AIAA Announcements AIAA Announces Candidates for 2022 Election

The Council Nominating Committee has selected candidates for next year’s openings on the AIAA Council of Directors. Elections will be held 20 January–11 February 2022. Council Nominating Committee Chair John Blanton and AIAA Governance Director Christopher Horton confirmed the names of the candidates who will appear on the 2022 ballot.

Integration and Outreach Activities Division

Director–Aerospace Outreach Group
Kevin Burns, Retired
David Dolling, George Washington University

Director–Integration Group
Thomas Irvine, TBI Aerospace Consulting, LLC
Chandru Mirchandani, Leidos Innovations Corporation

Director-Elect–Young Professionals Group
Bryan Kowalczyk, University of Cincinnati
Dominic Pena, Answer Engineering Inc.

Regional Engagement Activities Division

Director–Region IV
Ellen Gillespie, Retired
Andrew Santangelo, sci_Zone, Inc.

Director–Region V
James Guglielmo, Boeing Research & Technology
Merri Sanchez, The Aerospace Corporation

Technical Activities Division

Director–Information Systems Group
Stephen Blanchette, The Aerospace Corporation
Michel Ingham, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Director–Propulsion and Energy Group
Steven Gorrell, Brigham Young University
Rusty Powell, Axient

AIAA Foundation Making an Impact: AIAA and Challenger Center Launch New Trailblazing STEM Educator Award

The AIAA and Challenger Center have launched the Trailblazing STEM Educator Award. This annual award will celebrate K-12 teachers going above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators.

The award will recognize teachers who connect classroom lessons to the country’s current and future plans for exploration and innovation, introduce students to STEM careers, and spark students’ imagination about space exploration. Following a year of incredible challenges for educators, this year’s award also will celebrate educators who continued to excite their students about STEM throughout the difficult circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nominations are being accepted at aiaa.org/TrailblazingSTEMEducatorAward and may be submitted through 30 January 2022.

Five finalists will be selected from the nominations. Each of the finalists and their respective schools will be awarded $5,000; each finalist also will receive free access to Challenger Center’s STEM programs, a trip to Washington, DC, to be honored at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala, and a special presentation ceremony at their school.

“We are excited about our collaboration with Challenger Center supporting those who are invaluable to our communities – educators. We share a commitment to strengthening the aerospace profession by inspiring the future workforce,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “We need a diverse and robust STEM next generation who use what they learn today to innovate and invent tomorrow. We can’t wait to recognize these passionate and inspirational trailblazers who spark students’ interest in STEM subjects, especially the science and engineering behind aerospace.”

Even as the U.S. aerospace and defense industry leads the world in innovation, it faces challenges with the workforce: a skills gap of STEM-literate students entering the industry, a need for greater participation by women and ethnic minorities, and a growing knowledge gap from early retirements. Based on the “2021 AIAA State of the Industry Report,” nearly 50% of respondents believe an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion by aerospace industry employers will help increase the pipeline of skilled, competent aerospace professionals.

AIAA Announcements Preparing for the 2031 AIAA Centennial

By Kevin Burns, AIAA History Committee Chair

This year the AIAA History Committee started its preparations for the 2031 AIAA Centennial. Our goal is to have papers presented at AIAA SciTech Forums over the next decade on the history of each committee, section, branch, and organization within AIAA. We will kick off with a session on the History of AIAA at the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum. Rocketeers and Gentlemen Engineers, written for AIAA’s 75th anniversary in 2006, chronicles the social history of the Institute. The papers and presentations in the coming years will allow a more technical understanding at the grassroots level of how the Institute came together and grew over the last century. The committee encourages our committees and sections to mentor students and young professionals in writing these papers, so that they can get published early in their careers and experience the publication and presentation of a paper. More information about the History Committee and advice for writing history papers for AIAA SciTech Forum can be found on its website at aiaahistorycommittee.com, or by contacting the committee chair at kevinrobburns@gmail.com.

