The Executive Nominating Committee has selected a candidate for next year’s election of AIAA President-Elect:
Dana “Keoki” Jackson, The MITRE Corporation

The Council Nominating Committee has selected candidates for next year’s openings on the AIAA Council of Directors. Council Nominating Committee Chair Laura Richard, and AIAA Governance and Executive Operations Administrator Susan Silva confirmed the names of the candidates who will appear on the 2025 ballot.

Integration and Outreach Activities Division
Director–Aerospace Outreach Group
Sofia Russi, Denmar Technical Services

Director–Integration Group
Abdollah Khodadoust, The Boeing Company

Director-Elect–Young Professionals Group
Nathan Crane, Advanced Development Programs,
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Regional Engagement Activities Division
Director–Region IV
Ellen Gillespie, Jacobs Engineering

Director–Region V
James Guglielmo, Boeing Defense, Space & Security

Technical Activities Division
Director–Information Systems
Michel Ingham, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Director–Propulsion & Energy
Rusty Powell, Axient

The election will be held 27 January–21 February 2025.

AIAA Fellow Penina Axelrad, University of Colorado Boulder, presented the 2024 Yvonne C. Brill Lecture in Aerospace Engineering on 1 October at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in Washington, DC. She delivered a dynamic and inspiring talk titled, “The Evolution and Impact of Global Navigation Satellite Systems.” AIAA Fellow Bobby Braun, the 2022 recipient of the Brill lectureship and a member of NAE, was the master of ceremonies and presented Axelrad with a certificate in recognition.

On 17 October, AIAA and the House Aerospace Caucus held an Aerospace Policy Connection (APC) Aerospace 101 lunch on Capitol Hill. As part of APC’s Space Series, the briefing focused on Commercial Space Mission Authorization and Economic Growth. Speakers discussed how commercial space companies are looking for consistency in mission authorization and regulation as their activities from low Earth orbit out to the moon grow. We focused on the potential regulatory agencies that these companies need to interact with, the challenges with the current approach, and how these challenges might increase as the commercial space industry grows. AIAA would like to thank Jason Kim, NOAA Office of Space Commerce; Randy Repcheck, FAA; Dave Cavossa, Commercial Spaceflight Federation; and John Neal, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for participating.

AIAA Design Competitions give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to respond to requests for proposals outlining a design problem that requires specialized technical solutions. Several of the competitions allow students to perform theoretical work and gain real-world insight into the design process.

For the 2023–2024 school year, five competitions were held in the following categories:

Aircraft: Undergraduate Individual, Undergraduate Team, Graduate Team
Space: Undergraduate Team
Missile: Mixed Graduate and Undergraduate Team

The 2023–2024 AIAA Design Competitions winners are:

Undergraduate Individual Aircraft Design
First Prize: David Sztajnbok, University of Southern California
(Los Angeles, CA) for his design, “StratoSOL.” Geoffrey R. Spedding,
Faculty Advisor.

Second Prize: Maggie Bonham, University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) for her design, “Preliminary Design of the Echo Aircraft.” Ronald Barrett-Gonzalez, Faculty Advisor.

Third Prize: Carson Denault, University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS) for his design, “Project Venus.” Ronald Barrett-Gonzalez, Faculty Advisor.

Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design
First Prize: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL) for their design, “AIAA 2023-2024 Undergraduate Team Aircraft Design Final Design Report Team Hummingbird.” Avery Beinhauer, Anna Marie Buss, Aryan Dawra, Colin Kinsey, Jakub Mitka, Divyansh Ojha, Zachary Werth. Jason Merrett, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Team Hummingbird.

Second Prize: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Blacksburg, VA) for their design, “PW-24 Harpy.” Ryan Abbou, Jack Schramm, Grant Mellinger, Jimmy Martino, Liam Schwarz, Thomas Klein, Nick Turletes, Matthew Vorster, Sami Qasrawi. Pradeep Raj, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Prestige Worldwide.

