1. science
2. engineering

AEROSPACE
ENGINEERING
NEWS
Spring 2015 | A publication of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University
Aerospace Engineering News | 1
As the spring 2015 semester gets underway, I cannot help but reflect on the
history of aeronautics and aerospace engineering. This year, the United States
celebrates 100 years of aeronautical research and development, as the original
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was formed in 1915. Also,
this year, we celebrate 75 years as the Department of Aerospace Engineering
at Texas A&M University. As I write this letter, the department is busy planning
events to honor this milestone. Information about these events is available in this
newsletter and on our website. We hope you will have an opportunity to join us
as we celebrate our students, former students, faculty and staff.
Last year was one of tremendous success for aerospace engineering. Many of
the student and faculty achievements are highlighted in our newsletters. Our
faculty grew significantly. Dr. Terry Alfriend, NAE and AIAA Honorary Fellow,
transitioned back to the tenured faculty from a TEES Distinguished Research
Professor position. We also welcomed two new faculty members, Dr. Moble
Benedict and Dr. Jean-Briac le Graverend. In addition, Dr. Robert E. Skelton
joined our department as a TIAS Fellow. Lastly, Harry Elmendorf joined the
faculty as an associate professor of practice. These faculty members significantly
enrich the educational opportunities for our students, and their areas of
expertise contribute to our strategic research plan.
In 2014, 99 undergraduates joined the ranks of former students in aerospace
engineering. In addition, our graduate program produced 16 Ph.D. and 10
master’s graduates. Former students, Norman Dyson ’60, Mark A. Fischer ’72,
Gerald D. Griffin ’56, and Dr. Walter E. Haisler, Jr, ’67 were induced into the
Aerospace Academy as Distinguished Alumni. David W. Lund ‘79, Dr. Merri J.
Sanchez ’85, and Michael L. Slack ’73 were inducted as Outstanding Aerospace
Engineer Alumni. Finally, Keith Ferris and Thomas U. McElmurry received the
Aerospace Engineering Honorary Engineer Award. We wish all of our former
students the very best in all they do.
To conclude, I remain humbled to serve as department head. I look forward to
celebrating our past as part of the 75th Anniversary, while continuing to plan
for the future to meet the needs of our industry and strategically energize our
already internationally acclaimed research programs.
Dr. Rodney D. W. Bowersox
Professor and Department Head
2 | Aerospace Engineering News
Faculty Highlights
Dr. Terry Alfriend
Dr. Moble Benedict
Dr. Jean-Briac le Graverend
Dr, Alfriend joined aerospace
engineering as department head
in 1997. He became a TEES
Distinguished Research Professor
in 2003. Alfriend rejoined the
tenured faculty in 2014. He is
a member of the NAE, AIAA
Honorary Fellow, and a charter
member of the Texas Academy
of Science, Engineering and
Medicine. His areas of expertise
are astrodynamics, satellite altitude
dynamics and control, space
debris, surveillance, and systems
enginering.
Dr. Moble Benedict joined the
department in September. He
received his Ph.D. in aerospace
engineering in 2010 from the
University of Maryland. His areas
of expertise are in the design,
development and autonomous
control of high performance
next generation aircraft at small
(MAVs/UAVs) and full scales,
energy efficient green aviation, and
high efficiency vertical axis wind
turbines.
Dr, Jean-Briac le Graverend joined
the department in October. He
received his Ph.D. in aerospace
engineering in 2013 from the
Office National e’Etudes et
de Recherches Aerospatiales
(ONERA), France. His areas of
expertise are in mechanics of
materials, viscoplasticity, constitutive
modeling, phase field modeling,
piezoelectric materials, high
temperature materials, and thermoand electro-mechanical testing.
Aerospace Engineering News | 3
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING
At A Glance
As a department within the Dwight Look College of Engineering, we are excited and proud to be among the top
aerospace engineering programs in the United States providing unique cutting-edge educational and research
opportunities, including space exploration, national defense, air transportation, communications and sustainable
energy.
Our students are offered a modern curriculum that is balanced across the three principal disciplines of aerospace
engineering: aerodynamics and propulsion, dynamics and control, and materials and structures. The program also
benefits from strong connections to major aerospace industries, the Department of Defense and NASA.
