AIAA Announcements AIAA Announces 2023 Board of Trustee Election Results

AIAA has announced the results of its recent 2023 Board of Trustees Member–at Large election. The newly elected AIAA officials will take office in May.
2023 Election Results for Board of Trustees Member-at-Large

• Johnathon Caldwell, Lockheed Martin Space
• Keoki Jackson, The MITRE Corporation
• Karen Willcox, University of Texas at Austin

AIAA Annual Joint Meeting of the Board of Trustees & Council of Directors Notice 
Notice is hereby given that the Annual Joint Meeting of the Board of Trustees & Council of Directors of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will be held in person on Tuesday, 16 May 2023, at 1300 hrs ET.

AIAA Council of Directors Meeting 
Notice is hereby given that an AIAA Council of Directors Meeting will be held in person on Wednesday, 17 May 2023, at 1300 hrs ET.  
Susan Silva, AIAA Governance Administrator

Award Announcements Wayne Johnson Awarded 2023 Daniel Guggenheim Medal

Wayne Johnson. Credit: Mr. Johnson

Wayne Johnson has been awarded the 2023 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for his landmark contributions to vertical flight aeronautics and resulting computational codes enabling the design of the first tiltrotor aircraft, eVTOL aircraft, and the Mars Helicopter. Johnson will receive this prestigious award during the Vertical Flight Society’s 79th Annual Forum, 16–18 May, West Palm Beach, FL.

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

Johnson obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aeronautical engineering in 1968, and Ph.D. in 1970 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked at the U.S. Army Aeromechanics Laboratory from 1970 to 1981, assigned to the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel branch of Ames Research Center. He was with NASA from 1981 to 1986, including a couple of years as Assistant Branch Chief. In 1986, Johnson founded Johnson Aeronautics, and from 1986 to 1998 developed rotorcraft software. Since 1998 he has worked at the Aeromechanics Branch of NASA Ames Research Center.

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

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

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

For more information about the AIAA/ASME/SAE/VFS Daniel Guggenheim Medal, contact Patricia A. Carr, Guggenheim Secretary, at patriciac@aiaa.org.

AIAA Announcements New Editor-in-Chief Sought for the Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series

AIAA is seeking an outstanding candidate to assume the responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief of the Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series. The chosen candidate will assume the editorship at an exciting time as AIAA continues to expand its ability to support eBooks and other electronic content, along with publishing a range of titles in traditional print format. The next Editor-in-Chief will have an opportunity to create a lasting influence on championing emerging topics in the field into definitive publications that impact the aerospace profession.

The Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics series is devoted to books that present a particular well-defined subject reflecting advances in the fields of aerospace science, engineering, and/or technology. In many cases, these are edited collections of papers with multiple chapter contributors.

A successful series Editor-in-Chief will have a broad range of interests beyond strictly technical aerospace topics, and some familiarity with book publishing is preferred. The editor works closely with AIAA Headquarters staff to identify new topics and potential authors, maintain high-quality print and electronic content, and promote the series and AIAA’s publishing program. The editor solicits and evaluates book proposals and manuscript submissions, recommends outside manuscript reviewers, and works with AIAA staff to ensure that all proposals are processed in a fair and timely manner. The anticipated time commitment is modest in comparison to the editorship of a journal.

Interested candidates are invited to send letters of application describing their reasons for applying, summarizing their relevant experience and qualifications, and offering initial priorities for the book series; full résumés; and complete lists of publications to: David Arthur, Director, Publications Strategy and Acquisition (Email: davida@aiaa.org).

A minimum of two letters of recommendation are required. The recommendations should be sent by the parties writing the letters directly to David Arthur by email. To receive full consideration, applications and all required materials must be received at AIAA Headquarters by 14 April 2023, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

A search committee appointed by the AIAA Publications Committee Chair, Robert Pitz, will seek candidates and review all applications received. The search committee will recommend a qualified candidate to the Publications Committee Chair for final approval. This is an open process, and the final selection will be made only on the basis of the applicants’ merits. All candidates will be notified of the final decision.