Third Prize: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL) for their design, “AIAA 2023-2024 Undergraduate Team “Kinglets” Heavy-Lift Aircraft Final Design Report.” Matthew Brotnow, Eduardo Martinez, Vincent Ma, Jackson Long, Lucas Smerica, Cynthia Sigamony, Yesung Jeon, Daniel Zapata. Jason Merrett, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Kinglet.

Graduate Team Aircraft Design
First Prize: California Polytechnic State University – Pomona (Pomona, CA) for their design, “Recreational Instructional Sailplane – Electric (RIS-E).” Sebastian Arteaga, Leonardo Casillas, Kyle Degen, Hetkumar Ghadia, Kolya Kuzmenko, Alton Lo, Stanley Ossyra, Michael Rouse. Mark Gonda, Faculty Advisor.

Second Prize: Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy) for their design, “Sparky.” Carlo Fazioli, Leonardo Filippello, Andrea Gaiani, Mattia Luraschi, Valentino Parolo, Carlo E.D. Riboldi. Lorenzo Trainelli, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Pol-E Glide.

Third Prize: Université de Liège (Liege, Belgium) for their design, “SNIPES.” Khader Abueltayef, Joé Adler, Rémi Blanchart, Verel Chanya Djomo, Célestin Libert, Carmine Peters, Antoine Reuter, Robin Savonet, Marc Tresserras. Ludovic Noels, Faculty Advisor, and Paul Dechamps, Adrien Crovato, and Arnaud Budo, Project Advisors.

Undergraduate Team Space Design
First Prize: Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA) for their design, “Venus Investigation & Planetary Exploration Rover.” Andrew Glenn, Andrew Laudenslager, Anthony Mangan, Austin Livsey, Benjamin MacAfee, Brendan Richard, Garrett Trowbridge, Jonathon Hope, Nicholas Horton, Rowan Badler. Sara Lego, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: VIPER.

Second Prize: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA) for their design, “Crewed Venus Program for Interplanetary Discoveries (CVPID).” Sophie McNally, Isra Bilal, Tatum Butler, Randi Byars, Sophia DiRoberto, Isabella Panek, Phoebe Shapiro, Holly Whetzel. Kevin Shinpaugh, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Galaxy Gals.

Third Prize: Istanbul Technical University (Istanbul, Turkey) for their design, “Crewed Orbiter Around Venus: A Fully Robotic Exploration Mission.” Berk Hızarcı, Serkan Burak Örs, Batuhan Akkova, Seba Kazkaz, Ezgi Başak Bozkurt, Buket Ekin. Alim Rüstem Aslan, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: ITUVERSE.

Mixed Division Team Missile Design
First Place: Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Blacksburg, VA) for their design, “C.A.R.R.O.T. Rapid Response Satellite Launch System.” Tamim Wadud, Erika Hausladen, Lucy Waite, Peter Nelson, Nathan Rand, TJ Taylor, Griffin Burd, Chenming Fan, Nelson Pixley. Harry Pat Artis, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Creating Advanced Rapid Response Orbital Technology (C.A.R.R.O.T.).

Second Place: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA) for their design, “Design of a Rapid Reaction Satellite Launcher.” Paul Boyer, Devin Burkhart, Henok Desta, Jai Doshi, Kunal Gupta, Sydney Hallas, Ethan Jones, Shmuel Shollar, Ben Whitted. Adam Cox, Project Advisor, and Dimitri Mavris, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: ALL-STAR – Air-Lofted Launcher of a Satellite for Tactical Accelerated Response.

Third Place: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Pomona, CA) for their design, “Project Lightning: A 24-Hour to Orbit Air Launch Vehicle.” Sebastian Londono, Matthew R. McDougall, Zaahel Xaamil Aponte-Lara, Ericka Angelina Ontiveros, Mike Tan, Joshua Kidwell, Andrew Issagholian. Donald Edberg, Faculty Advisor. Team Name: Bronco Orbital Launch Technologies.

