLC), vice chair
Second Place: Indiana, Anand Nageswaran Bharath (Cummins Inc.), STEM K-12 officer
Third Place: Michigan, Pradip Sagdeo, section chair

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Joel Perez (Solar Turbines Inc.), regional advisory council representative
Second Place: Tucson, Dan Rouhani (Composite Construction), treasurer
Third Place: Carolina, Monika Bubacz (Boeing Company), treasurer

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First Place: Saint Louis, Alex Friedman (The Boeing Company), membership officer
Second Place: North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair
Third Place: Northern Ohio, Jonah Sachs-Westone (NASA Glenn Research Center), membership officer

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First Place: Los Angeles, Sherry Stukes, membership officer
Second Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Terri Tramel, membership officer
Second Place (tie): New England, Osa Osaretin (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), treasurer; Hiro Endo (Schenck USA Corp Test Devices by Schenck), advisor; Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer; Jimmy Wetzel(Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.), vice chair
Third Place (tie): Dayton-Cincinnati, Caleb Barnes (AFRL/RQVA), membership officer
Third Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Richard Winski (NASA Langley Research Center), membership officer

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: Wisconsin, Todd Treichel (Sierra Space), section chair
Second Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair
Third Place: Delaware, Di Ena Davis, public policy officer

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First Place: Palm Beach, Shawna Christenson (Aerospace and Innovation Academy), public policy office
Second Place: Illinois, Mordechai Levin (MasterFlight Foundation), public policy officer
Third Place: Phoenix, Aiden Bramer (Chipton-Ross), former section chair

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Mike Curtin, public policy officer
Second Place: Carolina, Theodoros Spanos (Boeing Company), past chair

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First Place: Houston, Christine Dubbert, program officer
Second Place: North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair
Third Place: Albuquerque, Mark Fraser (U.S Air Force), public policy office

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First Place: Hampton Roads, Steven Dunn (Amentum), public policy officer
Second Place: National Capital, Michael Barton (a.i. solutions Inc), vice chair operations officer
Third Place (tie): Rocky Mountain, Lisa Luedtke (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), public policy officer
Third Place (tie): Los Angeles, Daniel Scalese (University of Southern California), 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: Delaware, Kirstin Walz (Northrop Grumman Mission Systems), STEM K-12 officer
Second Place: Wisconsin, Ruby Kleijwegt (Sierra Space), communications officer
Third Place: Central Coast of California, Thomas Stevens (Space Launch Delta 30), STEM K-12 officer

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First Place: Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons (BLUECUBE Aerospace), STEM K-12
Second Place: Illinois, Pamela Greyer (NASA Aeronautics Education Laboratory), STEM K-12 officer.
Third Place (tie): Northern New Jersey, Yin Chen (US Army ARDEC), honors and awards chair
Third Place (tie): Northwest Florida, Crystal Pasiliao (Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office), STEM K-12 officer

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Rich Kenney (AeroED Group), STEM K-12 officer
Second Place: Tennessee, Meghan Morris (University of Tennessee Space Institute), outreach coordinator
Third Place: Tucson, Rajka Corder (Raytheon), former STEM K-12 officer

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First Place: Saint Louis, Jackie Blumer (Greenville Jr High School), STEM K-12 officer
Second Place: Orange County, Binay Pandey, STEM K-12 officer
Third Place: Cape Canaveral, Melissa Sleeper (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy), STEM K-12 officer

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First Place: Los Angeles, Arpie Ovsepyan (Herbert Hoover High School), STEM K-12 officer
Second Place (tie): National Capital, Susan Bardenhagen, STEM K-12 officer
Second Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Karen Berger (NASA Langley Research Center), STEM K-12 officer; Franklin Turbeville (NASA Langley Research Center), young professionals officer
Third Place: Dayton-Cincinnati, Jose Camberos (Air Force Research Laboratory), STEM K-12 officer; Samuel Atchison (Air Force Institute of Technology), deputy director STEM K-12 outreach officer

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

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First Place: Adelaide, Zehao Liu (University of Adelaide), student branch liaison
Second Place: Wisconsin, Ander Baumann (Sierra Space), young professionals officer
Third Place: Delaware, David McGrath (Northrop Grumman Defense Systems), technical officer