US News & World Report Rankings
Fall 2014 Enrollment
Rankings among public institutions
Undergraduate Students 499
Undergraduate Graduate Graduate Students
Master’s
Ph.D.
113
42
71
7th
5th
Outstanding Faculty
Degrees Awarded (AY 2013-2014)
Professors20
Associate Professors
11
Assistant Professors
4
Bacherlors 100
Master’s11
Ph.D.18
Endowed Chair Holders
Endowed Professorship Holders
University Distinguished Professors
National Academy of Engineering Members 6
4
3
3
Published by the Department of Aerospace Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University to keep
current and former students, industry and trade organizations, and friends of the department informed on the accomplishments and
discoveries achieved by one of the nation’s most prominent departments of its kind.
Contact us:
Editor, Jan McHarg
Department of
Aerospace Engineering
3141 TAMU
701 H. R. Bright Building
College Station, TX 77843-3141
979.845.0516
[email protected]
engineering.tamu.edu/aerospace
4 | Aerospace Engineering News
Subscribe:
Aerospace Engineering News is distributed via email and is available online at
http://engineering.tamu.edu/aerospace/news/newsletters. If you would like to be added to the
distribution or removed from the list, please email [email protected].
Media:
Information in this newsletter may be used for further distribution in its entirety or in part for
print publication or on the web. Please attribute Aerospace Engineering Newsletter. Additional
questions can be directed to Jan McHarg at [email protected].
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING NEWS
In This Issue
Index
6
16
75th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration
Faculty Achievements
Reed Named Piper Professor
Bowersox Appointed Ford Motor Company Design
Professor
8
Texas A&M Joins European Wind
Energy Master Program
9
TIAS Scholar Joins Aerospace
Engineering
10
Aerospace & Computer Science
Faculty Working on Exascale Project
11
17
Faculty Achievements
Valasek Recipient of the 2015 Leland Atwood Award
18
Faculty Achievements
Girimaji Receives 2014 AFS College Level Teaching
Award
Banks Announces Administrative Appointments
Camp SOAR 2014 a Success
19
13
Faculty Achievements
Junkins Presents 24th Theodore von Karman Lecture
CANVASS Established
14
Student Successes
Bertagne Awarded NASA Space
Technical Research Fellowship
NACME Scholars Named
15
Student Successes
Harris Awarded National Defense
Graduate Fellowship
Page Named to Inaugural Theta Tau
All-Academic Team
Coleman Takes Second Place in
Robert L. Lichten Competition
20
Faculty Achievements
Vadali Receives 2014 Dirk Brouwer Award
Two Aerospace Faculty Recognized as TEES Fellows
21
Faculty Achievements
Alfriend Named 2015 AIAA Honorary Fellow
22
Nine Inducted into Aerospace Engineering Alumni
Academy
25
Giving Opportunities
Aerospace Engineering News | 5
The Department kicks off
75th Anniversary Celebration
“As early as 1928, Professor W.D. Bliss, Head of the Mechanical Engineering
Department, foresaw the importance of the aeroplane and introduced a course,
ME 428 Aerodynamics, into the curriculum. This course was a Senior Elective in
Mechanical Engineering. In 1930 W.I. Truettner, an aeronautical engineering
graduate from the University of Michigan, was employed to teach this course
and others as they were introduced into the curriculum. In 1931-32, ME 434
Aeroplane Design, and two graduate courses, ME 511 and 512 Advanced
Aeroplane Design, were added. In 1938 Paul R. Higgins, another aeronautical
engineering graduate, was added to the Mechanical Engineering staff.
The work in this field had grown in importance until in the summer of 1938
the Board approved the creation of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering.
However it was two years before the Department was organized.”
from One Hundred Years of Engineering at Texas A&M 1876-1976
by C.W. Crawford
As we kick off 2015, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at
Texas A&M University will celebrate its 75th anniversary, marking
three-quarters of a century of providing cutting-edge educational
and research opportunities.
Former students gathered with current students, faculty and
staff over the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 1 to kick-off the year-long
celebration.
On Oct. 31st, a 40-ft banner hung on the Harvey R. “Bum” Bright
Building was unveiled and a barbecue was held. Former students
were able to visit with current students and faculty, sharing stories
from the past. After lunch, the former students were given a tour
of the various labs in the Bright building. Thank you to Paul
Fenley for his sponsorship of the banner.