AIAA Associate Fellow Todd Treichel was recognized with a 2024 AIAA Special Service Citation for outstanding achievement in promoting aerospace in industry and academia at the section and regional levels. The award was presented at the September AIAA Wisconsin Morey Field Recognition Event in Middleton, WI.

In September AIAA Region VI volunteer leadership gathered for their annual meeting. The event is always an enriching opportunity for sections to share their best practices and to collaborate with one another to further AIAA’s mission. A special thank you to Region VI Director Oleg Yakimenko and the AIAA Los Angeles Section for organizing the meeting. Participants also enjoyed a tour at The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo facility, learning about the great work they are contributing to the industry.

On 26 September, the AIAA National Capital Section hosted a talk by AIAA Young Professional Member Ben Jimenez on “Traversing the Aerospace Industry.” Jimenez, a 15-year AIAA member, currently works for MITRE and he shared his insight into his career journey, how being an aerospace engineer affected that journey, and the role that AIAA has played in shaping his professional trajectory. The audience included young professionals as well as students from George Mason University.

Kenneth (Ken) Hubble died on 25 May. He was 89 years old.

Hubble studied mechanical engineering at King’s College, London University, where he obtained a bachelor of science degree in 1955. He started his professional career in the defense industry, joining the English Guided Weapons Division of the English Electric/Marconi/Napier Group as a Graduate Apprentice with extensive courses at Marconi College in Systems, Radar, Electronics and Servos. These early experiences drove his interest in becoming an Aerospace Engineer.

In 1961 Hubble went to the United States to work in the aerospace industry. He spent seven years at Honeywell Aerospace in Minneapolis, MN (major project: Apollo). He continued his career at Sperry Flight Systems in Phoenix, AZ (major project: Hubble telescope), followed by interesting management and international experience at Martin Marietta Orlando Aerospace until retirement in 1995. Wood subsequently worked as an international consultant.

An AIAA Associate Fellow, Hubble was involved in the Central Florida Section, serving a term as Chair.

Bernard (Bernie) P. Miller died on 24 August.

Miller received his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and entered active duty. In 1951 and 1952, he worked on advanced aircraft research and development at Wright Field, and test programs at Edwards Air Force Base. In 1954, he graduated with Distinction from the Engineering Postgraduate Program at the USAF Institute of Technology.

From 1954 to 1957, Miller taught thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at the U.S. Naval Academy. In June 1957, three months before the launch of Sputnik, he joined the technical staff of the RCA Laboratories, working on a satellite reconnaissance program called Janus for the U.S. Army. With the establishment of the RCA Astro-Electronics Division in 1959, he became group leader and project manager for advanced military and civilian satellite programs.

In 1965, Miller received the NASA Public Service Award for his leadership as project manager of the team that developed the Ranger satellite. In 1973, he was a founder and subsequently CEO of ECON, Inc., a research and consulting company that specialized in the economics of advanced technologies. In 1985 he returned to RCA Astro Space as manager, Advanced Programs and Business Development. A major focus of his work was the development of new and advanced commercial communication satellites. Miller retired in 1998 from Lockheed Martin International, a successor company to RCA Astro Space, as Senior Vice President for commercial programs in the Asia region. He worked as a consultant for several U.S. and international companies on the establishment of commercial communication satellite systems.

Over the course of his career, Miller continued his education with graduate courses in aerospace engineering at Princeton University and graduate courses in business and public policy in a summer program at Cornell University. He also published extensively on the use of satellites for Earth and ocean surveillance, and communications.

A strong believer in community service, Miller held several volunteer and elected positions in Princeton, NJ, including as Deputy Mayor and Mayor. He served as both vice chair and later section programs chair for the Northern New Jersey Section.

Robert (Bob) M. Wood died on 26 August. He was 96 years old.

Wood received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Colorado in 1949. He earned a Ph.D. in Physics from Cornell University in 1953. During his early career he worked for General Electric Aeronautics and Ordnance, followed by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Ground. In 1956, he joined Douglas Aircraft, which later became McDonnell Douglas and eventually Boeing, where he spent 43 years.