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First Place: Illinois, Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), section chair; Matthew Brotnow, university liaison officer
Second Place: Twin Cities, Robert Halverson, university liaison officer
Third Place: Greater Philadelphia, Chris Reynolds (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), STEM K-12 officer

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Gary Fogel (Natural Selection Inc.), students activities officer
Second Place: Tucson, John Allen (University of Arizona), young professionals officer
Third Place: Southwest Texas, Christopher Combs (University of Texas at San Antonio), section chair

LARGE

First Place: North Texas, Mauricio Nava (University of Texas, Arlington), student branch chair of UTA; Ben Jeffery (University of Texas, Arlington), chapter chair of UTA
Second Place: Saint Louis, Joseph Richard (Boeing), university education officer
Third Place: Houston, Kendall Mares (Jacobs), STEM K-12 officer

VERY LARGE

First Place: New England, Shreyas Hegde (Pratt & Whitney), section chair; Jimmy Wetzel (Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.), vice chair; Osa Osaretin (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), treasurer; Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer; Durgesh Chandel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), publicity officer; Nandita Hari (GE Aerospace Research), professional development officer
Second Place: Los Angeles, Ian Clavio (Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems), university education officer
Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Lynnane George (University of Colorado), outreach officer

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 regional, or national level. The winners are:

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First Place: Delaware, Kirstin Walz (Northrop Grumman Mission Systems), STEM K-12 officer
Second Place: Wisconsin, Maddie Shipshock (Sierra Space), university and industry partnership officer
Third Place: Adelaide, Daniel Kilonzo (University of Adelaide), vice chair

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First Place: Palm Beach, Karl Roush (Georgia Institute of Technology), young professionals officer
Second Place: Greater Philadelphia, Jonathan Moore (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), section chair
Third Place: Indiana, Michael Nunez (Rolls-Royce Corp), STEM K-12 co-chair

MEDIUM

First Place: San Diego, Jema Matthews, young professionals officer
Second Place: Tucson, Dan Rouhani (Composite Construction), treasurer
Third Place: Antelope Valley, Isabella Villano, technical vice chair

LARGE

First Place: Saint Louis, Kyler Schaetzle (Boeing Engineering Operations & Technology), young professionals officer; Paola Diaz-Portela, co-chair young professionals
Second Place: Houston, Andrzej Jackowski (NASA Johnson Space Center), social media officer
Third Place: North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair

VERY LARGE

First Place: Los Angeles, Luis Cuevas (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics), section chair
Second Place: New England, Shreyas Hegde (Pratt & Whitney), section chair; Jimmy Wetzel (Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.), vice chair; Osa Osaretin (MIT Lincoln Laboratory), treasurer; Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer; Durgesh Chandel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), publicity officer; Nandita Hari (GE Aerospace Research), professional development officer
Third Place: Greater Huntsville, Bob Tramel

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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Central Coast of California, 40th Annual AIAA Central Coast STEM Exposition. The 40th Annual Central Coast STEM Exposition, held 2–3 May 2025 at Cabrillo High School, supported 80 projects, over 140 students, and five schools participating with the aid of over 50 judges and 10 other volunteers from across Vandenberg Space Force Base. Over $1,500 in cash and plaques sponsored by local professional organizations and companies were awarded to the top scored students at the awards reception attended by over 160 students, parents, teachers, and administrators. On Saturday, 3 May, two FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams from Arroyo Grande and Santa Ynez High Schools demonstrated their current robots to attendees. Also present were members of Darth Vader’s 501st Legion in full costume regalia for photo ops. Col. Mark Shoemaker, Space Launch Delta 30 Commander, was keynote speaker, and Christina Settje, Crestview Elementary School Principal, welcomed the attendees. Long-time participating teacher Karen Hamner, science teacher at La Honda STEAM Elementary School, was recognized for her decades of service to this event. A partnered team of contractors, professional organizations, school district representatives, and base personnel come together annually to make this event a success. It was a great team effort between the base and the Lompoc Unified School District!