On Saturday the department held its first tailgate in conjunction
with the Texas A&M vs. Louisiana-Monroe football game. Once
again, former students were able to learn about what is going on
in the department, as well as share their stories from the past.
Thank you to Dr. Walter Haisler for sponsoring the tailgate.
A great time was had and we look forward to seeing more former
students during our year-long celebration. Save May 7, 2015 on
your calendar. We will be holding our 75th Anniversary banquet
in conjunction with our annual awards banquet. More details to
come. You can keep up with the latest events surrounding the
75th anniversary at http://engineering.tamu.edu/aerospace/
news/75th-anniversary.
6 | Aerospace Engineering News
Share Your Story
Our aerospace alumni have gone on to do amazing things after
graduation, from working on the 787 Dreamliner to testing top
secret aircraft for the US Air Force to founding their own energy
company. There are so many varied and unique stories our
alumni can share.
Do you have a favorite memory from your years at A&M? Is
there something you are phenomenally proud of accomplishing
since you graduated? Is there anything you want to tell current
and prospective students that you wish someone had told you
when you started school? We’d love to hear from you.
If you have any stories, anecdotes or wonderful photos to share
with us that could be included in our celebration, we would love
to have a copy. We will try to use as many stories and pictures
as we can.
Save the Date!
75th Anniversary Banquet & Annual
Awards Banquet
May 7, 2015
Annenberg Presidential Conference Center
Join us for this special event to be held at the Annenberg
Presidential Conference Center on the grounds of the
George Bush Library. We will honor the next inductees
to the Distinguished Alumni Academy and recognize the
accomplishments of current students and faculty.
You can email those pictures and stories directly to Jan McHarg,
communications specialist for aerospace engineering, at
[email protected].
Aerospace Engineering News | 7
Texas A&M joins the
European Wind Energy Master Program
The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University has accepted an invitation to
join the European Wind Energy Master (EWEM) program as an associate partner. This collaborative
effort will bring the department into the midst of a very active wind energy research and education
hub in Europe.
The EWEM is a two-year master’s degree program, which aims to educate 120-150 graduates per year,
providing valuable workforce to meet increasing global demand for wind energy professionals with
graduate education. The EWEM consortium is composed of four universities that are world leaders
in wind energy and offshore wind energy research and education: Delft University of Technology,
Technical University of Denmark, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Carl von
Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg.
EWEM attracts top students in four specializations that follow the energy conversion chain: wind
physics, rotor design, electric power systems and offshore engineering. The master’s program
prepares graduates for a career in research, both in industry and in academia, and is closely linked to
the research expertise of the participating universities.
Associate partners like the Department of Aerospace Engineering support EWEM by providing
access to world-class infrastructure for wind energy research and development. They also offer
opportunities for graduating students to continue their studies towards their doctorate. Aerospace
has substantial expertise in various wind energy related fields including aerodynamics, structures and
materials, aeroacoustics and composite materials.
EWEM organizes summer schools, the first of which was held in Delft on June 12-14, 2014. In
addition to lectures, the students and guests participated in a networking fair, a debate over wind
energy costs and a workshop which resulted in building a working wind turbine. On the last day of
the Summer School, the participants went offshore for a close-up look of the Windpark Egmond aan
Zee. The next Summer School is planned for 2015 and the Department of Aerospace Engineering
expects to be a participant.
For more information, contact Dr. Ramesh Talreja at [email protected].
8 | Aerospace Engineering News
TIAS Scholar joins aerospace engineering
Dr. Robert Skelton
For more than 50 years, Robert E. Skelton’s research has focused on integrating system science with
material science to create new material systems. His contributions to innovative engineering serve
humankind in outer space and on Earth.
Skelton became a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. He is also a Fellow of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics, and a life member of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a non-profit foundation
in Germany established to promote cooperation in international research.
Most recently, Skelton pioneered the mathematical description of tensegrity structures. Derived by
combining “tension” and “integrity”, the term “tensegrity” describes materials composed of strings and
rods. His papers have explained the tensegrity nature of the cytoskeleton of the red blood cells, and
of the molecular structure of nature’s strongest tensile material, the spider fiber. Tensegrity materials
can change shape by altering their string tension. This ability to adapt allows tensegrity to produce
materials systems that can modify their acoustic, electromagnetic, or mechanical properties. In addition,
tensegrity structures may include built-in actuators, sensors, and power-storage devices. This makes
tensegrity an attractive alternative to conventional design.
