Award Announcements AIAA Announces Winners of Prestigious Zarem Graduate Student Awards

Credit: AIAA

AIAA is pleased to announce the winners of the Zarem Graduate Student Awards for Distinguished Achievement.

Nathan Crane, who graduated in 2020 with his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, won the aeronautics award for “Preliminary Active Subspace Investigation of a Commercial Supersonic Design Space.” He has been invited to present his paper at the ICAS 2021 Congress.

Aaron Afriat and Sandeep Baskar jointly won the astronautics award  for “Atmospheric Breathing Solid-Fuel Ramjet for Martian Descent Missions.” Afriat is a graduate research assistant at the Purdue Energetics Research Center and Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University under Professor Steven Son. Sandeep Baskar graduated from Purdue with two bachelor’s degrees, in Aerospace Engineering and Applied Physics, in spring 2020. Their paper will be presented in the graduate portion of the student paper competition at the virtual IAC 2020.

AIAA Honorary Fellow Dr. Abe Zarem established the Zarem Graduate Awards for Distinguished Achievement to recognize graduate students in aeronautics and astronautics who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship in their field.

Crane

Crane is currently an Aerospace Technologist at NASA Langley Research Center. He graduated with his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach in 2018, and his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020. While at Georgia Tech, he was a part of the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, where his research concentrated on commercial supersonic conceptual design and aerodynamics. He completed a thesis focusing on incorporating high fidelity analysis into the supersonic conceptual design process while concurrently reducing computational time.

“Although I grew up not knowing any engineers, I decided early in my childhood that I wanted to pursue aerospace engineering and design aircraft,” he said. “After many years working to earn the opportunity to study and research aircraft design, it is an incredible honor to be awarded for my work in aeronautics. It is a great feeling to know that I have contributed to the field and encourages me to continue my passion into the future.”

Crane’s faculty advisor, Dimitri Mavris, is the Director of the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Afriat and Baskar

Afriat’s research focuses on additively manufacturing and characterizing high-performance, environmentally friendly propellants. His interests lie in designing the next generation of spacecraft engines, and eventually pioneering the exploration of Mars. He received his B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering with concentrations in Propulsion and Systems Design from Purdue University in May 2019.

“My remote background as a Caribbean Islander filled me with childhood dreams of space exploration that I can now proudly say I have partaken in,” he said. “Organizations like AIAA, through recognitions and worldwide spread of technical information, enabled me and others alike to strive for our dream; something I am incredibly thankful for. I believe that this wealth of information, while bringing us closer together as a scientific community, also brings humanity ever closer to spreading beyond Earth’s horizon.”

After receiving his B.S. degrees in the spring, Baskar is now a Flight Dynamics Analyst at Dynetics. His undergraduate work and internship experience involved trajectory analysis, vehicle design, and mission design. His work at Dynetics focuses on trajectory optimization and mission design for the Artemis Human Lander System project. Unsurprisingly, his interests are in the realm of human spaceflight and astrodynamics to assist in human exploration of deep space.

Afriat’s and Baskar’s faculty advisor was Stephen Heister, Raisbeck Distinguished Professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue.

For more information on the Abe M. Zarem Graduate Awards for Distinguished Achievement, please contact Michael Lagana at michaell@aiaa.org or 703.264.7503.

Section News 2020 AIAA Young Professionals, Students, and Educators (YPSE) Conference

The AIAA Mid-Atlantic Section will hold the AIAA Young Professionals, Students, and Educators (YPSE) Conference 15–16 October in a fully virtual environment. Technical presentations will be made in areas of interest to the aerospace community by young professionals (age 35 and under), graduate, undergraduate, high school students, and educators are sought. The featured keynote speaker is Dr. Sandra Magnus, deputy director of Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Under Secretary of Research and Engineering. Please register at aiaaypse.com. 

AIAA Foundation Making an Impact: AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program

Credit: AIAA

The AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant program, sponsored by The Boeing Company, provides opportunities for educators to encourage and support STEM activities in their classrooms. Since 1998, close to 1,400 grants have been awarded, creating rewarding activities for more than 181,000 students in the classroom. Each school year, grants of up to $500 are awarded to worthy projects that significantly influence student learning. Each grant supports a clear connection to STEM subjects with an emphasis on aerospace. Applicants must be current AIAA Educator Associate Member (and the membership is free!), and each school is limited to two grants per calendar year.