AIAA Announcements New AIAA Committee on Standards (CoS) and New Project

The AIAA Geometry Modelling for Computational Simulation (GMCS) CoS has been established to develop AIAA G-150 (Geometry Modelling for Computational Simulation). The guide will provide a single, succinct, and accessible resource to facilitate understanding and improve communication throughout the aerospace community. The intended readership is primarily the user and wider stakeholder communities, in particular practicing engineers routinely engaged in the use of computational simulation (CFD, CSM, etc.). If you are interested in participating on this CoS, please contact Nick Tongson (nickt@aiaa.org).

AIAA Foundation Making an Impact: 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award Recipients Announced

(L to R) Caroline Little, Aymette Medina, and Taylor Whisenant. Credit: Little/Medina/Whisenant

AIAA and Challenger Center recently announced the three outstanding K‐12 winners of the 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award. The award is given for their contributions to the continued study of STEM within the classroom and beyond. Each award comes with a $5,000 monetary prize for the educator, a $5,000 award to their school, personal recognition at the AIAA Awards Gala in Washington, DC, free access to Challenger Center’s STEM education programs, and a visit to a future launch event.

Meet the 2023 Trailblazing STEM Educator Award Winners!

Caroline Little, Visitation School
Caroline Little teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls in Mendota Heights, MN, to look at the world in a different way, to think like scientists, and to always put on an explorer’s mindset. The work that she does with these young women has a long-term impact. Middle school is a critical time for STEM development and Little’s students enter high school with a true love of science and confidence that they can solve difficult problems and see themselves as the next generation of scientists, engineers, or astronauts.

Little loves aerospace science. Her Earth and space students culminate their year of learning with an engineering and design challenge that is truly out of this world. Her creativity helps her students understand the world around them by breaking down the most complex principles into easier-to-understand parts. She strives to connect her students with real-world examples and experiences that have led to her students asking questions in real time of NASA’s Crew-1 during a STEM in 30 seminar and presenting their research on lunar crop growth during a NASA Space Food Webinar.

Aymette Medina, Odyssey Academy Galveston
At Odyssey Academy in Galveston, TX, Aymette Medina has built a unique rocketry program where her high school students are currently constructing a rocket that will fly 5,280 feet in the air, carrying 1 lb. of scientific payload. Students are asked to design experiments to be flown into space in a sounding rocket. They get hands-on experience testing sensors that can be used in space, and testing methods to improve the germination process of seeds to produce fresh food in space.

Medina inspires her students to become more involved in STEM by bringing guest speakers into her classroom, including Rob Kelso, former Flight Director at NASA Johnson Space Center. She uses NASA STEM Stars to connect students to aerospace experts in webinars in both English and Spanish. Medina also hosts many student activities related to space including watch parties of launches and splashdowns, Civil Air Patrol lesson plans, and flight simulators.

Taylor Whisenant, Athens Renaissance School
Taylor Whisenant received her bachelor’s degree in elementary and collaborative special education and her master’s degree in differentiated instruction and autism spectrum disorders. She is currently finishing an education specialist degree in collaborative education and reading from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the K-12 STEAM Teacher at Athens Renaissance School in Athens, AL, and has previously taught special education, middle school science, robotics, scholars’ bowl, and 3rd and 5th grades.

As a University of Alabama in Huntsville Alumni of Achievement Honoree and a FIRST® Inspire the Future Educators Recognition Program Honoree, Whisenant is a champion for equity and access to quality STEM education programs. Outside of teaching, she acts as the Program Delivery Partner for FIRST® LEGO® League, a LEGO robotics program for students in pre-K through eighth grade across Alabama. Her background in special education, particularly in autism spectrum disorders, and STEM programs influences her teaching philosophy, as she focuses on how to make authentic learning experiences accessible to all students.