Tensegrity structures may be used to assemble bridges, buildings, airplane wings, or radio antennae
that readily change their shapes as needed. In space, tensegrity materials are capable of producing
lightweight antennae, mirrors, or satellites.
As a TIAS Fellow, Skelton will interact with faculty and students in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.
For more information on Dr. Skelton, http://tias.tamu.edu/facultyfellows/tias-2014-2015-facultyfellows/robert-skelton.
Aerospace Engineering News | 9
Aerospace and Computer Science faculty
working on NSF-funded exascale project
Three faculty members from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University
are part of a team working on a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project researching
asynchronous PDE algorithms for turbulent flows at exascale. Dr. Diego Donzis, assistant professor in
aerospace engineering is the Principal Investigator, while Dr. Raktim Bhattacharya, associate professor
and Dr. Sharath Girimaji, professor, both from the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Dr.
Nancy Amato, Unocal Professor and Dr. Lawrence Rauchwerger, professor, both from the Department
of Computer Science and Engineering are Co-Principal Investigators.
Future exascale computing systems will be available to study important, compute-intensive applications
such as multi-physics multi-scale natural phenomena and engineering systems typically modeled
accurately by partial differential equations (PDEs). A prime example is turbulence at high Reynolds
numbers, typically found in natural and engineering systems, which comprise an extremely wide range
of spatial and temporal scales and has thus became a Grand Challenge in scientific computing.
However, many challenges exist that must be overcome before exascale systems can be utilized effectively.
These include communication between processing elements as well as global synchronizations both
of which will likely be a main bottleneck when millions of billions of processing elements are utilized
in a simulation.
In this project the team will develop novel exascale numerical schemes for PDEs, especially those
describing turbulent flows, that exploit asynchrony from the mathematical to the software level.
These will be based on widely used finite differences, compact differentiation and spectral schemes.
Asynchrony offers better performance but also introduces errors in the solution. The team’s schemes
will be able to trade off accuracy and performance in a quantitative and predictable manner, a feature
thought to be critical at exascale. Their approach includes rigorous mathematical studies of stability
and accuracy which will also provide a framework for the development of new schemes and quantify its
uncertainty, as well as the development of specific elements in a scalable library for parallel computing
to enable portable implementations on current and future machines.
The tools, techniques and simulation data in this project will be integrated in the principal investigators’
educational efforts through graduate mentoring, undergraduate research and as material for courses
they teach in high-performance computing, fluid dynamics and dynamical systems.
10 | Aerospace Engineering News
Camp SOAR 2014 a success with the help of
Boeing and Rockwell Collins
Camp SOAR (Summer Opportunities in Aerospace
Research) 2014 was hosted by the Department of
Aerospace Engineering with the help of Boeing and
Rockwell Collins July 20-25, 2014.
Camp SOAR is a five-day summer camp designed to
expose upcoming high school juniors and seniors with
an interest in aerospace engineering to the research
and facilities at Texas A&M University’s Department of
Aerospace Engineering. Sixty students, twice as many
as the previous years, were selected from applications
across the nation to explore the field of aerospace
engineering with an emphasis on either airplanes,
rockets or airships.
Students involved in the airplanes track were
introduced to basic airplane flight control
fundamentals through the paper airplane project by
Wayne Lutz, Camp SOAR instructor and lecturer in
the Department of Aerospace Engineering. Using
paper airplane models, the students folded a unique
paper design into a paper glider. They then competed
with fellow students to achieve best glide distance and
accuracy. Lutz offered real-time suggestions on their
design to improve the airplane performance.
The rocket and space track, led by Dave Kanipe, Camp
SOAR instructor and lecturer in the Department of
Aerospace Engineering, is designed to provide the
students with the fundamentals of physics of how
rockets work and what it takes to get to space and
orbit the Earth. Students engaged in making and
flying their own rockets. They used compressed airpowered rockets, as it is relatively easy for the students
to understand the basic physics behind their flight. This
also gave the students the ability to launch the rockets
several times, giving them multiple opportunities to
observe their rocket and understand its motion. During
the week, the students competed amongst themselves
for distance and accuracy.