Sumitha Tharasingh of Shiksha School of Austin, TX, said, “Lego education kits are excellent resources to teach students project-based or hand-on STEM concepts. Every week [my students] learn and execute a new concept and project/program. And at the end of the semester, they are assigned an Independent Project that they finish and present. The excitement on their faces when reporting data during an experiment and or presenting their project is priceless. … However, the materials are expensive; for example, a Lego education EV3 Mindstorms kit is $439.90, the Space Challenge Set it $249.95, and a Simple and Powered Machines kit coast 199.99. … The [grant] … goes into buying these materials. Especially very valuable during COVID, I loaned out a few kits to students to work safely from home.”

Andrea Diamond of Steam Enrichment Academy in Southern California noted, “I’ll be beginning my virtual classroom next week with my new pilot program Mission2Mars. … I’ll be using my new microscope with an adapter to display magnified images on my shared computer monitor in my virtual classroom. As an Earth Space Physics specialist, my students’ age range is 5-12 years old as I service multiple school districts. For some children this will be the first time they enter the microscopic world! By studying Tardigrades as an analog here on Earth we can learn about whether or not life as we know it existed on Mars. We will explore what makes these tiny organisms so hardy, able to exist in harsh extreme environments such as space. This will aid us in our exploration answering questions such as, ‘Did life exist off-Earth? Is there life now off-Earth? Can there be potential life off-Earth?’”

Rodney Meadth of the Providence Engineering Academy (Santa Barbara, CA) used his classroom grant “to help fund a design-build-fly project with our 11th and 12th grade students. Despite the challenges that came with COVID-19 and distance learning, our talented students continued on from their homes without missing a beat, using collaborative CAD and spreadsheet tools to design their powered aircraft according to the aerodynamic theory they had already learned beforehand. The airframe materials and electronic systems were fully provided for by the generous grant, ensuring a high-quality experience for these junior engineers, who came together in person at the end of the semester to fly their remote-controlled creations. We are proud to announce that two of our female graduates have gone from this project directly into related studies, one in mechanical engineering and the other in aeronautical engineering.”

“We are using the grant for building a basic understanding of flight principles. Students will benefit from being exposed to engineering flight concepts at an early age and build their understanding as they advance” explained Susan Stewart, STEAM-Technology teacher at Excellence Charter School in Parker, CO. “Younger students will explore paper airplanes and Styrofoam gliders, while upper elementary students will explore flight concepts with balsa wood gliders. Middle school students will take the challenge of building 3D printed gliders and paper rockets. Designing their own rocket launchers and wind tunnel will allow students to test their prototypes.”

For information about the classroom grant program, please visit aiaa.org/get-involved/students-educators/aiaa-foundation-classroom-grant-program or contact Sha’Niece Simmons, Sha’NieceS@aiaa.org. If you would like to become an AIAA Educator Associate, please visit aiaa.org/get-involved/educator.

Section News The Craft of Making Spacecraft at Skykraft

Guest speaker Dr. Doug Griffin, Chief Engineer, Skykraft. (left). Skykraft constellation project, inspired by New Space, for better air traffic management (right). Credit: AIAA Sydney Section

By Michael Spencer, AIAA Associate Fellow, AIAA Sydney Section

Like other organizations around the world, the AIAA Sydney Section has adapted to meet the requirements of mandated social distancing and commenced a program of online informational and motivational lectures for its members and the public. On 11 August, Ms. Tjasa Boh Whiteman, Vice-Chair, AIAA Sydney Section, hosted Dr. Doug Griffin, Chief Engineer at Skykraft, for an online discussion on his career history in a space engineering career. The lecture is part of a program intended to inform and motivate anyone interested in current and next-generation aerospace career opportunities.

Griffin completed a doctorate in aerospace engineering under the auspice supervision of renowned hypersonics researcher Dr. Ray Stalker. After completing research studies in Australia, he moved overseas to pursue space engineering opportunities in Big Space programs. He worked his way up to Head of the Systems Engineering Group at RAL Space in the UK, developing instrument payloads for various ESA/NASA missions such as Herschel and Solar Orbiter.

After fifteen years, he changed careers and transitioned from Big Space to New Space. Griffin returned to Australia and joined the university space engineering program under Professor Russell Boyce, the UNSW Canberra Space director. UNSW Canberra Space developed new programs and facilities to enable space mission design, space systems engineering and systems testing, and space operations management to cover the full life cycle of small satellites. The transition from managing small elements of overseas Big Space projects to managing the total engineering efforts of small satellites inspired by New Space has helped catalyze Australia’s new space economy.