AIAA also has joined the Engineering and Technology History Wiki (ETHW) consortium in 2021 (www.ethw.org). The website has thousands of articles, firsthand accounts, oral histories, milestones, archival documents, and lesson plans pertaining to the history of technology. It fosters the creation of narratives that not only document the history of engineering practices but also explain when, how, and why these technologies developed as they did. Over the next year, the History Committee will be working to establish liaisons with other AIAA technical committees to develop content within the aerospace engineering category of the transportation history section of the ETHW. All AIAA members are encouraged to contribute content. Those interested in this project can contact the History Committee chair at kevinrobburns@gmail.com./

AIAA Announcements Nominations Being Accepted for the Class of 2022 NASA Langley and Langley Alumni Association Hall of Honor

The Langley Alumni Association and NASA Langley Research Center partnered to develop the Hall of Honor to provide a way for distinguished Langley Research Center researchers and managers to be honored for their exemplary contributions and careers at NACA, NASA, and the nation at large in the pursuit of revolutionary scientific understanding and technological progress on the frontiers of aerospace sciences. The Hall of Honor also provides a focused opportunity for the local aerospace community to reflect on the contributions of these notable individuals who made enduring impacts on aerospace technologies.

We encourage you to consider nominating a deserving individual for the Hall of Honor Class of 2022. All nominees must satisfy the selection criteria found at https://larcalumni.org/nomination-form, and nominations must be received by 14 January 2022. If you have any questions, please email info@larcalumni.org.

Award Announcements 2021 Speas Airport Award Presented

Left to right: Megan Jenkins, Jackson Hole Airport; Dirk Speas, Speas Award; Jim Elwood, Jackson Hole Airport; Michelle Anderson, Jackson Hole Airport. Credit: AAAE

The 2021 Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award was presented to the Jackson Hole Airport Board at the 2021 AAAE National Airport Conference (27–28 September, Savannah, GA).

Section News Uncrewed Aerial Systems in the Australian Military from Today to 2040

(L) Figure 1. A grateful AIAA Sydney Section discusses the success of the event with Wing Commander Joyce. (R) Figure 2. Wing Commander Joyce, Chief Engineer for Australian Military RPAS and Army RQ-7 Shadow 200. Credit: AIAA Sydney Section

By Michael Spencer, AIAA Sydney Section Committee, and Tjasa Boh-Whiteman, Co-Chair, AIAA Sydney Section

To keep their members informed about different areas of the aerospace industry, the AIAA Sydney Section recently invited Wing Commander Keirin Joyce, Royal Australian Air Force, as a guest speaker. He is a currently appointed as the Chief Engineer for Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS): MQ-4C Triton and MQ-9B SkyGuardian.

On 21 September, he delivered a public lecture on his views of the military Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) that are currently in service or being considered for acquisition out to the year 2040 in the Australian Defence Force. Due to government-mandated COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, this AIAA Sydney Section event was hosted online as a livestreamed presentation.

A graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) with an Honours Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering, WGCDR Joyce has spent the last 15 years supporting the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to better understand, utilize, and acquire UAS capabilities, including joining operational deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer with master degrees in Aviation Management (Human Factors), Aerospace Engineering, and Military and Defence Studies, and a part-time Ph.D. research student at UNSW Canberra/ADFA. WGCDR Joyce was responsible for all Australian Army UAS activities, including Army Drone Racing and drone videography, before transitioning to the Royal Australian Air Force as the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Sub-Program Manager, before being appointed the Chief Engineer, RPAS.

During his career as an Army engineer, he supported Army to adopt an incremental capability approach to incorporating drones across the Army organization of its warfighters. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Drone Racing Team was established as a non-traditional sport that overlaps both work and personal interests with Army, Navy, and Air Force participation, enabling ADF and STEM to be promoted to soldiers, sailors, and aviators and youth interested in becoming the next generation military.

The most recent Defence Strategic Update steers the ADF to adopt remotely operated and autonomous air vehicles that provide increased lethality and survivability, improve battlespace situational awareness, and complement existing aircraft capabilities, including investigating the potential for teaming air vehicles. To aid this transformation and keep the momentum of change, Army has acquired a COTS Multi-Rotor UAS for issue to every Army unit, enabling everyone in Army to improve their drone literacy, supplement counter-UAS awareness, and familiarize soldiers with how UAS pose a new and fast-growing threat to small units, plus support the Army development of better UAS training.