In the airships track, the students were given a brief
introduction on the fundamentals of buoyant flight
and its history by Zach Harris and Divya Sri Praturi,
Camp SOAR instructors and graduate students in the
Department of Aerospace Engineering. As a fun, small
scale warm-up activity, each student constructed a hot
air balloon using trash bags, straw and candles. This
activity reinforced the concepts reviewed in the airship
fundamentals presentation, especially the necessity of a
higher buoyant force than weight force, and provided
the students with the opportunity to practice the
engineering concepts related to design, testing and
redesign.
For the remainder of the week, the airship track
students worked on developing autonomous air
swimmers and optimizing them to meet the given
requirements. Air swimmers are helium-filled balloons
that are propelled by flapping tails. The students’ first
task was to design and test two tail shapes. Following
the selection of a tail, the students were provided the
necessary hardware, software, and instruction to fully
automate their air swimmers. During this phase, they
Aerospace Engineering News | 11
conducted tests to determine
the optimal power and
timing settings for the tail.
During the week, students
toured the department’s
facilities, including, but not
limited to, the Vehicle and
Systems Control Laboratory,
Land Air and Space Robotics
Lab, and the Oran Nicks Low
Speed Wind Tunnel. In the
Flight Research Laboratory
they were each given the
opportunity to test their
skills on the flight simulator.
As part of their exposure
to aerospace propulsion
systems, all students had the
opportunity to observe and
operate a small firing jet
engine. During the lab tours
and throughout the week,
the students were given the
opportunity to interact with current students as well as
world-renowned faculty.
At the conclusion of the week, the students teamed
up to compete with their final projects. The airplane
and rocket tracks combined to launch a small balsa
wood glider attached to a rocket. The students split
into teams of two: one rocket team member and one
airplane team member. Working together, the goal
was that the rocket must deliver the glider to as high
an altitude as possible and the airplane must glide
for as long as possible. For the airships track, the
culmination of the air swimmers project was a fly-off
in the lobby of the Zachry. Each team of students
competed to fly the given path in the shortest amount
of time.
Boeing recognizes the value this program provides
high schools students interested in learning more
about aerospace engineering and was pleased to
provide monetary and personnel support for the
program, including the sponsorship of scholarships.
This is the first year Rockwell Collins provided
monetary support to Camp SOAR as they also
recognize the value of the program.
12 | Aerospace Engineering News
Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems
(CANVASS) Established
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recently approved the
establishment of the Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems
(CANVASS). The mission of CANVASS is to:
1. Conduct innovative research and develop technologies for
autonomous systems
2. Extend the core strengths of researchers and facilities for longterm, collaborative, research and development
3. Facilitate technology incubation by pairing industry partners with
expert faculty members
The strategic research goal is to establish trust in autonomous systems so that they interact with humans and their
environment safely, reliably, and predictably to mutually accomplish desired missions and tasks. CANVASS is the
only center at a U.S. university that addresses all of autonomous underwater, ground, air, and space systems and
their sensors.
The center, directed by Dr. John Valasek, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, is a joint venture
of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Texas A&M University Dwight Look College
of Engineering. CANVASS is a 17-laboratory center with investigators from the Departments of Aerospace
Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biological and
Agricultural Engineering, and Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution administered through the
Department of Aerospace Engineering. CANVASS connects the relevant research talents from these labs to create
multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative, synergistic strategies for the design, analysis, control, validation
and verification of complex autonomous vehicle and sensor systems operating in challenging
environments. The initial CANVASS technical challenge focus areas are:
• Networked Operations, Health Adaptive Mission Management, and On-Board
Decision Making in Complex GPS-Denied Outdoor Environments
• Precision Agriculture
• Infrastructure & Environmental Assessment
• Field-Based and Large-Scale Human-Machine Interactions
• Space Environment Operations and Space Situational Awareness
Research by CANVASS follows a progression from basic research at Technology Readiness
Level (TRL) 1 (basic technology research) up through TRL 7 (initial testing of mature systems
and concepts in challenging environments). In addition, CANVASS is developing a state-ofthe-art outdoor test site, the Riverside Range. The 900-acre Riverside Range will make TEES one of only a handful
of major university systems worldwide with a large-scale instrumented outdoors laboratory located on campus.