UNSW Canberra is the first Australian university to manage a multi-mission space program over the full life cycle of development and operations, for five satellites in four discrete space missions:

• The Buccaneer Risk Mitigation Mission (BRMM) was successfully launched from Vandenberg AFB in 2017. The 3U cubesat was jointly developed with scientists from Defence Science Technology (DST) and validated the space mission design and engineering capabilities of UNSW Canberra Space.

• UNSW Canberra Space has been collaborating with the Royal Australian Air Force to design and build three spacecraft. The M1 mission, a single 3U cubesat, was launched by a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg AFB in December 2018 during a record-breaking event with the highest number of satellites launched from a single U.S. launcher. The M2 Pathfinder mission, a 3U cubesat, was launched in June 2020 by Rocket Lab from its New Zealand facility as a risk reduction mission for the follow-on M2 Mission. The M2 mission is a single 12U payload planned for launch in 2021, subject to COVID-19, which will separate into two formation-flying 6U cubesats.

The engineering successes of the UNSW Canberra Space projects inspired the establishment of Skykraft as a company to continue to support UNSW in the design and manufacture of small satellites and future satellite constellations for a broad range of space-based services. Griffin recently changed employment, moving from UNSW Canberra to join Skykraft as the Chief Engineer. The designs for small satellites may seem less challenging than the large satellites funded in Big Space projects. However, New Space innovations and reduced launch costs make it viable to deploy small satellites into constellations, with a similar accumulative mass to the large satellite projects, and provide novel space-based services to a global user base.

The audience to the AIAA Sydney Section event heard how Griffin started his career as a space engineer within a large organization of multinational teams, working on inspiring but rigidly designed space missions that are only possible in the big-budget projects of Big Space. Today, his work in smaller space missions on New Space projects provides him with increased scope to personally practice innovation and agility and be intimately responsible for designs and engineering over the entire life cycle of space missions. Griffin works with the opportunities and lessons learned gained from space projects in both worlds, including experiences working with significant members in the Australian AIAA membership. Dr. Stalker and Dr. Boyce are two of the three Australians who are recognised as AIAA Fellows.

Section News K-5 STEM Outreach Materials

The Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, and the AIAA Northwest Florida Section are committed to creating equitable STEM education opportunities for public school students in Florida. This summer, two STEM outreach programs were developed to better serve Florida classrooms by AIAA Educator Associate Catherine Sprague and AIAA Associate Fellow Dr. Angela Diggs.

The senior of the two curricula, I LOVE Science! is a STEM outreach program serving grades K-5 that has recently been revised to reflect Florida’s current Science standards and the newly adopted B.E.S.T. Math and English Language Arts standards. I LOVE Science! cultivates student learning with dynamic, hands-on math and science activities appropriate for any elementary school classroom. The newest member of the curricula, I LOVE Robotics!, was created this summer to serve students in grades K-5. Each I LOVE Robotics! lesson includes the most current Florida standards for Math, Science, Computer Science, and English Language Arts. Using the LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 robotics kits, 2nd-5th grade students build and program LEGO robots to explore and demonstrate various STEM concepts. Kindergarten and first grade lessons include hands-on activities with Duplo or LEGO bricks. Both curricula include literacy activities to meet the growing demand for academic literacy, promote crosscurricular learning, and increase functionality of the curriculum for self-contained classrooms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIAA members from the Northwest Florida Section have over a decade of experience with the I LOVE Science! curriculum and are excited to begin to implement the new I LOVE Robotics! curriculum. Please email nwfl.aiaa@gmail.com with questions. To access lesson plans, student materials, and instructional support resources, please visit the Northwest Florida AIAA Engage website at https://engage.aiaa.org/northwestflorida/home and click on the “I LOVE Science” or “I LOVE Robotics” link on the left side.

Section News Celebration of Excellence: Gohardani Presentation Award

2020 Gohardani Presentation Award in Aeronautics and Astronautics winners. Credit: AIAA

By: Amir S. Gohardani

Five years ago when the Gohardani Presentation Award in Aeronautics and Astronautics was initially launched by the Springs of Dreams Corporation, a nonprofit organization in Southern California, there were many skilled presenters interested in the aerospace industry who at a regional level went unrecognized. Principally, a key intent of this award was to celebrate presentation skills among those interested in aeronautics and astronautics. In partnership with the AIAA Orange County Section in Southern California, this award found a home and ever since, it has been presented to two of the most thought-provoking and exceptional all-around presentations delivered during the AIAA Aerospace Systems and Technology (ASAT) Conference. Some of the award selection criteria relate to content, reasoning, organization, timing, management, style, clarity, interactivity, engagement with the audience, and overall feedback of the presentation. With a monetary prize in addition to a certificate of excellence, awardees join a talented pool of presenters including students, seasoned professionals, and rising stars in the aerospace sector. Since its inception, the Gohardani Presentation Award in Aeronautics and Astronautics has been presented to ten excellent speakers. The 2019 Gohardani Presentation Award was presented to Emma Chao and Isaiah Navarro.