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Sydney, Disappearance and Search for VH MDX. In collaboration with RAeS UNSW ADFA and NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue, AIAA Sydney Section held held an event to examine one of the greatest unsolved aviation mysteries in Australia. During the night of 9 August 1981, a Cessna 210 VH-MDX, on a flight to Sydney with five people on board, disappeared over the area of Barrington Tops. Forty years later, despite annual searches by NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue, the airplane and its occupants have still not been found. Glenn Horrocks, Deputy Unit Commander, NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue Unit, discussed his 30-year research efforts and years of searching for the lost airplane and its passengers. About 100 people attended in person, with another 500+ views of the recording on the section’s YouTube channel.

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Tucson, Kitt Peak Observing Program with AIAA Tucson Section. On 26 October 2024, the local community and AIAA members were invited to a night under the stars at the Kitt Peak National Observatory’s Visitor Center. During this special program, hosted by AIAA Tucson, participants spent four hours gazing through several of the very large and world-renowned telescopes to view the wonders of the universe.

LARGE:

Louis, STEM in Action: Engineering the Future at the Challenger Learning Center. On 6 February 2025, the AIAA St. Louis Section partnered with the Challenger Learning Center (CLC) to provide 40 middle school students from an underrepresented rural community in Missouri with the chance to execute a hands-on simulated space mission to Mars. The CLC St. Louis site features an immersive space mission simulation environment, including a mission control room and a spacecraft, where participants must cooperate to learn and succeed together. The students and their teachers from Strain-Japan Elementary (K-8) began the event with a hands-on rocket-making activity in the afternoon. Then students were introduced to 20 AIAA St. Louis Section volunteers, including AIAA Student Members, Young Professionals, Senior Members, and Educator Associates. During a Q&A session students were able to ask real engineering students and professionals questions like, “how much money does an engineer make,” “what were your favorite subjects in school,” and “why can’t you talk about your [DoD classified] statement of work?” Next students were assigned to either a Mission Control post or Crew Module position, and with a nearly 1-to-1 volunteer-to-student ratio were able to exercise their STEM skills to execute a Mars science mission. This included the Space Weather team flagging concerns of a nearby asteroid, and the Crew Module being safely extracted from planet surface and back to the orbiting station. Following an asteroid impact near Mars surface biology and geology operations, the Mission Control and Crew Module teams were swapped so that the former team could conduct damage control and rescue operations. By the end of the event, the students had learned many lessons such as 1) what it means to be a “real” engineer; 2) why science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are important fields to pursue; 3) how to work together as a team, using STEM skills to dynamically solve problems in real time; and 4) why safety and human factors are so paramount to space travel.

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Los Angeles, Recognition: AIAA Honorary Fellow Class of 2024, Professor Azad Madni of USC. The AIAA Los Angeles Section held an event in August 2024, with the University of Southern California to recognize Class of 2024 AIAA Honorary Fellow Azad Madni. It was a great opportunity to learn more about Prof. Azad Madni’s inspiring life and career, and his great accomplishments and contributions.

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 Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter.

AIAA Announces Recipients of 2025 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 28, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship. The four $10,000 awards go to the following high school seniors:

Farrah Berry from Midlothian, Virginia
Currently attending Trinity Episcopal School
Kazi Afra Saiara from Fairfax, Virginia
Currently attending Chantilly High School
Logan Speight from Greensboro, North Carolina
Currently attending James B. Dudley High School
Sowmya Venkatesh from Pleasanton, California
Currently attending Amador Valley High School

Read their full profiles on the AIAA website. They will be recognized during the AIAA Awards Gala on Wednesday, 30 April, at Grand Hyatt Washington, Washington, DC. Tickets for the event are available now.

The Roger W. Kahn Scholarship was created to honor the memory of Roger W. Kahn (1907–1962) and his passion for aviation and entertainment. Kahn spent the latter part of his career at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation as a test pilot and then managed the technical service and sales division. In the 1940s, he was actively involved with the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (one of the predecessor organizations of AIAA) and later served as its vice president.

Kahn also was an accomplished jazz musician as early as the 1920s, composing songs often featured in stage productions and early films, as well as leading numerous orchestras. He became a recording artist for some of the first record labels including Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia.