Thus CANVASS offers an affordable and accessible gateway to full-scale, larger test ranges. As such, CANVASS
complements the Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center
of Excellence and Innovation, a joint Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi and TEES center.
Riverside
Range
In the Department of Aerospace Engineering, CANVASS is
comprised of the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory, the
Land, Air and Space Robotics
Laboratory, the AggieSat Laboratory,
and the Laboratory for Uncertainty
Quantification.
Parallel 7,000 ft Runways
Aerospace Engineering News | 13
Student Successes
Bertagne awarded NASA Space Technical Research Fellowship
Christopher Bertagne ’13, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in the Department
of Aerospace Engineering, has been awarded a NASA Space Technical Research Fellowship
(NSTRF) for 2014-2015. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) offers
these fellowships to graduate students who show significant potential to contribute to
NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our Nation’s science,
exploration and economic future. As a Space Technology Research Fellow, Bertagne
will conduct innovative research within the Texas Institute for Intelligent Materials
and Structures (TiiMS), a Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) center
organized under the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Chris received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering in 2013.
The NSTRF is a highly competitive and prestigious fellowship that requires students to
submit a detailed technical proposal describing the work they will conduct under the
fellowship. Bertagne’s proposal was entitled “Variable Geometry Radiators Using Shape
Memory Alloys.” The research is based on preliminary work performed by Dr. Darren
Hartl, TEES research assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering,
in collaboration with researchers at NASA-Johnson. The effort builds upon an innovative
morphing radiator concept that uses shape memory alloys (SMAs) to actuate in response
to different heat rejection requirements over the course of a mission. The device has
the potential to greatly improve performance while simultaneously decreasing mass relative to current radiator
technology. According to Dr. Hartl, “this type of novel structural concept represents an ideal application of active
materials technology as well as a challenging multi-physical analysis and design problem.”
The fellowship, which is valued at $140,000, includes full tuition coverage, a monthly stipend, medical insurance
coverage, and a PI allowance. The fellowship will begin August 2014 and lasts for two years, during which time Bertagne
will benefit from the guidance of Hartl and co-advisor Dr. John Whitcomb. In addition, he will be matched with a
technically relevant and community-engaged researcher, usually at a NASA center, who will serve as the student’s
professional research collaborator. The research collaborator will serve as the conduit into the larger technical
community corresponding to the student’s research interests.
NACME Scholars named
Fifteen students from the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University were named recipients of
the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) scholarship. Carley Amador, Israel Casillas,
and Sean O’Beirne from the Department of Aerospace Engineering were among the recipients. The students were
honored during a reception.
NACME aims to increase the proportion of African American, American Indian and Latino graduates in science,
technology, engineering and math education and careers. NACME’s vision is to help shape the United States
engineering workforce, much like the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. Therefore, the
scholarships are the result of a five-year grant awarded to the college of engineering, by NACME, to help support
talented underrepresented students studying engineering.
The scholarship recipients were recognized for their academic achievements and received a $3,000 award, which
is renewable as long as the students maintain a 3.0 GPA. The NACME scholarship recipients are also expected to
participate in a college-related student leadership program such as, the Engineering Ambassador Program and the
Explore Engineering summer camps.
14 | Aerospace Engineering News
Student Successes
Harris awarded National Defense Graduate Fellowship
Joshua Harris ’14, a graduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering,
was awarded a National Defense Science Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG) for 2014. The
Department of Defense (DoD) awarded approximately 200 new three-year graduate
fellowships in April 2014, with approximately 12 being awarded to students in aerospace
engineering. The DoD offers these fellowships to individuals who have demonstrated the
ability and special aptitude for advanced training in science and engineering. Harris has
conducted research with Dr. John Valasek, professor in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering, in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory during his undergraduate
studies. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering in
May 2014 and is pursuing his Ph.D. in the department.
The NDSEG Fellowship is a highly competitive, portable fellowship that is awarded to U.S.
citizens and nationals who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in one of 15 supported
disciplines. NDSEG confers high honors upon its recipients, and allows them to attend
whichever U.S. institution they choose. NDSEG Fellowships last for three years and pay for
full tuition and all mandatory fees, a monthly stipend, and up to $1,000 a year in medical
insurance.