Emma Chao

A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Chao received her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering in 2019 and graduated summa cum laude with minors in Mathematics and French. In 2020, she received her Master’s in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Aerospace Engineering. Her Master’s thesis work under Dr. William Culbreth focused on discrete vortex modeling of a flat plate in aerodynamic flutter. During her college career, she was heavily involved with her university’s AIAA student branch as an executive board member and later their graduate advisor. She has led several design teams in competitions such as AIAA Design/Build/Fly and the UTA 3D Printed Aircraft Competition. Chao was also selected as an AIAA Diversity Scholar in 2018. After her graduation, she will begin working full-time at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, CA, in the Aerodynamics Department.

Isaiah C. Navarro

Currently, employed with the Northrop Grumman Corporation as an engineer, Navarro is the volunteer Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Military Children’s Charity, a nonprofit organization he incorporated in 2010. Following his graduation from Mater Dei High School, Navarro completed two Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the UC Irvine (UCI) in 2017. He served as the UCI Rocket Project Manager during his undergraduate senior year. Navarro completed his Masters of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, with a concentration in Fluid Mechanics, in December 2019 from UCI. Isaiah’s master’s thesis is entitled “Quasi-One Dimensional Flow Through a Nozzle With a Shock.”

Award Announcements AIAA Announces Section Award Winners

AIAA has announced its 2019–2020 section awards winners. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by member sections in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission.

Section awards are given annually in five categories based on the size of each section’s membership. Each winning section receives a certificate and a cash award. The award period covered is 1 June 2019–31 May 2020. The Institute believes that vital, active sections are essential to its success.

The Outstanding Section Award is presented to sections based upon their overall activities and contributions through the year. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair; Second Place: Vandenberg, Michelle Itzel (Millenium Engineering and Integration Company), section chair; Third Place: Wisconsin, Michael Carkin (Sierra Nevada Corporation), section chair

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Eugen Toma, section chair; Second Place: Palm Beach, Randy Parsley (Pratt & Whitney-Rocketdyne), section chair; Third Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair

Medium: First Place, Tucson, Michelle Rouch (Artwork by Rouch), section chair; Second Place: Antelope Valley, Jason Lechniak (NASA), section chair; Third Place: Wichita, Wilfredo Cortez (Department of Defense), section chair

Large: First Place: St. Louis, James Guglielmo (The Boeing Company), section chair; Second Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Elizabeth Balga (The Boeing Company), section chair; Second Place (tie): San Diego, Kimberly Painter (NAVAIR), section chair

Very Large: First Place: Greater Huntsville, Charles Simpson, section chair; Second Place: Hampton Roads, Tyler Hudson (NASA), section chair; Third Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Chandrashekhar Sonwane (Aerojet Rocketdyne), section chair

The Career and Professional Development Award is presented for section activities that focus on career development, such as time management workshops, career transition workshops, job benefits workshops, and technical versus management career path workshops. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place, Delaware, Timothy McCardell (Northrop Grumman Corporation), career and professional development officer; Second Place: Wisconsin, Michael Carkin (Sierra Nevada Corporation), section chair; Third Place: Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Naval Postgraduate School), section chair

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill, career and professional development officer; Second Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair; Third Place: Savannah, Andrew Clemens (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), career and professional development officer

Medium: First Place: Antelope Valley, Joseph Piotrowski (Millenium Engineering and Integration), young professional officer; Second Place: Wichita, Eddie Irani (Spirit Aerosystems), programs officer

Large: First Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Elizabeth Balga (The Boeing Company), section chair; First Place (tie): Orange County, Erol Kilik, career and professional development officer; Second Place: St. Louis, Paul Bent (The Boeing Company), career and professional development officer

Very Large: First Place: Hampton Roads, Elizabeth Ward (NASA) and Hyun Jung Kim (National Institute of Aerospace), career and professional development officers; Second Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Nishanth Goli, section vice chair; Second Place (tie): Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Chandrashekhar Sonwane (Aerojet Rocketdyne), section chair