If you know an amazing K-12 STEM educator who is making a difference with their students and changing the world, consider nominating them for next season’s Trailblazing STEM Educator Award. Nominations open in fall 2023 and more information can be found here

AIAA Foundation Students To Launch Partners with North Dakota’s Gateway to Science to Host S2L Hub Event

The S2L Mission Directors spent the day at Flasher Public School facilitating STEM activities with students in 7th and 8th grades. Credit: S2L

The Students To Launch (S2L) program, offered through a unique cooperation and collaboration between NASA, founding sponsor AIAA, Griffin Communications Group, First Light Ventures, and Oregon State University, took flight mid-February to a small rural agriculture town called Flasher, ND, an hour outside of Bismarck. In partnership with North Dakota’s Gateway to Science, a NASA Community Anchor, the S2L Mission Directors spent the day on-site at Flasher Public School facilitating STEM activities with 38 students in 7th and 8th grades.

The morning session kicked off with a video welcome message and instructions from Commander Josh, who challenged the students to step into the roles of a NASA scientist, data analyst, engineer, and project manager. Students were divided into teams of four and instructed to mitigate a health issue caused by microgravity.

The activity mission: design new footwear for astronauts on the International Space Station. Each team went straight to work designing a prototype Astro Sock that would protect an astronaut’s feet in microgravity. Students were busy defining the problem, researching, brainstorming, selecting a solution, testing, and reporting their findings. Each team created a five-slide presentation, sharing their challenges and results with the larger group.

STEM activities continued throughout the program day, using the Aldrin Family Foundation Giant Moon Map to identify Apollo moon landing sites while discussing the future of space exploration with the Artemis missions. The culminating activity involved students creating postcards, provided by Club for the Future, which will be flown to space and back on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket. The postcards will be stamped “Flown to Space” and returned to the students as a keepsake and reminder that space is accessible to all.

Who knew science class could be so fun? Well, the students told us directly when they completed their program survey. Fifty-five percent of students strongly agreed that the S2L activities were fun, and 53% responded with strongly agree to the statement “I learned a lot about space and space travel from the S2L activities.”

Our space exploration adventures don’t end here: The S2L team looks forward to hosting this group of scholars to the Space Coast soon to participate in space-related education activities, tour Kennedy Space Center and the Visitor Complex, meet with astronauts and other aerospace industry leaders, and hopefully witness a live rocket launch.

Stay tuned for more adventures from S2L – building the future space workforce, one student at a time. To learn more, visit the website.

Section News National Capital Section Presents Future City 2023 SpeciaI Award

Left & top right: The Light of Learning School’s Future City design: Hexagonia, and students. Bottom right: AIAA NCS Future City judges for Best Use of Aerospace Technology: Andrew Tidwell and Susan Bardenhagen. Credit: National Capital Section

By Bruce Cranford, AIAA National Capital Section

Future City organizations and teams have returned to normal activities this year after Covid; and have reorganized and conducted a very successful Future City 2023 Competition. On 19 February, regional Future City winners from 41 middle schools and after-school organizations (e.g., scouts, 4H, boys/girls clubs) from nationwide and China participated in the Future City National Finals. The Special Awards judging was done in person in Washington, DC.

In its 31st year Future City has engaged middle school in STEM and diversity. This year’s Future City theme was “Climate Change Challenge.” Middle school students were asked to create cities of the future, first on a computer and then as large tabletop models. Working in teams with a teacher and volunteer engineer mentor, students create their cities using the SimCity 3000 TM video game donated to all participating schools by Electronic Arts, Inc., of Redwood City, CA. Students wrote an abstract and an essay on using engineering to solve an important social issue. Then they presented and defended their cities before engineer judges at the competition. More than 60,000 students from more than 1,350 schools participated in 2022–2023.

The students created detailed — often fantastic — cities of tomorrow that give intriguing insight to how young minds envision their future. At the same time, their bold designs and innovative concepts provide a refreshingly optimistic appreciation of how our nation can realistically deal with the many challenges facing its cities, including the power of public spaces.