Army has invested in a drone strategy to provide operational drones in capability increments of increasing mass, size and performance, corresponding to the size of the force element. Army drones range from pocket-sized nano-UAS (e.g., Black Hornet) for combat platoons; medium-sized hand-launched Small UAS (e.g., Wasp AE) for every combat team; up to a catapult-launched Tactical UAS (e.g., Shadow 200) to equip a deployable brigade without needing an established runway.

The Navy is also investing in an exciting drone program with two different types of drones: catapult-launched ScanEagle fixed-wing drone and Schiebel S-100 vertical lift helicopter drone. These drones provide the Navy with new experiences adapting technologies to conduct flights between the shore and a warship and flights at sea.

Air Force is doctrinally roled to acquire and operate the very large-sized drone capabilities for the ADF. ADF doctrine ensures no unnecessary duplication of combat capabilities within the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each contributes combat elements to be integrated and work cooperatively within the same ADF deployed Joint Task Force (JTF) to deliver a military effect that meets an operational need jointly. Air Force is currently acquiring two remotely piloted aircraft systems: the MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance RPAS for conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and the MQ-9B SkyGuardian medium-altitude long-endurance armed RPAS for ISR and strike missions. These large-sized RPAS UAS are roled for Air Force to provide ISR and strike support to a JTF.

The Triton project is the biggest RPAS project at the moment. Acquired under a cooperative program arrangement with the U.S. Navy, Triton is the most modern iteration of the Global Hawk design but when the two designs are compared side-by-side, they’re very different aircraft.

Another cool and exciting experimental ADF project is the Loyal Wingman – a $40 million investment in the Boeing Air Power Teaming System (BATS). This fighter-size aircraft has a similar performance range and speed to match a conventional crewed fighter aircraft, except that the BATS flight controls and mission are planned to be autonomously controlled by artificial intelligence (AI). WGCDR Joyce is excited that about 80% of the Loyal Wingman’s development effort has occurred with Australian content. About 70% of the actual aircraft is designed, built, and assembled in Australia. This effort represents the ADF’s first step toward developing a concept for air combat teaming between human and AI-controlled aircraft systems.

The AIAA Sydney Section is very grateful for the opportunity to have Wing Commander Joyce share his experiences and insights into the UAS/RPAS capabilities in the Australian military and their impacts on the broader interests and applications for drones and aerospace engineering. A video recording of this AIAA Sydney Section event is available for viewing on the Facebook and YouTube channels for the AIAA Sydney Section at https://youtu.be/iO0hB1KrdwA.

AIAA Committees Society and Aerospace Technology Outreach Committee (SAT OC) Update

(L): Ceremonial grand opening and book signing of Astronaut Al Travels to the Moon with (left to right) Ed Wilson (Emcee), Michelle Rouch, and Anthony Paustian, Ph.D. (Provost & Publisher). (R): Roland A Boucher, winner of the 2020 Gohardani Presentation Award in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Credit: AIAA SAT OC

By Amir S. Gohardani, SAT OC Chair

In light of the many activities SAT OC has pursued during the past time period and the committee’s ongoing efforts and upcoming plans, the SAT OC is delighted to share details about:

• SAT OC’s art activities
• SAT OC’s ongoing initiatives
• 2020 Gohardani Presentation Award
• SAT OC’s planned contributions

SAT OC Art Activities/p>

The committee prides itself on the contributions of its members to the arts. Michelle Rouch, one of SAT OC’s inspiring members, leads many such efforts and recently illustrated a children’s book by Al Worden with Francis French, called Astronaut Al Travels to the Moon. After the book’s release during CiLive, Rouch participated in Dayton’s Festival of Flight in September to engage with the public and spark individuals’ interest in aeronautics and astronautics while bringing to attention the power of the arts.

SAT OC Activities at AIAA Events

The interest in Society and Aerospace Technology has been substantial. SAT OC will lend support at the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum and is coordinating the following tracks during 2021 ASCEND: Society and Aerospace Technology: History and Future, Society and Aerospace Technology: Societal Impacts.