The Communications Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding communications outreach program. Winning criteria include level of complexity, timeliness, and variety of methods of communications, as well as frequency, format, and content of the communication outreach. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Christina Larson (Northrop Grumman Corporation), communications officer; Second Place: Vandenberg, Steve Boelhouwer (Mantech International), newsletter editor; Third Place (tie): Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section vice chair and then section chair; Third Place (tie): Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Naval Postgraduate School), section chair

Small: First Place: Savannah, Michael Hay (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), section secretary; Second Place: Sydney, Nimish Shete (Boomi), section vice chair and then chair; Third Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair

Medium: First Place: Tucson, Michelle Rouch (Artwork by Rouch), section chair; Second Place: Phoenix, Michael Mackowski, section chair; Third Place: Antelope Valley, Jason Lechniak (NASA), section chair

Large: First Place: St. Louis, Andrea Martinez, publicity officer; Second Place (tie): Cape Canaveral, Jacob Shriver (NASA), communications officer; Second Place (tie): Northern Ohio, Edmond Wong, communications officer

Very Large: First Place: Hampton Roads, John Lin (NASA), newsletter editor; Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Nishanth Goli, section vice chair; Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Adrian Nagle (Ball Aerospace), newsletter editor

The Membership Award is presented to sections that have supported their membership by planning and implementing effective recruitment and retention campaigns. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Zachery Gent, membership officer; Second Place: Vandenberg, Christopher Menino, membership officer; Third Place: Point Lobos, Giovanni Minelli (Naval Postgraduate School), section chair

Small: First Place (tie): Northwest Florida, Jill Barfield (Okaloosa County School System), membership officer; First Place (tie): Savannah, Michael Hay (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), section secretary; Third Place: Long Island, David Paris, secton chair

Medium: First Place: Tucson, Rajka Corder (Raytheon Missile Systems), membership officer; Second Place: Wichita, Vicki Johnson (Spirit Aerosystems, Inc), membership officer; Third Place, Antelope Valley, Chris Coyne (U.S. Air Force), publicity officer

Large: First Place: St. Louis, Nic Moffitt, membership officer; Second Place: Orange County, Robert Welge (Robert’s Engineering Development), membership officer; Third Place: San Diego, Nick Candrella (Naval Air Warfare Center), section secretary

Very Large: First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Aldo Martinez Martinez, membership officer; Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Theresa Jehle, membership officer; Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Marshall Lee (Sypris Electronics), membership officer

The Public Policy Award is presented for stimulating public awareness of the needs of aerospace research and development, particularly on the part of government representatives, and for education section members about the value of public policy activities. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Di Ena Davis, public policy officer; Second Place: Vandenberg, Michelle Itzel (Millenium Engineering and Integration Company), section chair; Third Place, China Lake, Steven Goad, public policy officer

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Michael Kelton (U.S. Air Force), public policy officer; Second Place: Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons (The Weiss School), public policy officer; Third Place: Utah, Scott Stebbins, section chair

Medium: First Place: Antelope Valley, Patrick Clark (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics), public policy officer; Second Place: Tucson, Michelle Rouch (Artwork by Rouch), section chair; Third Place: Wichita, Vicki Johnson (Spirit Aerosystems, Inc), membership officer

Large: First Place: Northern Ohio, Victor Canacci (Jacobs Technology Inc), public policy officer; Second Place: Cape Canaveral, Helen Petrucci, public policy officer; Third Place: St. Louis, Frank Youkhana (The Boeing Company), public policy officer

Very Large: First Place: Greater Huntsville, Naveen Vetcha (ERC Incorporated), public policy officer; Second Place: Hampton Roads, Steven Dunn (Jacobs Technology Inc) and Jake Tynis (Analytical Mechanics Associates), public policy officers; Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Tracy Copp (Ball Aerospace), public policy officer

The STEM K–12 Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding STEM K–12 outreach program that provides quality education resources for K–12 teachers in the STEM subject areas. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Kelly Storrs (Northrop Grumman), STEM K–12 outreach officer; Second Place: Vandenberg, Thomas Stevens (U.S. Air Force), STEM K-12 outreach officer; Third Place: China Lake, Michael Petersen (NAVAIR), section vice chair

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Judith Sherrill, STEM K-12 outreach officer; Second Place: Palm Beach, Shawna Christenson, STEM K–12 outreach officer; Third Place: Savannah, Jessica Swann (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), STEM K–12 outreach officer

