The AIAA Regional Student Conferences, technical paper competitions held in each AIAA Region, give undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to present their research on aerospace topics in a formal technical meeting atmosphere. Students are judged for technical content and clarity of communication by professional members from industry. The conference also provides a venue for students to share AIAA experiences, participate in social activities, connect with professionals, and exchange ideas about current topics in aerospace engineering. Support for the student conferences is provided by the AIAA Foundation and the Region’s professional members.
The AIAA Foundation awards prizes to the top three winners in the Masters, Undergraduate, and Team categories. The first-place winners of the Regional Student Conferences are invited to participate in the AIAA Foundation’s International Student Conference, held each January in conjunction with the AIAA SciTech Forum. This event gives students an opportunity to meet winners from other AIAA Regions, network with professionals from industry, and present their work to a new set of judges. The students’ papers are also published as part of the AIAA SciTech.
(Region VII—Australia Student Conference will take place 23–24 November at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Melbourne.)
Region I: Sensitivity Analysis of the First Order Reliability Method for Reliability Based Design Optimization, Patrick R. Clark, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Region II: Linear Inlet Optimization for Capture of River Kinetic Energy, Chiu P. Yan, University of Memphis
Region III: PIV Analysis of Flow around Real Elephant Seal Whiskers, Joseph Bunjevac and Wei Zhang, Cleveland State University
Region IV: Understanding Unsteady Aerodynamics of Cyloidal Rotors in Hover at Ultra-low Reynolds Numbers, Carolyn Walther, Texas A&M University
Region V: NA
Region VI: Origami-based Tunable Structures with Simultaneously Foldable and Stiff Behavior, Balakumaran Gopalarethinam, University of Washington
Region VII (Europe/Pegasus): Non-linear Estimation Methods for Aircraft Dynamic Parameters During Taxiing, Thibault Marduel, Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, & Francois Pineau and Laurent Georig, Dassault Aviation
Region I: GPU Acceleration of Helicopter Flow Field Simulation, Eric Wallace, University of Maryland
Region II: IEC Plasma Thruster, Johnie Sublett, Mississippi State University
Region III: Simulations and Preliminary Measurements of a Magnetic Nozzle Thrust Vectoring System, Beldon Lin and J.P. Sheehan, University of Michigan
Region IV: Small-Scale Turbojet Thrust Augmentation from a Jet Pipe with a Bellmouth Inlet, Matt Durkee, Oklahoma State University
Region V:
• Comparison of Low Pressure Turbine Trailing Edge Blowing Techniques for Wake Loss Reduction, Young Y. Wu, United States Air Force Academy
• Development of a Flush Air Data System for the Space X Dragon Crew Capsule, Nicholas Carpenter, John Deaton, United States Air Force Academy
Region VI: Design and Characterization of a Cylindrical-Orifice Injector for High-Viscosity Monopropellants, Greg Derk and Angela Kimber, University of Washington
Region I: Virginia Tech-NASA Auto-deployable Mars Rover Design and Development Project, Ian Stewart, Tommy Cleckner, Eddie Krutyanskiy, Aaron Knust, Aldo Morales, Christopher Nickles, Greta Ostergaard, Jacob Walder, and Robert Zakotnik, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Region II: Concept Study of a Reusable Suborbital Launch Vehicle, Jared Fuchs, Matthew Haskell, Benjamin Thompson, Tate Harriman, and William Hankins, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Region III: Complete Design and Build of a Convectively Cooled Rocket Nozzle Test Bed, Austin Harms, Abhiram Krishnan, and Nathan Williams, University of Michigan
Region IV: A New Approach on Sampling Microorganisms from the Lower Stratosphere, Jamie N. Lehnen, Bryan L. Gunawan, and John R. Prince, University of Houston
Region V: Project REPTAR Recoverable ProTection After Re-entry, Calvin Buechler, Kevin Faggiano, Dustin Fishelman, Cody Gondek, Lee Huynh, Aaron McCusker, William Sear, Himanshi Singhal, Craig Wenkheimer, and Nathan Yeo
Region VI: Design of a Paddle-Driven Wave Generator, Henry Miskaryan, David Freeman, Andrew Lindo, University of Southern California
The AIAA Western Michigan University Student Branch welcomed back Dr. Paul Bevilaqua for a second time to share his talk: Inventing the Joint Strike Fighter. Rather than sharing details on the F-35s performance and capabilities, the presentation largely focused on the design process from the early mission requirements from DARPA and the U.S. military up to final detail design and testing. This format was especially interesting for engineering students and faculty alike as this lecture provided real-world applications of the concepts and fundamentals covered in aerospace engineering curriculum. Several concepts ranging from lasers to individual turbines driving the lift fan were discussed. Eventually Dr. Bevilaqua’s proposal of a shaft driven from the main engine to the lift fan was adopted by Lockheed Martin. Thermodynamic cycle analysis of the new propulsion system was also presented, which further reinforced concepts covered in undergraduate engineering courses.