Wood was involved in numerous groundbreaking projects, including thermodynamics of missile cooling, managing independent research and development projects, antigravity research and investigations, designing radars to discriminate between Soviet ballistic missiles and their decoys, and contributing to the International Space Station’s development. He also played a pivotal role in promoting the Delta launch vehicle as NASA’s workhorse for orbital payloads.

Wood’s interest in UFOs began in the late 1960s when he led a proprietary project aimed at understanding UFOs. This “Boys in the Back Room” (BITBR) project employed the late Stanton Friedman and had funding of $4.5 million in today’s dollars. Upon his retirement in 1993, Wood became deeply involved in the forensics of authenticating the Majestic-12 UFO trove of documents.

He was a longtime director of Research for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and served on the Board of Directors for MUFON the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization. He was also a counselor for the Society for Scientific Exploration and a member of AIAA since 1947. His scholarly contributions included authoring numerous articles on UFOs and the groundbreaking 1968 AIAA talk, “Giant Discoveries of Future Science.” He authored, edited, and contributed to several books.

Wood’s work in UFO research was not just about uncovering the unknown but also about fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity in others. He believed in the importance of scientific integrity and the pursuit of truth.

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 they 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

2023 AIAA Adaptive Structures Best Paper
“Homogenization Model for Multistable Honeycomb Metastructures Exhibiting Beam-like Behavior” (AIAA 2023-1394) by David Matthew Boston and Andres F. Arrieta, Purdue University

2023 AIAA Aerospace Design and Structures Best Paper
“Using Broyden’s Method to Improve the Computational Performance of a Harmonic Balance Aeroelastic Solution Technique” (AIAA 2023-2221) by Jeffrey P. Thomas and Earl H. Dowell, Duke University

2023 AIAA Aircraft Design Best Paper Award
“Design and Assessment of Long Range Aircraft Concepts with focus on Fossil Kerosene, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Liquid Hydrogen as Energy Carriers” (AIAA 2023-3229) by Sebastian Wöhler, Tim Burschyk, Jannik Häßy, and Michael Iwanizki, German Aerospace Center (DLR)

2023 AIAA Aircraft Operations Best Paper Award
“Trajectory-Related Measures to Mitigate the Climate Impact of Aviation: A Comparative Study” (AIAA 2023-4220) by Zarah Lea Zengerling, Florian Linke, Benjamin Lührs, and Christian Martin Weder, German Aerospace Center (DLR); and Volker Gollnick, Hamburg University of Technology

2023 AIAA Electric Propulsion Best Paper
“Operation and Performance of a Magnetically Shielded Hall Thruster at Ultrahigh Current Densities on Xenon and Krypton” (AIAA 2023-0842) by Leanne L. Su, Tate M. Gill, Parker J. Roberts, William J. Hurley, Thomas A. Marks, Christopher L. Sercel, Madison G. Allen, Collin B. Whittaker, Matthew P. Byrne, Zachariah B. Brown, Eric Viges, and Benjamin A. Jorns, University of Michigan

2023 AIAA Electrified Aircraft Technology Best Paper
“Coupled Hybrid & Electric Aircraft Design and Strategic Airline Planning” (AIAA 2023-3869) by Maurice F. M. Hoogreef, Noa Zuijderwijk, Elise Scheer, Pieter-Jan Proesmans, and Bruno Santos, Delft University of Technology

2023 AIAA Fluid Dynamics Best Paper Award
“Studies of Transonic Aircraft Flows and Prediction of Initial Buffet Onset Using Large-Eddy Simulations” (AIAA 2023-4338) by Konrad A. Goc and Rahul Agrawal, Stanford University; Sanjeeb T. Bose, Cadence Design Systems; and Parviz Moin, Stanford University

2023 AIAA Gas Turbine Engines Best Paper
“High-Lift High-Work LPT Blades and Separation: A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Separation Identification” (AIAA 2023-0113) by Jared N. Kerestes, Christopher Marks, and John P. Clark, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory; Mitch Wolff, Wright State University; Ron-Ho Ni, Aerodynamic Solutions, Inc.; and Nathan Fletcher, Innovative Scientific Solutions, Inc.