2020 Gohardani Presentation Award

The Gohardani Presentation Award in Aeronautics and Astronautics was initially launched by the nonprofit Springs of Dreams Corporation. A key intent of this award is to celebrate presentation skills among those interested in aeronautics and astronautics. In partnership with the AIAA Orange County Section, this award is now presented to the most thought-provoking and exceptional all-around presentations delivered during the Aerospace Systems and Technology (ASAT) Conference. Awardees join a talented pool of presenters, including students, seasoned professionals, and rising stars in the aerospace sector, and are presented with a monetary prize and a certificate of excellence. The 2020 Gohardani Presentation Award was presented to Roland A. Boucher. Boucher holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with distinction from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in Engineering from Yale University. A licensed Professional Engineer with over 50 years of experience, Boucher began his studies of Ancient Measurements in 2013 and has presented his findings in oral presentations at national conferences of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the History of Science Society, and AIAA.

SAT OC Is Working with History Committee

As we approach the AIAA Centennial in 2031, the History Committee has asked for AIAA groups to document their history, and SAT OC will be contributing a paper to this wonderful effort. The timely AIAA historical records are a valuable resource, and we encourage interested AIAA committees to contact Kevin Burns through the AIAA History Committee’s website (aiaahistorycommittee.com) to arrange submission of papers. SAT OC appreciates the support of AIAA History Committee and looks forward to future collaborations.

Award Announcements 2021 Best Professional and Student Technical Papers

AIAA technical committees (TCs) and integration and outreach committees (IOCs) have selected the best professional and student technical papers presented at recent AIAA forums. With a standard award criteria and selection process from the respective committees, the following technical papers were selected as the “best,” and the authors were presented with a Certificate of Merit. The papers can be found online at the AIAA Aerospace Research Central (arc.aiaa.org), marked as “Best Paper.”

BEST PROFESSIONAL PAPERS

2020 AIAA Adaptive Structures Best Paper Award
“Phase Transformation Characteristics of High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy under Tension, Compression, and Bending Actuation Cycling” (AIAA-2020-2231) by Daniel Martin, Lei Xu and Dimitris Lagoudas, Texas A&M University

2020 AIAA Air Transportation Systems Best Paper Award
“Analysis of Fleet Management and Infrastructure Constraints in On-Demand Urban Air Mobility Operations” (AIAA-2020-2907) by Sheng Li, Stanford University; Maxim Egorov, Airbus; and Mykel J. Kochenderfer, Stanford University

2020 AIAA Atmospheric and Space Environments Best Paper Award
“An X-Ray Spectroscopic Approach to Remote Space Object Potential Determination: Experimental Results” (AIAA-2020-0049) by Kieran Wilson and Hans-Peter Schaub, University of Colorado, Boulder

2020 AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Best Paper Award
“Global Aerodynamic Modeling Using Automated Local Model Networks in Real Time” (AIAA 2020-0762) by Rose Weinstein, NASA Langley Research Center; James E. Hubbard, Texas A&M University

2020 AIAA Electric Aircraft Technology Best Paper Award
“A Study of Large Scale Power Extraction and Insertion on Turbofan Performance and Stability” (AIAA-2020-3547) by Jeffryes W. Chapman, NASA Glenn Research Center

2020 AIAA Electric Propulsion Best Paper
“A Predictive Hall Thruster Model Enabled by Data-Driven Closure” (AIAA-2020-3622) by Benjamin Jorns, Thomas A. Marks, and Ethan T. Dale, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2020 AIAA Energetic Components and Systems Best Paper
“New Formulation for Studying of Detonation Of Gaseous Energetic Mixtures II: CH4/O2 & CH4/Air” (AIAA-2020-3653) by Lien C. Yang

2020 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Best Paper Award
“Node Numbering for Stabilizing Preconditioners Based on Incomplete LU Decomposition” (AAIA-2020-3022) by W. Kyle Anderson, Stephen Wood, and Kevin E. Jacobson, NASA Langley Research Center

2020 AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Best Paper Award
“Towards a Unified Model-Free Control Architecture for Tailsitter Micro Air Vehicles: Flight Simulation Analysis and Experimental Flights” (AIAA-2020-2075) by Jacson M. Olszanecki Barth, Jean-Philippe Condomines, Murat Bronz, Gautier Hattenberger, French Civil Aviation University; Jean-Marc Moschetta, Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space; Cédric Join, Université de Lorraine; and Michel Fliess, École Polytechnique