Kahn left a legacy gift to AIAA – a song called “Crazy Rhythm” – that he wrote in 1928. AIAA used the proceeds of his trust to establish the scholarship in 2020. Since then, 16 students have received the scholarship to pursue university degrees in engineering.

“AIAA is pleased to honor the memory of aviation pioneer Roger W. Kahn. His enthusiasm for aviation nearly 100 years ago will remain relevant in the next 100 years of innovation. The scholarship that bears his name will support four more bright minds driving the next technology breakthroughs in aerospace,” commented AIAA CEO Clay Mowry.

Laura McGill, chair of the AIAA Foundation, added, “The AIAA Foundation is pleased to use part of Roger W. Kahn’s gift to identify, mentor, and promote promising young aerospace talent on their first steps from classroom to career. We can’t wait to see them shape the future of aerospace.”

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 X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2025 International Student Conference Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2025 International Student Conference winners in partnership with the AIAA Foundation. During the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 20 technical paper first-place finalists from all seven 2024 AIAA Regional Student Conferences and the PEGASUS – Europe Conference presented their research papers related to aeronautics and astronautics.

“Congratulations to these exceptional students – our future leaders in aerospace. These bright minds are today’s up-and-coming innovators. Their fresh perspectives and critical thinking are working to solve current technical challenges. They will help shape the aerospace landscape for decades to come,” said Laura McGill, chair, AIAA Foundation. “The AIAA Foundation takes great pride in nurturing their development through initiatives like the International Student Conference.”

This event is invitation-only, contained within the annual AIAA SciTech Forum, where first-place winners from each of the previous year’s AIAA Regional Student Conferences present their winning papers. They are judged by a panel of AIAA professional members in the undergraduate, master’s, and team categories. AIAA Foundation awards a $1,000 cash prize to each category’s first-place winner. All participants’ papers are published as part of the AIAA SciTech Forum proceedings and become part of the enduring aerospace industry technical archive found in AIAA’s Aerospace Research Central (ARC).

2025 Aiaa International Student Conference Winners Group — 2025 AIAA International Student Conference participants. Credit: AIAA–©

2025 International Student Conference Winners

Undergraduate Category:
1st Place: “Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Propeller Configuration, Motor Noise, and Sound Reflection on Sound Pressure Level” by Olivia Hilburn, United States Air Force Academy

Master’s Category
1st Place: “Performance Characteristics of a Low-Cost Self-Contained Pressure Data Acquisition System” by Nathan Eller, California State Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Team Category
1st Place: “Lessons Learned from the Launch of a Student-Built LOX/Jet-A Sounding Rocket” by Callum MacDonald, Rithvik Nagarajan, Ethan Heyns, Braden Anderson, Michael Krause, Varun Natarajan, Anthony Otlowski, and Tristan Terry, Georgia Institute of Technology

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270 cell
Click images to see larger versions.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2024 Region VII Student Conference Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 5, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Region VII Student Conference, held 25–26 November at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, and online.

Attendees presented 46 papers and represented 20 universities. The conference had a strong international presence with students from 11 countries including Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Papers presented at the conference will be published by AIAA and available on Aerospace Research Center (ARC) in January 2025.

“We are thrilled to see our student members in action during the Region VII Student Conference. It’s vital for university students to gain practical experience presenting their research findings and receiving valuable feedback from aerospace professionals,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “We look forward to seeing these students shape the future of aerospace!”

For the undergraduate, masters, and undergraduate team categories, first-place winners received a cash prize of $500 and an invitation to participate in the International Student Conference during the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 6–10 January, Orlando, Florida. Second-place winners received a cash prize of $300 and third-place received $250. The high school students received $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place.

AIAA student conferences give students an opportunity to present and publish their work in front or their peers and members of the industry. The AIAA Foundation sponsors student conferences. All of the AIAA seven regions host a conference each year. The Regional Student Conferences for Regions I-VI will take place in spring 2025.