2023 AIAA Ground Testing Best Paper Award
“Optical Aerodynamic Measurements of Hypersonic Free-Flight Using Bayesian State Estimation” (AIAA 2023-3713) by Andrew Lock, Gerard Armstrong, Flynn Hack, Byrenn Birch, David Buttsworth, and Ingo Jahn, University of Southern Queensland

2023 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Best Paper
“Customized Real-Time First-Order Methods for Onboard Dual Quaternion-based 6-DoF Powered-Descent Guidance” (AIAA 2023-2003) by Abhinav G. Kamath, Purnanand Elango,Taewan Kim, Skye Mceowen, Mehran Mesbahi, and Behçet Açıkmeşe, University of Washington; Yue Yu, University of Texas at Austin; and John M. Carson III, NASA Johnson Space Center

2023 AIAA High Speed Air Breathing Propulsion Best Paper
“Manifold-Based Modeling for Supersonic Turbulent Combustion” (AIAA 2023-2529) by Esteban Cisneros–Garibay and Michael E. Mueller, Princeton University

2023 AIAA History Committee Best Paper
“Edgar Lineberry, Pioneer of Orbital Rendezvous” (AIAA 2023-0312) by John L. Goodman, Odyssey Space Research, LLC

2023 AIAA Inlets, Nozzles, and Propulsion System Integration Best Paper
“Modal Analysis of Serpentine Diffuser Distortion” (AIAA 2023-3308) by Spencer L. Stahl and Datta V. Gaitonde, Ohio State University; and Russell Powers and John T. Spyropoulos, Naval Air Warfare Center

2023 AIAA Liquid Propulsion Best Paper
“Flame-Acoustic Interaction in a Sub- and Supercritical, Single-Injector, LOX/CNG/LNG Rocket Combustor with Optical Access” (AIAA 2023-1838) by Jan Martin, Wolfgang Armbruster, Michael Börner, and Justin Steven Hardi, German Aerospace Center (DLR); and Michael Oschwald, German Aerospace Center (DLR) and RWTH Aachen University

2023 AIAA Modeling and Simulation Best Paper
“Development of a Shipboard Skid-Equipped Rotary-Wing Aircraft Manoeuvering and Securing Simulation Package” (AIAA 2023-0341) by Alexander R. Schock and Robert Langlois, Carleton University

2023 AIAA Multidisciplinary Design Optimization Best Paper
“Advancements in Coupled Aeropropulsive Design Optimization for High-Bypass Turbofan Engines” (AIAA 2023-3591) by Andrew H. R. Lamkin, Anil Yildirim, and Joaquim R. R. A. Martins, University of Michigan; and Nathan A. Wukie, Air Force Research Laboratory

2023 AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Best Paper Award
“Burst-Mode Nitric Oxide PLIF for Visualization and Mode Spectral Analysis of Hypersonic Shear Layers” (AIAA 2023-4382) by Boris S. Leonov, Tyler S. Dean, Donovan E. McGruder, Rodney D. Bowersox, and Richard B. Miles, Texas A&M University; and Christopher M. Limbach, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2023 AIAA Pressure Gain Combustion Best Paper
“Low-Order Model for Detonation Velocity Suppression in Rotating Detonation Combustors” (AIAA 2023-1291) by Provence Barnouin, Eric Bach, Christian Oliver Paschereit, and Myles D. Bohon, Technische Universität Berlin; and Ephraim J. Gutmark, University of Cincinnati

2023 AIAA Propellants and Combustion Best Paper
“Frictional Ignition of Metals in High Pressure Oxygen: A Critical Reassessment of NASA Test Data” (AIAA 2023-1489) by Andres Garcia Jimenez and Zachary Cordero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2023 AIAA Sensor Systems and Information Fusion Best Paper
“Drone Navigation Based on Integrated MEMS Inertial and Polarimetric Camera Measurements” (AIAA 2023-2705) by Verdiana Bottino, G. de Alteriis, C. Conte, R. Schiano Lo Moriello, G. Rufino, D. Accardo, University of Naples Federico II