2020 AIAA High Speed Air Breathing Propulsion Best Paper Award
“Adaptive Pressure Profile Method to Locate the Isolator Shock Train Leading Edge Given Limited Pressure Information” (AIAA-2020-3715) by Robin L. Hunt, NASA Langley Research Center; and Gregory J. Hunt, College of William and Mary

2020 AIAA High Speed Air Breathing Propulsion Best Paper Award
“Flow Choking Induced by Combustion and Mass Injection in a Circular Model Scramjet at Mach 4.5” (AIAA-2020-1611) by Damiano Baccarella, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Qili Liu, Gyu Sub Lee, and Tonghun Lee, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

2020 AIAA Hybrid Rockets Best Paper
“Combustion Efficiency in Single Port Hybrid Rocket Engines” (AIAA-2020-3746) by Greg Zilliac, NASA Ames Research Center; George T. Story, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Ashley C. Karp, Elizabeth T. Jens, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; and George Whittinghill, Whittinghill Aerospace

2020 AIAA History Committee Best Paper Award
“Evolution of the Flight Crew and Mission Control Relationship” (AIAA-2020-1361) by Maya Nasr, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2020 AIAA Intelligent Systems Best Paper Award
“Interactive Explanation of Entry, Descent, and Landing Simulations” (AIAA-2020-2094) by Samalis Santini De León and Daniel Selva, Texas A&M University; David W. Way, NASA Langley Research Center

2020 AIAA Liquid Propulsion Best Paper
“Lightweight Thrust Chamber Assemblies using Multi-Alloy Additive Manufacturing and Composite Overwrap” (AIAA-2020-3787) by Paul R. Gradl, Chris Protz, and John Fikes, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; David Ellis and Laura Evans, NASA Glenn Research Center; Allison Clark, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Sandi Miller, NASA Glenn Research Center; and Tyler Hudson, NASA Langley Research Center

2020 AIAA Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award
“A Model for Simulating Unsteady Wake Interference Effects in Aerial Refueling” (AIAA-2020-3202) by Peter A. Cavallo, Jeremy D. Shipman, and Michael R. O’Gara, Combustion Research and Flow Technology, Inc.

2020 AIAA Modeling and SimulationTechnologies Best Paper Award
“Retention of Manual Control Skills in Multi-Axis Tracking Tasks” (AIAA 2020-2264) by Rowenna Wijlens, Delft University of Technology; Peter M. T. Zaal, NASA Ames Research Center; Daan M. Pool, Delft University of Technology

2020 AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Best Paper Award
“Toward Predictive Digital Twins via Component-Based Reduced-Order Models and Interpretable Machine Learning” (AIAA-2020-0418) by Michael G. Kapteyn, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; David J. Knezevic, Akselos, Inc; and Karen E. Willcox, University of Texas, Austin

2020 Nuclear and Future Flight Propulsion Best Paper
“Mars Opposition Missions Using Nuclear Thermal Propulsion” (AIAA-2020-3850) by Christopher B. Reynolds, Claude R. Joyner II, Timothy Kokan, Daniel J.H. Levack, and Brian J. Muzek, Aerojet Rocketdyne

2020 AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Best Paper Award
“Fully-Coupled Simulation of Plasma Discharges, Turbulence, and Combustion in a Scramjet Combustor” (AIAA-2020-3230) by Bernard Parent, Kyle M. Hanquist, and Ajjay Omprakas, University of Arizona, Tuscon

2020 AIAA Power and Energy Forum Best Paper
“Power Generation from Interplanetary and Interstellar Plasma and Magnetic Fields” (AIAA-2020-3537) by Matt Wentzel-Long, University of Missouri St. Louis/NASA Glenn Research Center; Geoffrey A. Landis, NASA Glenn Research Center

2020 AIAA Pressure Gain Combustion Best Paper Award
“RDC Operation and Performance with Varying Air Injector Pressure Loss” (AIAA-2020-0199) by Eric Bach, Christian Oliver Paschereit, Panagiotis Stathopoulos, and Myles D. Bohon, Technical University of Berlin

2020 AIAA Propellants and Combustion Best Paper
“High-Performance Data Analytics of Hybrid Rocket Fuel Combustion Data Using Different Machine Learning Approaches” (AIAA-2020-1161) by Charlotte Debus, Alexander Rüttgers, Martin Siggel, Anna Petrarolo, and Mario Kobald, German Aerospace Center (DLR)