AIAA Student Branch Chair Tyler Wall highly recommends the AIAA distinguished lecture program to other student chapters. Each year, the distinguished lecture manual available is updated and provides a list of speakers and processes to conduct one of these events. Student branches interested in taking advantage of this program should start the planning process early in the fall.
The K–12 STEM Outreach Committee would like to recognize outstanding STEM events in each section. Each month we will highlight an outstanding K–12 STEM activity; if your section would like to be featured, please contact Supriya Banerjee (1Supriya.Banerjee@gmail.com) and Angela Diggs (Angela.Spence@gmail.com).
When the AIAA Delaware Section heard about a program called Mission: Space occurring in its own backyard, the section knew it had to get involved. Bunker Hill Elementary School in Middletown, DE, started the program as an opportunity for its 4th and 5th grade students to use telescopes to examine the stars as part of their science unit on the night sky. The program grew to include all 4th and 5th grade students in the Appoquinimink School District. The students are not only using telescopes, but there are keynote speakers, hand-on activities and other exhibits for the students to explore, all designed to increase excitement and enthusiasm for space sciences.
This year was the first year the AIAA Delaware Section participated. Section Chair Breanne Sutton learned about the event at a STEM Mixer for the state of Delaware, and the section volunteered to host one of the hands-on activities, and Ms. Sutton was asked to be one of the keynote speakers. The planners were very excited to have a female keynote speaker for the STEM event.
On 24 January, over 500 students and parents attended the event at Appoquinimink High School. ILC Dover was in attendance with their display spacesuit, moon rocks were on loan from NASA, astronaut food was for sale, and the students could enter an inflatable planetarium set up in the gym. The AIAA Delaware Section hosted a planetary lander activity, which had detailed instructions, a supply list, and even an instructor worksheet available online (https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/418011main_OTM_Touchdown.pdf). The activity was so popular that the volunteers had to make a mid-activity run to the store for more supplies and set up more tables. The seven volunteers who staffed the activity were busy all night, with students still working to improve and test their landers as the program ended. The section plans to host an activity booth at future Mission: Space events, alternating between two activities so there is a new experience for students each year they attend.
On 9 May, AIAA Fellow Dr. Mary “Missy” Cummings spoke at the opening reception of the new exhibit “Drones – Is the Sky the Limit?” at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. AIAA is a sponsor of the exhibit, and Dr. Cummings, a professor at Duke University, was one of its primary curators. The UAV-focused exhibit will run through the end of the year. Find out more information about this exciting exhibit at intrepidmuseum.org.
Dr. Robert H. Page, 88, died 25 October 2016. A World War II veteran, Dr. Page enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to Virginia Military Institute and then to Armed Forces Radio Services for duty in Honolulu, HI. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio University in 1949 and an M.S./Ph.D. from University of Illinois in 1955.
Dr. Page held leadership positions with Esso Research and Engineering Company, as well as the University of Illinois and Stevens Institute of Technology. He was the head of the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Aerospace Engineering at Rutgers University for 15 years before becoming the Dean of Engineering at Texas A&M University and then held the James M. Forsyth Professor of Mechanical Engineering Endowed Chair until his retirement.
He gained international recognition for his research in flow separation analysis and its application to practical problems. He presented over 170 lectures and over 250 professional papers. Dr. Page was noted for his research and teaching on non-isoenergetic supersonic base flow, thermodynamic second law solution of subsonic base flow, and impingement jet flows. He thought his principal accomplishments were the development of strong, successful engineering education programs.