2023 AIAA Shahyar Pirzadeh Memorial Award for Outstanding Paper in Meshing, Visualization and Computational Environments
“Free-Form Deformation of Parametric CAD Geometry via B-Spline Transformations” (AIAA 2023-3601) by Marlena C. Gomez, Marshall C. Galbraith, and Robert Haimes, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2023 AIAA Small Satellite Best Paper
“On-Orbit Demonstration and Validation of Glint Image Capture” (AIAA 2023-1109) by Bhavi Jagatia, Ravi Teja Nallapu, and Philip Linden, Planet Labs PBC

2023 AIAA Software Best Paper
“Space ROS: An Open-Source Framework for Space Robotics and Flight Software” (AIAA 2023-2709) by Austin B. Probe, Emergent Space Technologies, Inc.; S. Will Chambers and Amalaye Oyake, Blue Origin; Matthew Deans, Guillaume Brat, Nick Cramer, and Brian Kempa, NASA Ames Research Center; Brian Roberts, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; and Kimberly Hambuchen, NASA Johnson Space Center

2023 AIAA Solid Rockets Best Paper
“Qualification of HCl in Solid Propellant Combustion Products” (AIAA 2023-1515) by F. Maggi, S. Carlotti, L. Nichelini, A. Masini, M. Adorno, A. Galavotti, and A. Verga, Politecnico di Milano; S. Dossi, ReActive Powder Technology s.r.l.; and A. Neri, ESA-ESRIN

2023 AIAA Spacecraft Structures Best Paper
“Kilometer-Scale Parabolic Reflector for a Radio Telescope in a Lunar Crater” (AIAA 2023-0754) by Manan Arya and JT Herrscher, Stanford University; Dario Pisanti, Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Alessandro Verniani, Mélanie Delapierre, Gaurangi Gupta, Ashish Goel, Joseph Lazio, Paul Goldsmith, and Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

2023 AIAA Structural Dynamics Technical Committee Best Paper
“Three-Dimensional Blade and Hub Stresses of Coaxial Rotors in High-Speed Forward Flight” (AIAA 2023-1892) by Mrinalgouda Patil and Anubhav Datta, University of Maryland

2023 Collier Aerospace HyperX/AIAA Structures Best Paper Award
“A Mechanics-Informed Neural Network Framework for Data-Driven Nonlinear Viscoelasticity” (AIAA 2023-0949) by Faisal As’ad and Charbel Farhat, Stanford University

2024 AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Best Paper Award
“Dynamic fk Estimates for Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes Around a Circular Cylinder” (AIAA 2024-2514) by Andrea Petrocchi and George N. Barakos, University of Glasgow

2024 AIAA Modeling and Simulation Best Paper Award
“Command and Control Concepts for a Lift Plus Cruise Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicle” (AIAA 2023-3910) by John Kaneshige, Thomas Lombaerts, Kimberlee Shish, and Mike Feary, NASA Ames Research Center

2024 AIAA Space Architecture Best Paper Award
“Developing an Integrated Logistics Infrastructure for Lunar Surface Habitats” (ICES-2023-454) by David L. Akin, University Of Maryland

2024 AIAA Thermophysics Best Paper Award
“Development of an Optical Model for the MEDLI2 Radiometer” (AIAA 2023-4037) by James B. Scoggins, Alireza Mazaheri, and Christopher O. Johnston, NASA Langley Research Center

BEST STUDENT PAPERS

2023 Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics
“Parallel Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) Studies of the Performance of ONR Waterjet AxWJ-2” (AIAA 2023-70793) by Stephen E. Monroe, Clarkson University

2023 Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics
“Investigation of Pre-Ignition Propellant Mixing in Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine” (AIAA 2023-71901) by Quentin W. Roberts, University of Washington