2020 AIAA Sensor System and Information Fusion Best Paper Award
“Sensor Fusion with Censoring Limits” (AIAA-2020-0948) by Bethany L. Allik, Army Research Laboratory

2020 AIAA Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award for the Outstanding Paper in Meshing Visualization and Computational Environments
“Comparing Unstructured Adaptive Mesh Solutions for the High Lift Common Research Model Airfoil” (AIAA-2020-3219) by Todd Michal, Joshua Krakos, and Dmitry Kamenetskiy, The Boeing Company; Marshall Galbraith and Carmen-Ioana Ursachi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Michael A. Park and W. Kyle Anderson, NASA Langley Research Center; and Frederic Alauzet and Adrien Loseille, National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA)

2020 AIAA Small Satellite Best Paper Award
“Simulating the Dynamics and Control of a Free-Flying Small Satellite with a Robotic Manipulator for 3D Printing” (AIAA 2020-1432) by Randy L. Spicer and Jonathan Black, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2020 AIAA Space Architecture Best Paper
“Future Space Architecture: Cross-Functional Multidisciplinary Design and Engineering” (AIAA-2020-4067) by Daniel Inocente, Colin Koop, and Georgi Petrov, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Piero Messina and Isabelle Duvaux-Bechon, European Space Agency; Advenit Makaya, David Binns, David Brandao, and Robin Biesbroek, ESA, European Space Research & Technology Centre

2020 AIAA Spacecraft Structures Best Paper Award
“Integration, Test, and On-Orbit Operation of a Ka-band Parabolic Deployable Antenna (KaPDA) for CubeSats” (AIAA-2020-0933) by Jonathan Sauder, Nacer Chahat, Brian Hirsch, Richard Hodges, and Eva Peral, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; Yahya Rahmat-Samii, University of California, Los Angeles; and Mark W. Thomson, Northrop Grumman Corporation

2020 AIAA Structures / Collier Research HyperSizer Best Paper Award
“Progressive Damage Failure Analysis of a Multi-Stringer Post-Buckled Panel” (AIAA-2020-1481) by Jason Action, Lockheed Martin Corporation; Frank A. Leone, NASA Langley Research Center; and Nelson Vieira De Carvalho, National Institute of Aerospace

2021 AIAA Aircraft Design Best Paper Award
“A Generalized Energy-Based Vehicle Sizing and Performance Analysis Methodology” (AIAA-2021-1721) by Imon Chakraborty and Aashutosh Aman Mishra, Auburn University

2021 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper Award
“Improvements in Simulating a Mach 0.80 Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration using the Spalart-Allmaras and k-ω SST Turbulence Models” (AIAA 2021-1531) by Daniel Maldonado, NASA Ames Research Center; Craig Hunter, NASA Langley Research Center; Jeffrey A. Housman, NASA Ames Research Center; Sally A. Viken, NASA Langley Research Center; Michael G. Piotrowski, NASA Ames Research Center; Susan N. McMillin, NASA Langley Research Center; Cetin C. Kiris, NASA Ames Research Center; and William E. Milholen, NASA Langley Research Center

2021 AIAA Gas Turbine Engines Best Paper
“Unsteady Body Force Methodology for Fan Operability Assessment under Clean and Distorted Inflow Conditions” (AIAA-2021-0388) by Amaury Awes, ISAE-Supaéro; Renaud Daon, Safran Group; Guillaume Dufour, Xavier Carbonneau, ISAE-Supaéro; Julien Marty, Raphaël Barrier, ONERA – The French Aerospace Lab

2021 AIAA Ground Test Best Paper Award
“Infrared Thermography on a Biconic Model in Hypersonic Expansion Tube Flows” (AIAA 2021-0873) by Timothy G. Cullen, Christopher M. James, Ranjith Ravichandran, Matthew Thompson, Michael E. Moran, Ranjini Ramesh, Richard G. Morgan, The University of Queensland; Thirukumaran Nadesan, National University of Singapore

2021 AIAA Inlets Nozzles and Propulsion System Integration Best Paper
“Propulsor Models for Computational Analysis of Aircraft Aerodynamic Performance with Boundary Layer Ingestion” (AIAA-2021-0991) by David K. Hall and Michael K. Lieu, Aurora Flight Sciences