Page named to inaugural Theta Tau All-Academic Team
Nicholas Page, a student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been named to
the inaugural Theta Tau All-Academic Team by the Theta Tau Educational Foundation.
Along with 91 other students from Theta Tau chapters throughout the United States, Page was selected based on a
high grade point average in the previous semester and active engagement in his chapter. One student from each of
the eight Theta Tau Regions will be named Team Captain in the coming weeks and will receive a scholarship from the
Educational Foundation.
The Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity is the oldest and largest fraternity for engineers, with chapters
across the country, and members around the world. Founded at the University of Minnesota on Oct. 15, 1904, Theta
Tau develops leaders for service, profession and brotherhood. They are usually the most diverse student group on
campus – certainly the most diverse that is truly active and engaged in the lives of its members. While most do not
have the opportunity for fraternity housing, a living, learning, service community is inherent in all chapters. Members
interact and learn from those across the spectrum of engineering majors, from the widest potential range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Theta Tau Educational Foundation is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and promotes education and training for
leadership, teamwork, professionalism, responsibility, decision-making skills and development of others.
Coleman takes second place in Robert L. Lichten Competition
David Coleman, a graduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, won
second place in the annual Robert L. Lichten competition at Bell Helicopter Textron in Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 9,
2014. The regional competition is hosted by the Southwest Region of the American Helicopter Society.
The Robert L. Lichten Award was established to provide an incentive for AHS members, who have not previously
presented a paper at a technical forum, to present their work at local and regional AHS meetings. The purpose is
to give young researchers/professionals engaged in new and innovative research the opportunity to showcase their
results.
Participants in the competition each gave a 20 minute presentation and were judged by senior engineers on creativity,
originality and technical content of the work. Coleman’s presentation was titled, “Design, Development and FlightTesting of a Sub-100 Gram Robotic Hummingbird.” Coleman is a first year Ph.D. student under Dr. Moble Benedict.
Aerospace Engineering News | 15
Faculty Achievements
Reed named Piper Professor
Dr. Helen Reed, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been selected
as a Piper Professor of 2014 by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.
Ten awards of $5,000 each are made annually to professors for superior teaching at the
college level. Selection is made on the basis of nominations submitted by each college
or university in the State of Texas. Begun in 1958, the roster of Piper Professors includes
outstanding professors from two- and four-year colleges and universities, public and private.
Candidates must be nominated through the university President’s Office.
The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation was organized in 1950 and incorporated in the
State of Texas as a non-profit, charitable corporation. Its purpose is to support charitable,
scientific, or educational undertakings by providing for, or contributing toward the
education of financially limited but worthy students; by assisting young men and women
residents of Texas, attending or wishing to attend colleges and universities in the State
of Texas, to complete their education and obtain degrees; by contributing to community
chests, and supporting any other non-profit organization or activity dedicated to the
furtherance of the general welfare within the State of Texas.
Dr. Reed joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2004 and served as department head for four years before returning to
teaching and research on a full-time basis. Widely regarded as an expert in hypersonics, energy efficient aircraft, and
small satellite design, Reed has led research projects totaling millions of dollars and is a member of the National
Research Council’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board. She has received numerous professional awards and
honors, including being a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), the American
Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She received the Atwood Award from the
American Society for Engineering Education and AIAA, and she was inducted into the Academy of Engineering
Excellence at her alma mater Virginia Tech. At Texas A&M, she holds the Edward “Pete” Aldridge ’60 Professorship,
she has been named a Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence (in perpetuity) and a Regents Professor (in
perpetuity), and she has received the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching
at both the University and College Levels, and the McElmurry Award from Aerospace Engineering. With teaching
and mentoring students as top priorities, Reed has directed 18 doctoral students, 32 master’s students and more than
1,000 undergraduate students during her career.
Complementing her outstanding in-class teaching, Reed also directs the AggieSat Lab Satellite Program, a student
satellite program housed within the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The program is a partnership with NASA
Johnson Space Center and The University of Texas to promote multidisciplinary systems-engineering education, teach
engineering practices, and develop and demonstrate new technologies enabling future space exploration. Through
this program, her students designed, launched and operated Texas A&M’s first satellite in 2009, with another mission
planned for this year.