Medium: First Place: Tucson, Elishka Jepson (Raytheon Missile Systems), STEM K–12 outreach officer; Second Place: Antelope Valley, Jason Lechniak (NASA), section chair and Robert Jensen (Sierrra Lobo, Inc), STEM K-12 officer

Large: First Place: St. Louis, Jackie Blumer (Greenville Junior High School), STEM K–12 outreach officer; Second Place: San Diego; Rich Kenney (AeroED Group), STEM K-12 Officer; Third Place: Orange County, Janet Koepke, Binay Pandey, and Ed Rocha, STEM K–12 outreach officers

Very Large: First Place: Hampton Roads, Karen Berger (NASA) and Amanda Chou (NASA), STEM K-12 outreach officers; Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Ragini Acharya (Raytheon Technologies), STEM K-12 outreach officer; Third Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Dean Davis, STEM K-12 officer

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

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Daniel Nice (Northrop Grumman Corporation), section chair; Second Place: Vandenberg, Anthony Touchette (U.S Air Force), program officer; Third Place: Wisconsin, Robert Michalak (Sierra Nevada Corporation), university liaison

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Judith Sherrill, STEM K-12 outreach officer; Second Place: Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons, public policy officer, and Randy Parsley (Pratt & Whitney-Rocketdyne), section chair; Third Place: Sydney, Cole Scott-Curwood (University of Sydney), student branch representative

Medium: First Place: Tucson, Teresa Clement (Raytheon Technologies), section vice chair; Second Place; Wichita, Linda Kliment (Wichita State University), education officer; Third Place: Antelope Valley, Robert Jensen (Sierrra Lobo, Inc), STEM K-12 officer, and Kasthuri Sivagnanam, university liaison

Large: First Place: St. Louis, Charles Svoboda (The Boeing Company), education officer; Second Place, San Diego, Kimberly Painter (NAVAIR), section chair; Third Place, Atlanta, Aaron Harcrow, membership officer

Very Large: First Place, Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Chandrashekhar Sonwane (Aerojet Rocketdyne), section chair; Second Place: Pacific Northwest, Adriana Blom-Schieber (Boeing Commercial Airplanes); Third Place (tie): Dayton/Cincinnati, Aaron Altman (AFRL) and Krista Gerhardt (U.S. Air Force), eduction officers; Third Place (tie) Greater Huntsville, Brittany Searcy, university liaison; Third Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Manual Diaz (National Institute of Aerospace), Forrest Miller (Old Dominion University), and Julie Deutsch (Virginia Tech), student branch liaisons

The Young Professional Activity Award is presented for excellence in planning and executing events that encourage the participation of the Institute’s young professional members, and provide opportunities for leadership at the section, regional, or national level. The winners are:

Very Small: First Place: Delaware, Taylor Coleman (University of Delaware), young professional officer; Second Place: Wisconsin, Michael Carkin (Sierra Nevada Corporation), section chair; Third Place: Vandenberg, Anthony Touchette (U.S Air Force), program officer

Small: First Place: Northwest Florida, Ryan Sherrill, young professional officer; Second Place: Utah, Jacob Hopkins, young professional officer; Third Place (tie): Savannah, Scott Terry (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation); Third Place (tie): Sydney, Divya Jindal, young professional officer

Medium: First Place: Antelope Valley, Joseph Piotrowski (Millenium Engineering and Integration) and Patrick Clark (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics), public policy officer; Second Place: Tucson, Michael Hotto, young professional officer; Third Place: Wichita, Julie-Elisa Acosta (Spirit Aerosystems), young professional officer

Large: First Place: St. Louis, Stephen Clark (The Boeing Company), young professional officer; Second Place: San Diego, Zachary Annala, young professional officer; Third Place: Atlanta, Jeremy Young (Generation Orbit), young professional officer

Very Large: First Place: Los Angeles-Las Vegas, Moises Seraphin, young professional officer; Second Place (tie): Greater Huntsville, Lindsey Blair, Young Professional Officer; Second Place (tie): Rocky Mountain, Alexandra Dukes (Lockheed Martin Space Systems), young professional section officer

The Outstanding Activity Award allows the Institute to acknowledge sections that held an outstanding activity deserving of additional recognition. The winners are:

Very Small: Delaware, Daniel Nice, section chair. First State, First Step Viewing. As E-week was winding down, the screening of the aerospace documentary “First State, First Step” was the one last hoorah of the week for the AIAA Delaware Section. This event was a joint sponsored event, with the students of ASAE at the University of Delaware. With approximately 30 people in attendance, Michael Oates, director and moderator of the film, revealed the impact such a small state had on the space race and how it helped to put the first humans on the moon. The video captured the contributions of the many people who helped, from those who sewed the space suits to the leaders of Gore and ILC, and the engineers involved. The close-up view of those involved in that era really stirred up an effervescence of energy as we look the moon and beyond once again. Following the screening, a Q&A session was held with ILC Dover marketing director, Daniel Klopp, and the film director.