2023 AIAA Intelligent Systems Best Student Paper
“Twin-Delayed Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient for Altitude Control of a Flying-Wing Aircraft with an Uncertain Aerodynamic Model” (AIAA 2023-2678) by Willem Völker, Yifei Li, and Erik-Jan van Kampen, Delft University of Technology

2023 AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Best Student Paper Award
“Radio Frequency Signal Propagation Through a Stagnant Flow in a Plasma Facility for Analysis of the Communication Blackout Phenomenon” (AIAA 2024-1421) by Diana Luís, Alan Viladegut, and Olivier Chazot, von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics; and Adriano Camps, Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya

2023 AIAA Structural Dynamics Technical Committee Best Student Paper
“Experimental Effect of Sideslip Angle on the Dynamic Behaviour of Flared Folding Wingtips” (AIAA 2023-0376) by Fintan Healy, Djamel Rezgui, and Jonathan E. Cooper, University of Bristol

2023 AIAA Walter Lempert Best Student Paper Award
“Joint Temperature and Velocity Statistics in High-speed Flows Using Simultaneous CARS Thermometry and FLEET Velocimetry” (AIAA 2023-0221) by Jonathan Crosmer, Erik L. Braun, David. G. Ritchie, Nathaniel S. Kiefer, James Braun, Guillermo Paniagua, Mikhail N. Slipchenko, and Terrence R. Meyer, Purdue University

2023 AIAA Walter Lempert Best Student Paper Award – Honorable Mention
“Preliminary Krypton Measurements by Two-Photon Absorption Laser Induced Fluorescence (TALIF) in Cold Flow and a Hollow Cathode Plasma” (AIAA 2023-1863) by Jacob Gottfried, Seth Antozzi, Ciprian Dumitrache, and Azer P. Yalin, Colorado State University

2023 AIAA Walter Lempert Best Student Paper Award – Honorable Mention
“HTPB Combustion Temperature Measurements” (AIAA 2023-0162) by Clayton M. Geipel, Christopher J. Pfützner, and Brian T. Fisher, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Applied Aerodynamics
“An Experimental Study on Detrimental Effects of Rainfall on Wind Turbine Blades” (AIAA 2024-4147) by Harsha Sista, Anvesh Dhulipalla, Amrit Kumar, Haiyang Hu, and Hui Hu, Iowa State University

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Atmospheric and Space Environments
“A Finite Element-Based Fracture Model for the Prediction of Shedding in Ice Crystal Icing” (AIAA 2024-3927) by Thomas J. Cross, Natan Zawadzki, Matthew McGilvray, and David Gillespie, University of Oxford

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Computational Fluid Dynamics
“Implementation and Validation of a 7-Equation Model for High-Speed Droplet Impingement” (AIAA 2024-3747) by Manuel Viqueira-Moreira and Christoph Brehm, University of Maryland

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Computational Fluid Dynamics – 2nd Place
“Thermochemical Nonequilibrium Modeling in a Continuous-Galerkin, Finite-Element Framework” (AIAA 2024-4368) by Nicole F. Nutter and Devina P. Sanjaya, University of Tennessee; Ryan Glasby, Doug Stefanski, Taylor Erwin, and Franklin Curtis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Computational Fluid Dynamics – 3rd Place
“Ultraspherical Polynomial Spectral Method for Boundary Layer Stability Problems” (AIAA 2024-3531) by Vaishnavi Ramaswamy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Claire M. Namuroy, Imperial College London; and Wesley L. Harris, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Intelligent Systems
“Towards Safe Aircraft Control with AI: Reinforcement Learning with Guardian Angels and Mischievous Gremlins” (AIAA 2024-4648) by Cynthia Koopman and David Zammit-Mangion, University of Malta

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
“Surrogate-Based Optimization of System Architectures Subject to Hidden Constraints” (AIAA 2024-4401) by Jasper H. Bussemaker, German Aerospace Center (DLR); Paul Saves, Nathalie Bartoli, and Thierry Lefebvre, DTIS, ONERA, Université de Toulouse; and Björn Nagel, German Aerospace Center (DLR)