2024 AIAA Region VII Student Conference Paper Winners

High School Category

1st Place: Anay Ashwin, Haileybury College, Australia, “Venna Regolith Sample Acquisition Device – A Novel Proof of Concept for Lunar Rovers”
2nd Place: Henri Kim, Seoul Foreign School, South Korea, “Effects of Boeing 767 Winglet Types on Flight Efficiency: A Computational Fluid Dynamics Approach”
3rd Place: Cheney Wu and Nate Osikowicz, Cranbook Schools, United States, “An Airfoil Tensegrity Design: Concept, Algorithm Development, and Programming Implementation”

Undergraduate Category

1st Place: Said Mouhaiche and Anne Bettens, University of Sydney, Australia, “Lazily Reformulating Design Optimization as a Classification Problem”
2nd Place: Leon Phillips and Daniel Edgington-Mitchell, Monash University, Australia, “Investigating the Influence of Separate Propellant Streams in Rotating-Detonation Engine Injectors”
3rd Place: Thomas Finley and Daniel Edgington-Mitchell, Monash University, Australia, “Modelling and Schlieren Analysis of Shock Wave Reflections Over a Turbine Cascade”

Masters Category

1st Place: Zhen Hong Chai and Tulasi Parashar, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, “Performance Insights into Applied-Field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thrusters with the Princeton AF-MPD Database”
2nd Place: Shiva Jogu and Karan Das, Amity University, India, “Mitigating Shock Wave Challenges through Secondary Recirculation in Mixed Compression Supersonic Air Intake”
3rd Place: Serika Yokoyama and Kikuko Miyata, Meijo University, Japan, “Discussion on Autonomous Sensor Data Selection Method for Planetary Rover Localization and its Verification”

Team Category

1st Place: Hardit Saini, Milcha Masresha, Andrews Agyei, Raima Rahman, Omar Abdi, Aamna Abbasi, Imad Foughali, and Eldad Avital, Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom, “Small Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Aerodynamic-Structural Design for Improved Performance Using Gurney Flaps”
2nd Place: Asif Hasnayeen, Md Redwan Iqbal, Farhan Syeed, Morsalin Sheikh, and Gp Capt A N Somanna, Military Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, “Construction of a Small Fixed Wing UAV for Surveillance”
3rd Place: Lisa Dsouza, Adithya Vijay, Pranay Agrawal, Ullas AJ, Katkam Naveen, Anurag Kumar Jha, and NK Gahlot, Amity University, India, “Numerical Analysis of Pintle Nozzle Geometry Optimization for Improved Thrust in Rocket Engines”

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 X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2025 Sustained Service Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

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

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

The 2025 Sustained Service Awards winners are:

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

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces Winners of Prestigious Zarem Graduate Student Awards for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics and Astronautics

September 5, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the Zarem Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Achievement:

- Stephen Monroe, Clarkson University, won the aeronautics award for his paper, “Parallel Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) Studies of the Performance of ONR Waterjet AxWJ-2.” Monroe will present his paper at the 2024 International Congress of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS) in Florence, Italy, 9-13 September 2024.

Quentin Roberts, University of Washington, won the astronautics award for his paper, “Investigation of Pre-Ignition Propellant Mixing in Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine.” Roberts will present his paper at the 2023 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Baku, Azerbaijan, 2-6 October 2023.

The winners will receive their awards at the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, Orlando, Florida, 8–12 January 2024. 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.