Small: Northwest Florida, Eugen Toma, section chair. Transit of Mercury. While the planet Mercury passes in front of the sun at regular intervals, the morning of 11 November 2019 presented a unique opportunity as the passing was visible during the daytime from northwest Florida. Dr. John Fay set up his telescope with solar filter at Lincoln Park in Valparaiso, FL, where scouts from Cub Scout Pack 52, students from Edge Elementary, and anyone else who was interested could watch Mercury’s transit. The transit was a unique opportunity as the next visual passing of Mercury from Florida will not occur until 2049. The event was well attended by the Scouts, their families, and their leaders. For Tiger Scouts that attended, this event satisfied an elective requirement toward the “Sky is the Limit” merit badge.

Medium: Wichita, Wilfredo Cortez, section chair. AIAA Young Professionals Tour Series. The AIAA Young Professionals Tour Series served to provide young professionals with a glimpse into their local industry. Cortez worked with local industry to coordinate tours of production lines, labs, wind tunnels, and museums. These tours served to show young professionals local company capability, the history of flight, and testing capabilities in the Wichita vicinity. The tours also allowed companies to showcase their capabilities and attempt to recruit new talent. Young professionals could view companies of interest before deciding to apply for a job there.

Large: St. Louis, James Guglielmo, section chair. A Practical Guide to Wind-Tunnel Testing Lecture and Tour. The event was presented in two parts. In Part 1, Mathew Rueger presented A Practical Guide to Wind Tunnel Testing, held in a cafeteria on the Boeing campus. His lecture provided an overview of the concepts of wind-tunnel testing, types of tests and facilities, and recent trends. The evening concluded with an open forum discussion of the use of CFD and wind tunnels in the development of flight vehicles.

Part 2 was a tour of the Boeing Polysonic Wind Tunnel (PSWT). The name “Polysonic” derives from the ability to provide test conditions in the subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flow regimes. Over its 60-year history, the PSWT has played a key role in the development of major programs such as Gemini, F-4, F-15, F-18, Delta Rocket, X-51, and more. PSWT staff members Mark Kammeyer, Rob Spencer, Tom vonHatten, and Rob Whiting led four groups of 15-20 guests each through the facility, which is a 4-foot blow-down wind tunnel. The wind tunnel tour lasted almost three hours.

Very Large: Rocky Mountain, Merri Sanchez, section chair. Apollopalooza. Wings Over the Rockies Museum invited the section to participate in Apollopalooza – a weeklong regional celebration of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and future human space exploration. The section staffed a membership table throughout the week. Adjacent to the membership table, they organized a felt storyboard and asked students to tell their space exploration story by making felt shapes of planets, astronauts, and spacecraft. Every morning they challenged visitors (kids, parents ,and grandparents alike) to design, build, and test a sturdy, but lightweight “lunar lander” of gumdrops and toothpicks. Over 200 “engineers” participated. They also offered two-hour “Orbital Confusion” workshops for high school students and a half-day workshop for teachers as part of “Apollo University,” a weeklong continuing education program.

Honorable Mention: Greater Huntsville, Charles Simpson, section chair. AIAA Greater Huntsville Inaugural Remembrance Event. The Greater Huntsville Section held an inaugural Remembrance Event to honor the section’s departed members who are memorialized in the US Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) Saturn V courtyard. The section began a program during the 2017 section year to purchase an inscribed memorial brick in the Saturn V Courtyard for departed section members. This Remembrance Event was the first ceremony to be held at the courtyard to bring AIAA members, coworkers, family, and friends together to remember our departed colleagues.

Obituary AIAA Fellow Gregorek Died in October 2019

Dr. Gerald M. “Jerry” Gregorek, 88, died on 3 October 2019. He was a student and faculty member of the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at Ohio State University for over 66 years. He was an inspiration to his students as a teacher and innovative researcher of aerodynamics, aircraft flight-test, and airfoil design, and high-speed vehicle design.