2021 AIAA Survivability Best Paper Award
“Cislunar Debris Propagation Following a Catastrophic Spacecraft Mishap” (AIAA 2021-0102) by Nathan R. Boone and Robert A. Bettinger, Air Force Institute of Technology

2021 AIAA Thermophysics Best Professional Paper Award
“Characterization of Radiative Heating Anomaly in High Enthalpy Shock Tunnels” (AIAA-2021-0103) by Brett A. Cruden, Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc.; Chun Y. Tang and Joseph Olejniczak, NASA Ames Research Center; Adam J. Amar, NASA Johnson Space Center; and Hideyuki Tanno, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

2021 AIAA/CEAS AeroacousticsBest Paper Award
“Supersonic jets with compliant wall nozzles” (AIAA-2021-1524) by Charles E. Tinney and John Valdez, University of Texas, Austin; Nathan Murray, University of Mississippi

BEST STUDENT PAPERS AND STUDENT PAPER COMPETITIONS

2020 AIAA Air Transportation Systems Best Student Paper Award
“Modeling, Assessment, and Flight Demonstration of Delayed Deceleration Approaches for Community Noise Reduction” (AIAA-2020-2874) by Jacqueline L. Thomas and R. John Hansman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2020 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Student Paper Competition
“Experimental Analysis of Passive Bristling in Air to Enable Mako-Shark-Inspired Separation Control” (AIAA-2020-2768) by Sean P. Devey, Amy W. Lang, James P. Hubner, and Jackson A. Morris, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; and Maria L. Habegger, University of North Florida

2020 AIAA Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Student Best Paper
“Global Aerodynamic Modeling Using Automated Local Model Networks in Real Time” (AIAA 2020-0762) by Rose Weinstein, NASA Langley Research Center; and James E. Hubbard, Texas A&M University

2020 AIAA Hybrid Rockets Best Student Paper
“Enhancement of Fuel Regression Rate for Hybrid Rockets by Introducing Novel Coaxial Tube Injector” (AIAA-2020-3733) by Mehmet Kahraman and Ibrahim Ozkol, Istanbul Technical University; and Arif Karabeyoglu, Koc University

2020 AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Student Paper Competition
“LIDAR Requirements and Approaches for Transcontinental Supersonic Flight” (AIAA 2020-3241) by Anuj Rekhi, Texas A&M University; Mikhail Shneider, Princeton University; and Richard B. Miles, Texas A&M University

2020 AIAA Power and Energy Forum Best Student Paper
“Development of a Deep Space Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) System – a NuAER Plasma NEP Reactor” (AIAA-2020-3540) by Joseph Kalyan Raj I., Technion—Israel Institute of Technology; Geoff Parks, University of Cambridge

2020 AIAA Power and Energy Forum Best Student Paper
“Elements of an Inductive Electrical Power Conversion System for Fusion-Class Plasmas” (AIAA-2020-3539) by Nathan M. Schilling, Jason T. Cassibry, University of Alabama, Huntsville; Robert B. Adams, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

2020 AIAA Space Architecture Best Student Paper
“Building with Celestial Bodies” by Tim Elrick, Wentworth Institute of Technology

2020 AIAA Walter Lempert Best Student Paper
“Electric Field Measurements in Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas By Ns and Ps Electric Field Induced Second Harmonic Generation” (AIAA 2020-0182) by K. Orr, The Ohio State University; Y. Tang, Tsinghua University; M. Simeni Simeni and D. van den Bekerom The Ohio State University; T. Butterworth and T. Orriere, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; D.Z. Pai, lnstitut Prime; D.A. Lacoste and M.S. Cha, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology; and I. V. Adamovich, The Ohio State University

2021 AIAA Aeroacoustics Student Paper Competition
“Modelling the Suppression of Rotor-Alone Fan Noise with Over-Tip Rotor Liners and Comparison with Measurements from a High-Bypass Turbofan Rig” (AIAA 2021-2242) by Sergi Palleja-Cabre, Brian J. Tester, and R. Jeremy Astley, University of Southampton