As part of the Future City’s program, the National Capital Section (NCS) of AIAA presented the 21st annual Special Award for the Best Use of Aerospace Technology to the Light of Learning School in Idaho. Their Future City was named Hexagonia, created by team members: Landon Donley, Miles Hollist, and Nicholas Larsen (Educator: Deonna Hollist; Mentor: Meghan Donley).

NCS member Susan Bardenhagen presented the award to the team on 21 February at the National Awards Ceremony conducted by Future City. The NCS Special Award for the Best Use of Aerospace Technology consisted of $300 to the team members and a plaque highlighting the award.

AIAA NCS thanks our judges: Susan Bardenhagen and Andrew Tidwell. For more information and a list of all the winners, visit futurecity.org.

Section News AIAA New England Section Hosts an Early Career “Night With Industry” Event

AIAA New England Section hosted a “Night with Industry” event in January. Credit: New England Section

The AIAA New England (NE) Section hosted its first in-person post-Covid event, “Night with Industry” in January in collaboration with the WPI and MIT Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics (WoAA), Graduate Women in Aerospace Engineering (GWAE), the AIAA student branch, and Women Leaders in Aerospace Programs (WeLEAP) chapter. This event brought together undergraduate and graduate students as well as industry professionals to aid students in building their professional knowledge related to fields, organizations, and roles. Students interacted with industry experts to build knowledge and community awareness about aerospace job roles to inform future decisions and practiced essential professional skills such as relationship building and communication.

The evening started with a panel session to discuss the role of mentorship in career development, DE&I initiatives, transition from academia to industry, and technical career path transitions and students were able to ask questions. The moderator for the evening was Shreyas Hegde, Pratt & Whitney, and panelists included Albert Moussa, Blazetech Corp; Cavan Morley, Textron Systems; Durgesh Chandel, Intel Corporation; Mia Stevens, Aurora Flight Sciences; and Sara Campbell, GE Aerospace. The panel event transitioned to a dinner in which panelists hosted tables and students chose who to sit with based on their interests and information from the panel session.

The event also included an awards ceremony to recognize the AIAA MIT student council leaders who have contributed to the student branch in a variety of leadership roles over the past year. The awards were handed out by AIAA Treasurer Annalisa Weigel who shared her experience with AIAA from her student days when she was the president of the AIAA MIT Student Branch.

This event was made possible with the strong dedication and efforts put by our volunteers: Blake Shepherd, President, AIAA MIT Student Branch; Durgesh Chandel, Founder, WeLEAP Aerospace; John Blandino, WPI; Mary Laurens, WoAA/WPI; Rosemary Davidson, President, MIT GWAE; Shreya Sharma, Outreach manager, WeLEAP Aerospace; and Shreyas Hegde, Secretary, AIAA NE Section.

Section News AIAA Dayton/Cincinnati Section Participates in STEM Event

Members of the AIAA Dayton/Cincinnati Section participated in TechFest™ in February. Credit: Dayton/Cincinnati Section

From 18 to 19 February, members of the AIAA Dayton/Cincinnati Section participated in TechFest™, an annual two-day STEM event in Ohio. The section was one of the organizations who provided over over 70 hands-on STEM activities and 25 family-friendly presentations for K-12 students! The Dayton/Cincinnati Section’s booth included straw rockets, paper airplanes, flyers, literature, and prizes. Special thanks to Jose Camberos, STEM K-12 Outreach.

AIAA Announcements Call for 2023 SSTC Student Essay Contest Entries

Theme: Choose one aspect of the James Webb Space Telescope, describe how it works, and explain why it leads us to new discoveries and to answer important questions about the universe.
Who is eligible: 7th and 8th grade students
Deadline: 30 April 2023 (Submission to local AIAA section officers)
Local winners and their teachers will be notified in May 2023. National winners and their teachers will be notified in June 2023.

Complete information can be found here.

Obituary AIAA Fellow Rubbert Died in December 2020

Paul E. Rubbert died on 23 December 2020. He was 83 years old.