Dr. Gregorek served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War as a B-29 flight engineer, then headed to Ohio State to study aeronautical engineering. He had a long career that includes serving as chair of the Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from 1991 to 1999, director of the Aeronautical and Astronautical Laboratory, and director of the OSU Don Scott Airport.

He had a lifelong passion for education and his talent as a model airplane builder was transformed into model rocket building, education, and competition. During his son David’s illness, Dr. Gregorek used his model building talent to engage Dave in spacemodelling. He became the advisor to the newly formed Columbus Society for the Advancement of Rocketry, and he organized the first USSR space modeling competition. He represented the United States in international competitions as a member of the USA Space Modeling Team and served as a contest official for many national and world rocketry championships.

An AIAA Fellow, Dr. Gregorek was recognized with the AIAA Piper General Aviation Award (1983) and the AIAA Faculty Advisor Award (1987). He was a member of AIAA technical committees including the Aircraft Operations Technical Committee and the Aircraft Design Technical Committee. He was a member of the Supersonic Wind Tunnel Association, American Society of Engineering Education, International Astronautical Federation, Federation Aeronautique International, Experimental Aircraft Association, and received many national and international recognitions from these and other professional societies. The OSU Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering established the Gerald M. Gregorek Excellence in Teaching Award in his honor.

Obituary AIAA Senior Member Glassman Died in July

Keith Glassman. Credit: Glassman Family

Keith F. Glassman passed away at the age of 58 in an automobile accident.

Accomplished in the field of aircraft structural dynamics, he entered the profession at age 17 when he entered the Aerospace Engineering program at MIT. Mr. Glassman joined AIAA during that freshman year at MIT, and maintained continuous membership throughout his career. He completed his studies at the Parks College of Engineering, Aviation, and Technology in Saint Louis, MO.

Mr. Glassman began his government service in August 1991 and joined the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in March 1999 where he then served as a member of the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 Fleet Support Team as a Structural Engineer. Throughout those years, Mr. Glassman was a member of the team of scientists and engineers that planned and developed modifications to the F/A-18 airplane and assisted the depot in developing repair procedures. Last year he was recognized with another Special Act award from the Navy, the first having been awarded in 1995.

Mr. Glassman was a strong believer that aerospace engineering professionals should be recognized for their discoveries and achievements, and after having served as the chair of the AIAA San Diego Section, he became head of the Honors and Awards Committee and organized the annual awards banquet for two decades. For the last three years, he did the same for the San Diego County Engineering Council, which held the annual National Engineers Week banquet. Mr. Glassman also initiated and managed the annual AIAA Aerospace Heritage Night, where distinguished scientists and engineers from the San Diego Section shared their life stories and were recognized for their lifetime achievements.

Mr. Glassman was recognized with the Outstanding Contribution to the AIAA San Diego Section Award in 1998 and again in 2012; and while serving as the Section Professional Development Officer, he received the Career Enhancement Award five times. From 2007 to 2009 Mr. Glassman was AIAA Deputy Director of Region VI for membership, and he shared his passion for aerospace engineering by participating in countless outreach activities, and was enthusiastic at promoting STEM at various K-12 schools. In 2010 and 2011 he received awards for participating in the Naval Science Enrichment Program (NSEP) STEM outreach to local schools.

Obituary AIAA Associate Fellow Kutter Died in August

Bernard Kutter passed away unexpectedly on 12 August.

After graduating from the University of Washington in 1987, Mr. Kutter worked at United Launch Alliance (ULA) and its predecessors for more than 32 years.

Mr. Kutter was the manager of Advanced Programs for ULA and a major force in NewSpace. He was described by ULA CEO Tory Bruno as “a cornerstone of our Advanced Programs team, shaping the future of space technology and sharing that vision with many inside and outside of ULA.” He was considered to be a brilliant engineer and was pivotal in the design and oversight of ULA’s new Vulcan rocket, the successor to the venerable Atlas V and Delta Heavy IV rockets and ULA’s first ground-up rocket design. Mr. Kutter was also an architect of ULA’s “Cislunar 1000” plan, which aims to put 1000 people into space by 2045. He additionally hosted the popular cislunar workshops sponsored by ULA for members of the space community.

Mr. Kutter was an active member of AIAA and was part of the AIAA Space Transportation Technical Committee. He presented AIAA papers and served on AIAA panels. As Mr. Kutter said on his Linkedin profile, “I want to help humans use space to better our lives and enhance our understanding of the universe.”