- Stephen Monroe, Clarkson University, Aeronautics Award
  Stephen Monroe just completed his first year as an M.S. student in Mechanical Engineering at Clarkson University. He received his B.S. from Clarkson University in 2022. In his senior year, Monroe began learning CFD algorithms and HPC in the research group of Professor Chunlei Liang. During the first year of graduate study, Monroe conducted URANS studies of an ONR waterjet propulsion unit on parallel computers. He also is performing large eddy simulations of the same propulsion system to examine finer flow structures. Monroe is determined to become a skillful computational fluid dynamicist in large eddy simulations using an open-source code before completing his M.S. program. While uncertain about his future in academia, Monroe intends on using the skills he has developed to become a proficient propulsion system designer.“Coming into the Graduate School, I only intended on achieving an M.S. degree. Having been recognized for my hard work by the Abe Zarem award, not only has my passion for research been rejuvenated, but my consideration of furthering my education has as well,” said Monroe.Monroe’s faculty advisor, Chunlei Liang, is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Clarkson University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of London in 2005. Liang is an ASME Fellow and an AIAA Associate Fellow.
- Quentin Roberts, University of Washington, Astronautics Award
  Quentin Roberts is an M.S. student at the University of Washington studying aeronautics and astronautics with a concentration in fluids. His research is on injector mixing in rotating detonation rocket engines (RDREs). Roberts will start work in fall 2023 as a propulsion analyst at Blue Origin. “Receiving this award will allow me to greatly expand my horizons in the world of astronautics by not only providing an opportunity to learn about what research the international community is working on, but also an opportunity to present my own research to an international audience,” said Roberts.
- Roberts’ faculty advisor, Carl Knowlen, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington in 1983 and 1985, respectively. He continued with his graduate research on ram accelerators at the UW and completed his Ph.D. program in 1991. Dr. Knowlen then accepted a Postdoctoral Research Associate position with the UW Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has been teaching AA Department courses on a regular basis since 2002.

For more information on the Abe M. Zarem Graduate Awards for Distinguished Achievement, please contact Michael Lagana.

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 Announces Recipients of 2024 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship. The four $10,000 scholarships have been awarded to the following high school seniors. Read their full profiles on the AIAA website.

Alexis Andrulonis from Maple Glen, Pennsylvania
Currently attending Upper Dublin High School
Daisy Li from Jupiter, Florida
Currently attending Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
Khue Phan from Houston, Texas
Currently attending Kerr High School
Leslie Nava from Fort Worth, Texas
Currently attending I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA

The 2024 Kahn Scholarship recipients will be recognized during the AIAA Awards Gala on Wednesday, 15 May, at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Tickets for the AIAA Awards Gala are available now. Each of the recipients also will be matched with an AIAA professional member as a mentor who will help guide them on their career path.

The Roger W. Kahn Scholarship was created to honor the memory of Roger Kahn (1907–1962) and his passion for aviation and entertainment. Kahn spent the latter part of his career at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation as a test pilot and then managed the technical service and sales division. In the 1940s, Kahn was actively involved with the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (one of the predecessor organizations of AIAA) and later served as its vice president. Kahn also was an accomplished jazz musician as early as the 1920s, composing songs often featured in stage productions and early films, as well as leading numerous orchestras. He became a recording artist for some of the first record labels including Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia.

“AIAA is pleased to honor the memory of Roger W. Kahn with a scholarship supporting the next generation of the aerospace profession. Kahn’s legacy of aviation enthusiasm and accomplishment began nearly 100 years ago and will remain relevant in the next 100 years of aviation and aerospace innovation,” commented AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher. “We are thrilled to award the Kahn Scholarship again this year to support these four impressive students as they shape the future of aerospace!”

AIAA introduced its High School Student Membership in 2021 as part of its commitment to becoming a vital lifelong link for student to access reliable resources and growth opportunities. AIAA high school members also have access to the Mentor Match program, the My Daily Launch news briefing, and webinars and on-demand content, as well as the exclusive Engage community platform to network with peers around the globe.

Basil Hassan, chair of the AIAA Foundation, added, “AIAA is honored by Roger W. Kahn’s gift to AIAA as a powerful investment in students. The AIAA Foundation is pleased to use part of this gift to help identify, mentor, and promote promising young aerospace talent. It’s especially exciting to support high school seniors at this early stage of their journey from classroom to career.”

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2024 International Student Conference Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 29, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2024 International Student Conference winners in partnership with the AIAA Foundation. During the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum in January, 21 technical paper first-place finalists from all seven 2023 AIAA Regional Student Conferences and the PEGASUS – Europe Conference presented their research papers related to aeronautics and astronautics.

“Congratulations to these exemplary students on their accomplishments. The AIAA Foundation is committed to preparing the next generation of aerospace innovators through events like the International Student Conference,” said Basil Hassan, chair, AIAA Foundation. “We are pleased to welcome so many AIAA student members to AIAA SciTech Forum. They will be our industry’s next leaders and problem-solvers and we look forward to seeing how they shape the future of aerospace.”