Rubbert graduated from the University of Minneapolis with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aeronautical Engineering in 1960, and began working at the Boeing Airplane Company in Seattle. Boeing offered to pay for his doctorate degree and Rubbert graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1965 with a Ph.D. in the Engineering of Aerodynamics. He returned to Boeing where he stayed for many years; his final position was as the director of the Computational Fluid Dynamics division at Boeing. He retired from Boeing in 1997.

Rubbert worked on numerous commercial and militarily projects throughout his career that included work on the Trident nuclear submarines, the Space Shuttle, and many aircraft. Boeing also used his group to analyze and design other products, including the Corvette and Mercedes-Benz automobiles, and Cessna light aircraft. His design team was even instrumental in the groundbreaking design of the winning America’s Cup Catamaran of 1988. Rubbert was recognized as an international expert and leader in the development and application of computational fluid dynamics in aerodynamic design. He was honored with the 1994 Wright Brothers Lectureship in Aeronautics, was made a Boeing Technical Fellow, and is listed on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Obituary AIAA Senior Member Cashman Died in September 2022

William F. Cashman, 80, died on 22 September 2022.

Cashman received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, a Master of Applied Science from Yale University, and a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. He worked as an electrical engineer on satellite communication systems, space systems engineering, and program management for more than 30 years.

Cashman was recognized for his work with several awards including the NASA Apollo Achievement Award and NASA Lewis Award for his contributions to the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Program. He also spent six years as an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the State University of New York, Potsdam.

He was affiliated with several professional associations, including the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE), and AIAA.

Obituary AIAA Senior Member Speer Died in November 2022

Thomas E. Speer, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and aerospace engineer, died on 8 November 2022.

Speer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State University in 1975. After completing ROTC, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force and began his career as an aeronautical engineer at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

He was chosen to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, where he graduated with top honors as a flight test engineer in 1980. Speer’s subsequent assignments were with the Canadian Air Force at Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada, and at Wright-Patterson AFB, where he earned a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering (1984) from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He then worked as the control system integration manager for the Short Take Off and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator aircraft. He served as chief of aeronautical engineering for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research in London, before returning to Edwards AFB, where he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1996.

Following his time in the Air Force, Speer joined the Boeing Corporation in Seattle, where he worked for 14 years in a variety of programs. He was a principal engineer on the Tier III – DarkStar unmanned aircraft program and the lead engineer for the KC-767 Aerial Refueling Boom control law development among other projects. He was recognized by Boeing for his outstanding work attaining the level Boeing Associate Technical Fellow, and held 19 patents.

Speer’s passion for sailing began when he was young and continued throughout his life. His expertise in aerodynamics, flight testing, and flight mechanics made him a valuable member of the engineering design team for the 33rd America’s Cup. From 2008 to 2010, he worked as a consulting engineer for BMW Oracle Racing, where he helped design and build the massive trimaran USA-17.

After retiring from Boeing in 2010, Speer joined Oracle Team USA as wing designer for the 34th America’s Cup. He was widely recognized for his wing-sail design for AC-33 and AC-34 and was frequently invited to speak on wing-sail aerodynamics. In 2013 he joined his third AC design team for the 35th America’s Cup and designed AC-35’s hydrofoils and wing-sails and created a dynamic velocity prediction program used to optimize the teams catamarans.

Obituary AIAA Associate Fellow Loomis Died in December 2022

David N. Loomis died on 26 December 2022. He was 77 years old.

Loomis graduated from William Jewell College with a degree in Physics and in 1989 he received his Master’s degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

Loomis spent his entire career in the aerospace and lethality industry, including as general manager of the Schafer Corporation (1996–2002). He started his own firm, DNL Consulting, which he ran for 20 years, with clients including the DoD.

He was a Class of 2023 Associate Fellow, hearing of his recognition just before his death. He had been a member of the Directed Energy Systems Program Committee and the Weapon System Effectiveness Technical Committee.