2021 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Student Paper Competition
“GSA-SOM: A Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithm Guided by Machine Learning and Application to Aerodynamic Design” (AIAA 2021-2563) by Alejandro González Pérez, Christian B. Allen, and Daniel J. Poole, University of Bristol

2021 AIAA David Weaver Thermophysics Best Student Paper Award
“Influence of Chemical Kinetics Models on Plasma Generation in Hypersonic Flight” (AIAA-2021-0057) by Pawel Sawicki, Ross S. Chaudhry, and Iain D. Boyd, University of Colorado, Boulder

2021 AIAA Flight Testing Student Paper Competition
“Performance Characterization of a Modern Gyroplane” (AIAA 2021-2799) by Jacob C. Dewey and Robert J. Niewoehner, U.S. Naval Academy

2021 AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Graduate Student Paper Competition Graduate Winners
1st Place: “Information-Based Guidance and Control Architecture for Multi-Spacecraft On-Orbit Inspection” (AIAA 2021-1103) by Yashwanth Kumar Nakka, California Institute of Technology
2nd Place: “Planetary Entry in a Randomly Perturbed Atmosphere” (AIAA 2021-1218) by Jack Ridderhof, Georgia Institute of Technology
3rd Place: “LSTM-Based Spatial Encoding: Explainable Path Planning for Time-Variant Multi-Agent Systems” (AIAA 2021-1860) by Marc Schlichting, University of Stuttgart

2021 AIAA Intelligent Systems Student Paper Competition
“Heterogeneous Fixed-wing Aerial Vehicles for Resilient Coverage of an Area” (AIAA 2021-1004) by Sachin Shriwastav, University of Hawai’i at Manoa

2021 AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Student Paper Competition
WINNER: “Coupled Aeropropulsive Design Optimization of a Podded Electric Propulsor” (AIAA 2021-3032) by Anil Yildirim, University of Michigan; Justin S. Gray, NASA Glenn Research Center; Charles A. Mader and Joaquim R. Martins, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
RUNNER-UP: “Dynamic Topology Optimization of Battery Packs for eVTOL Aircraft Under Time-Dependent Loading” (AIAA 2021-3068) by Jiayao Yan, Mark Sperry, David Kamensky, and John T. Hwang, University of California San Diego

2021 AIAA Walter Lempert Best Student Paper Award
“Spatio-Temporal Studies on Laser Induced Plasma Interactions with Micro-Particles Using Stereo-Imaging” (AIAA 2021-1376) by Atulya U. Kumar, Boris S. Leonov, Yue Wu, and Christopher Limbach, Texas A&M University

2021 AIAA V/STOL Student Paper Competition
“Global Trajectory-tracking Control for a Tailsitter Flying Wing in Agile Uncoordinated Flight” (AIAA 2021-3214) by Ezra A. Tal and Sertac Karaman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2021 American Society of Composite Student Paper Award
“Effects of Fiber Non-Linearity and Matrix Type on the Realization of Foldable Structures” by (AIAA 2021-0086) by Arthur Schlothauer, Dominik Cueni, Georgios A. Pappas, and Paolo Ermanni, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

2021 Harry H. and Lois G. Hilton Student Paper Award in Structures
“A Comprehensive Experimental and Computational Study on LVI induced Damage of Laminated Composites” (AIAA 2021-1623) by Shiyao Lin, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Vipul Ranatunga, Air Force Research Laboratory; and Anthony M. Waas, University of Michigan

2021 Jefferson Goblet Student Paper Award
“Geometrically Nonlinear High-fidelity Aerostructural Optimization for Highly Flexible Wings” by (AIAA 2021-0283) by Alasdair Christison Gray, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor/The Technical University of Delft, Holland

2021 Lockheed Martin Student Paper Award in Structures
“Folding of Flexible Hinges for Aircraft Wingtips and Wind Turbine Blades” (AIAA 2021-0204) by Aileen G. Bowen Perez, Giovanni Zucco, and Paul Weaver, University of Limerick

2021 Southwest Research Institute Student Paper Award in Non-Deterministic Approaches
“Probability-Damage Approach for Fail-Safe design Optimization under Aleatory Uncertainty (β-PDFSO)” (AIAA 2021-1480) by Clara Cid Bengoa, Aitor Baldomir, and Santiago Hernandez, Universidade da Coruña