The International Student Conference is an invitation-only event contained within the annual AIAA SciTech Forum, where first-place winners from each of the previous year’s AIAA Regional Student Conferences present their winning papers. They are judged by a panel of AIAA professional members in the undergraduate, master’s, and team categories. AIAA Foundation awards a $1,000 cash prize to each category’s first-place winner. All participants’ papers are published as part of the AIAA SciTech Forum proceedings and become part of the enduring aerospace industry technical archive found in AIAA’s.Aerospace Research Central (ARC).

2024 International Student Conference Winners

Undergraduate Category
1st place: “Development and Testing of a Stereo Photogrammetry System for Multi-axis Optical Tracking of Free-flight Models” by Georgia Warren, University of New South Wales
Master’s Category
1st place: “Development of a Potassium Permanganate Catalyst-Infused Fuel Grain for Hydrogen Peroxide Hybrid Thruster Ignition Enhancement” by Ryan Thibaudeau, Utah State University
Team Category
1st place: “Aerodynamic Evaluation of Longitudinal and Lateral-Directional Stability Coupling on the NASA Orion Crew Module” by Patrick Koenig, Joseph Roy, Lucas Yantis, Casey Fagley, United States Air Force Academy

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270 cell
Click images to see larger versions.

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2024 Sustained Service Awards Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

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

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

The 2024 Sustained Service Awards winners are:

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

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

About AIAA The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

University of New South Wales Canberra Hosts 2023 AIAA Region VII Student Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Region VII Student Conference, held 27–28 November at the University of New South Wales Canberra and online.

Attendees presented 39 papers and represented 19 universities from 11 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Students presented papers in three categories: undergraduate, masters, and high school. Their presentations were evaluated by experienced aerospace professionals. Additionally, the papers will be published by AIAA and available on Aerospace Research Center (ARC) in January 2024.

For the undergraduate and masters categories, first-place winners received a cash prize of $500 and an invitation to participate in the International Student Conference held during the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, 8–12 January 2024. Second-place winners received a cash prize of $300 and third-place winners received $250. The high school student winners received $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place.

AIAA student conferences are an opportunity for students to present and publish their work in front or their peers and members of the industry. Each of the AIAA seven regions host one conference each year. The Regional Student Conferences for Regions I-VI will take place in Spring 2024.

Lockheed Martin is the generous sponsor of all seven of the AIAA Student Conferences. Additionally, special thanks to the University of New South Wales Canberra, the Sydney Section, the judges, Professor Graham Wild, Professor Charlie Hoke, Tjasa Boh Whiteman, and Region VII Director Cees Bil for coordinating the conference.

2023 AIAA Region VII Student Conference Paper Winners

High School Category

1st Place: Cheney Wu and Nate Osikowicz, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, MI, “Exploration of Tensegrity Applications in Airfoil Designs”
2nd Place: Baldwin Chen, American International School of Dhaka, Bangladesh, “Regression Rates of Non-liquefying Fuels in a Hybrid Rocket Engine at Atmospheric Pressure”
3rd Place: Zhishan Lu, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA, “The Development and Application of Air-launch Technology”

Undergraduate Category

1st Place: Georgia Warren, University of New South Wales Canberra, Australia, “Development and Testing of a Stereo Photogrammetry System for Multi-Axis Optical Tracking of Free-Flight Models”
2nd Place: Alexandra Stewart and Graham Wild, University of New South Wales Canberra, Australia, “A Historical Analysis of Military Action against Civilian Aircraft”
3rd Place: Johnny Chen and KC Wong, University of Sydney, Australia, “Design of a Span Morphing Wing for a Blended Wing Body UAV”

Masters Category

1st Place: Jiwon Lee and Youdan Kim, Seoul National University, South Korea, “NMPC-based Control Deign for Transition Flight of Fixed-Wing VTOL UAV”
2nd Place: Lok Yan Poon, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia, “Renewable Natural Fibre Reinforcement Development”
3rd Place: Bader Ayran and Abdullah Barakat, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, “Propulsive Landing of a 6DoF Variable Mass Rocket System using Real-Time Nonlinear Model Predictive Control”

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.