In 1984, he was honored as the first non-German scientist to be appointed an Honorary Professor at Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany. He was a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), AIAA, the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology, the American Astronautical Society, and the American Association for Advancement of Science. He was awarded the AIAA 50-year pin commemorating his contributions to the advancement of the arts, science, and technology of aeronautics and astronautics at Texas A&M and the Johnson Space Center.
Adelbert O. “Del” Tischler passed away 12 January.
Mr. Tischler joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1942 at the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory (AERL). Drafted into the U.S. Air Force, he was transferred back to the AERL laboratory (now NASA Glenn Research Center) to develop fuels of 150-octane rating for wartime aircraft piston engines.
In 1950, Tischler began work to eliminate “screaming” in liquid rocket combustion chambers. These investigations led to methods of limiting the problem in later engines. He also worked with others on design, building and operating rocket combustion chambers using liquid hydrogen as the rocket fuel, with oxygen and fluorine used as oxidizers. He was the safety officer at the research test site for these experimental operations.
In 1958 Tischler began work with other scientists and engineers to lay out a plan for U.S. space exploration. These working groups set forth most of the missions, equipment requirements and basic plans for NASA. Tischler was appointed Director of (Rocket) Propulsion Developments in NASA’s Office of Manned Space Flight (OMSF). He was charged with initiating and developing the F-1, RL-10 and J-2 engines used on the Saturn series of vehicles. In 1960 solid propellant rocket technology was also assigned to his supervision.
He went on to serve as the Director of the Chemical Propulsion Division in the Office of Advanced Research and Technology (1964–1969). Tischler then served as the Director of the Shuttle Technology Office (1970–1972) and worked on several task forces aimed at finding more cost-effective methods for space operations prior to his retirement in 1973.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s Tischler was a consultant to the European Space Agency in the construction of the first reusable SpaceLab system and the follow-on job of generating the first SpaceLab payload. With Dr. Dah Yu Cheng, Tischler formed a company to develop gas turbine systems operating on a new cycle capable of achieving energy conversion efficiencies of fifty-eight. About 100 Cheng-cycle engines are presently in operation, generating electrical power around the world.
During the 1950s, Tischler served a term as president of the Cleveland-Akron Chapter of the American Rocket Society. He received the AIAA Wyld Propulsion Award in 1967. For his work on the Shuttle Technologies program he received NASA’s Exceptional Service Award. He published over 60 reports and journal articles as well as many notes on several topics related to aerospace endeavors.
Ali Nayfeh, a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s (Virginia Tech) Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, died on 27 March. He was 83.
Nayfeh earned all three of his academic degrees at Stanford University: a bachelor’s degree in engineering science in 1962, and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics in 1963 and 1964, respectively.
Nayfeh joined the Virginia Tech community in 1971. He was a renowned teacher and researcher in the field of nonlinear dynamics. During his 37 years of teaching, Nayfeh advised 69 doctoral candidates to completion. He wrote 10 books, published over 400 articles in referred journals, and gave over 530 presentations at national and international conferences. From 1980 to 1984, Nayfeh took a leave of absence to establish an engineering college at Yarmouk University. He served as engineering dean of the college, and as vice-president for engineering affairs at the university.
His Wiley textbooks entitled Perturbation Methods, published in 1973, and Introduction to Perturbation Techniques, published in 1981, have been considered worldwide as premier reference texts on asymptotic methods over the past four decades. Nayfeh was also the founder of the two prestigious journals: Nonlinear Dynamics and the Journal of Vibration and Control. He also served as the editor of the Nonlinear Science Book Series.
Among his many honors were the 2014 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering, the 2008 Academy of Transdisciplinary Learning and Advanced Studies, the 2008 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Tom Caughey Award, the 2005 ASME Lyapunov Award, the 2005 Virginia’s Life Achievement Award in Science, the 1996 ASME J. P. Den Hartog Award, and the 1981 Kuwait Prize in Basic Sciences. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics, ASME, the American Physical Society, the Academy of Transdisciplinary Learning and Advanced Studies, and AIAA. In 1995, AIAA awarded Nayfeh the Pendray Aerospace Literature Award for his seminal contributions to perturbation methods, nonlinear dynamics, acoustics, and boundary-layer transition.