Obituary AIAA Fellow Sandusky Died in January 2023

Robert R. “Bob” Sandusky Jr. Credit: Sandusky Family

Robert R. “Bob” Sandusky Jr. died on 11 January.

Sandusky received his B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Colorado and his M.S. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Washington (1971).

His first seven years in the aerospace industry were at Boeing in Seattle where he played a key role in the aerodynamic and configuration design of Boeing’s entry to the Light Weight Fighter (LWF) competition, the Model 908-909. The LWF program inspired the designs that went on to become the F-16 and the F/A-18. In 1972, Sandusky joined Northrop in the Los Angeles area, starting with aerodynamic and performance analysis of the YF-17 Cobra LWF prototype. He was involved with the YF-17 program until it transitioned into the F/A-18 Full-Scale Development program. He then transferred into Advanced Design, progressing to become the department’s manager, and spearheading the single-engine F-20 Tigershark configuration.

During the classified Tacit Blue program, Northrop pioneered continuous curvature low observable (“stealth”) aircraft technologies. To create an analogous class of fighter aircraft, Sandusky started a small “carve out” program from Tacit Blue, integrating Northrop’s stealth technologies with supercruise capability. This became Northrop’s program office for their entry into the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program. Sandusky was Chief Engineer of Northrop’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program, a position he held throughout the program’s ten years. He was a founding member of the “Pioneers of Stealth” society, as one of the engineering leaders who helped usher in the dawn of the fifth-generation tactical aircraft. Sandusky is the first named inventor on the design patents for the F-20 and YF-23A.

Following his retirement from Northrop Grumman in 1995, he was appointed Professor of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington University’s NASA Langley Research Center, where he performed research in multidisciplinary design and taught aircraft design at the graduate level. After retirement from teaching in 2003, Sandusky became president of Belcan Corporation’s engineering services Aerospace Division, then a consultant to DARPA’s Experimental Spaceplane program, and finally chief engineer for Exosonic, a commercial supersonic aircraft startup.

Sandusky was awarded the Society of Automotive Engineer’s Wright Brothers Medal in 1999, and the 2006 AIAA Aircraft Design Award. He was also a Fellow of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering from which he received the Chuck Yeager Distinguished International Aeronautical Achievement Award. From 1998 to 2003, the graduate students he advised always placed in the top three, and often won, the AIAA’s annual Graduate National Aircraft Design Competition.

He was able to combine his loves of flying and teaching as a Certified Instrument Flight Instructor with over 2700 flight hours, and a Commercial Rotorcraft – Helicopter rating as well. To learn more about his legacy, visit the Western Museum of Flight’s YouTube channel where he can be seen providing a guided tour of the YF-17 Cobra aircraft, and where the YF-23A: Black Widow II documentary can also be viewed.

Obituary AIAA Fellow Benzakein Died in February 2023

Meyer J. “Mike” Benzakein, 84, died on 17 February.

Benzakein earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering from Wayne State University in 1966, before working for General Electric as an aeronautical engineer and later general manager of all advanced engineering programs and all military engines. He led the CFM56 and GE90 engine series development, which powered the Airbus A320, A321, A340-300, and the Boeing 777. He also was responsible for advancing state of the art in engine technology for low noise, low emissions, low fuel burn, and high reliability. He retired from GE in October 2004 after 37 years.

He then joined Ohio State University as Wright Brothers Institute Professor and he served as chair of the Aeronautical Engineering Department for six years. He became the Associate Vice President of Aerospace and Aviation. Benzakein led research activities in the different aspects of aerospace and aviation, i.e., propulsion, aerodynamics and acoustics, power electronics, additive manufacturing, materials research and unmanned aerial vehicles. In 2010, he became the director for the Propulsion and Power Center at Ohio State University. He retired in October 2022 after 18 years.

Benzakein was an RAeS Honorary Fellow (2021), a Fellow of AIAA and ASME, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the French Academy of Air & Space, and GE Aviation Hall of Fame. He was honored with the 2007 AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award.