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization – Runner Up
“DeepGeo: Deep Geometric Mapping for Automated and Effective Parameterization in Aerodynamic Shape Optimization” (AIAA 2024-3839) by Zhen Wei, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne; Aobo Yang, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Jichao Li, Agency for Science Technology and Research; Michaël Bauerheim, ISAE-SUPAERO; Rhea P. Liem, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Pascal Fua, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

2024 AIAA Best Student Paper Competition Award in Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems
“Design and Flight of an Autonomous Rogallo Glider for Recovery of High-Altitude Balloon Payloads and Data” (AIAA 2024-3833) by Kelden J. Ben-Ora, Adam Zufall, and Stephen K. Robinson, University of California Davis

2024 AIAA David Weaver Thermophysics Best Student Paper Award
“Uncertainty Analysis of Slug Calorimeters in the HyMETS Arc-Jet Facility” (AIAA 2023-4038) by Chelsey C. Morrow and Andrew J. Brune, NASA Langley Research Center

2024 AIAA Green Engineering Best Student Paper Award
“Breaking Catalytic Scaling Constraints using Plasma-Enabled Catalysis of Methane for Decarbonized Hydrogen Production” (AIAA 2024-0100) by Varanasi Sai Subhankar, Charan R. Nallapareddy, and Thomas C. Underwood, University of Texas at Austin

2024 AIAA Guidance Navigation and Control Best Graduate Student Paper
“Improving Computational Efficiency for Powered Descent Guidance via Transformer-based Tight Constraint Prediction” (AIAA 2024-1760) by Julia Briden and Trey Gurga, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Breanna J. Johnson, NASA Johnson Space Center; Abhishek Cauligi, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and Richard Linares, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2024 AIAA Intelligent Systems Student Paper Competition
“Using Reinforcement Learning for AI Systems in the Mitigation of Automation Failures and Stall Recovery in Complex Aircraft” (AIAA 2024-2407) by Cynthia Koopman and David Zammit-Mangion, University of Malta

2024 AIAA Space Architecture Best Student Paper Award
“Simulation-Based Assessment of Hazardous States in a Deep Space Habitat” (ICES-2023-449) by Luca Vaccino, Kenneth Pritchard, Mohsen Azimi, and Shirley Dyke, Purdue University; and Alana Lund, University of Waterloo

2024 AIAA Space Tethers Student Paper Competition
“Online Control and Moment of Inertia Estimation of Tethered Debris” (AIAA 2024-1286) by Liam Field, Derek Bourabah, and Eleonora M. Botta, University at Buffalo

2024 American Society for Composites Student Paper Award
“On the Loss of Stability of Bistable Laminates due to Clamping” (AIAA 2024-1333) by Karthik Boddapati, Juan C. Osorio, and Andres F. Arrieta, Purdue University

2024 Harry H. and Lois G. Hilton Student Paper Award in Structures
“First Failure Load of Rectangular Laminated and Sandwich Plates Using Isogeometric Analysis” (AIAA 2024-0854) by Amir Farzam, Romesh C. Batra, and Rakesh K. Kapania, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

2024 Jefferson Goblet Student Paper Award
“Analysis of Bird Wing Airfoil Aerodynamic Efficiency” (AIAA 2024-1127) by Rowan Glenn, Lucas B. Dahlke, Andrew Engilis Jr., and Christina Harvey, University of California Davis

2024 Lockheed Martin Student Paper Award in Structures
“Buckling Behavior of Conical-Cylindrical Shells and Design Considerations for Launch-Vehicle Applications” (AIAA 2024-0034) by Michelle T. Rudd, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Marc R. Schultz, NASA Langley Research Center; and Chiara Bisagni, Politecnico di Milano

2024 Southwest Research Institute Student Paper Award in Non-Deterministic Approaches
“A Gradient-Enhanced Univariate Dimension Reduction Method for Uncertainty Propagation” (AIAA 2024-1234) by Bingran Wang, Nicholas C. Orndorff, Mark Sperry, and John T. Hwang, University of California San Diego