Bowersox appointed Ford Motor Company Design Professor
Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. Rodney
Bowersox holder of the Ford Motor Company Design Professorship I in engineering. The
endowed professorship was effective Oct. 1, 2014.
Bowersox is the head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and is director of the
Texas A&M University National Aerothermochemistry Laboratory. He earned his Ph.D.,
master’s and bachelor’s degrees, all from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Bowersox’s research interests include gasdynamics, aerothermochemistry, high-speed
aerodynamics, hypersonics, unsteady aerodynamics, aero-propulsion, turbulence
modeling, numerical situations, instrumentation development, and wind tunnel design.
16 | Aerospace Engineering News
Faculty Achievements
Valasek recipient of the 2015 Leland Atwood Award
Dr. John Valasek, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been
selected as the recipient of the 2015 Leland Atwood Award in honor of his outstanding
work with students at Texas A&M University as well as his contributions to the aerospace
profession.
The John Leland Atwood Award of the American Society for Engineering Education
(ASEE) Aerospace Division and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA) was established in 1985 in honor of John Leland Atwood, an outstanding engineer
who played a major role in the development of aviation and aerospace technologies for
more than 50 years. This award, given annually, recognizes the accomplishments of a
superior aerospace engineering educator and his or her contributions to the profession.
Dr. Valasek says that, to him, the spirit of John Leland Atwood is about making a difference
in students’ lives. “I feel very blessed to receive this recognition because two professors of
mine who made a difference and helped shape my academic career, Conrad F. Newberry
and Jan Roskam, are themselves recipients,” Valasek said. “I also have five colleagues
here at Texas A&M who are previous recipients, and they continue to mentor me to this
day. I hope to do the same for my students past, present, and future.”
Valasek joins previous recipients of the Leland Atwood Award in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas
A&M University: Stan H. Lowy (1977), John L. Junkins (1988), Walter E. Haisler (1990), Leland A. Carlson (1997),
and Helen L. Reed (2007).
Valasek is the director for the Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor Systems (CANVASS). His research on
cyber-engineering systems is focused on bridging the gap between traditional computer science topics and aerospace
engineering topics, and has been funded by AFOSR, AFRL, ONR, NASA, FAA, NSF, and industry. Valasek has been on
the aerospace engineering faculty at Texas A&M since 1997, and teaches courses in Aircraft Design, Atmospheric Flight
Mechanics, Modern Control of Aerospace Systems, Vehicle Management Systems, and Cockpit Systems & Displays.
He is the author / co-author of three recent books: Morphing Aerospace Vehicles and Structures (Wiley, 2012); Advances in
Intelligent and Autonomous Aerospace Systems (AIAA, 2012), and Nonlinear Multiple Time Scale Systems in Standard and NonStandard Forms: Analysis and Control (SIAM, 2014).
Valasek has served as committee chair to 41 completed graduate degrees, including six NSF, six NDSEG, and one
SMART graduate fellowship recipients, and his students have won national and regional student competitions in topics
ranging from aircraft design to smart materials to artificial intelligence. His Ph.D. student Anshu Narang-Siddarth ’12
was the 2013 recipient of the Texas A&M University Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Research, Doctoral
Level, for her dissertation titled “Analysis and Control of Non-Affine, Non-Standard Singularly Perturbed Systems.”
He has also supervised the research of 54 undergraduate students. From 2006 to 2008 he served as the National
President of Sigma Gamma Tau, the aerospace engineering honor society, and he served as the faculty advisor to the
Texas A&M student branch of AIAA from 2000 to 2009, receiving the National Faculty Advisor Award from AIAA in
2005.
Valasek is a Scholar of the Montague Center for Teaching Excellence, and a recipient of the Association of Former
Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching, College Level in 2004, and University Level in 2008. He is
a two-time recipient of the B.P. Amoco Teaching Excellence Award from the College of Engineering, and a three-time
recipient of the Thomas U. McElmurry Teaching Excellence Award from the aerospace engineering department.
Valasek earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
in 1986 and his master’s degree with honors and his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas, in
1990 and 1995 respectively.
The award is endowed by Rockwell Collins and consists of a $2,000 honorarium and a distinctive engraved medal. Dr.
Valasek was recognized at the AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech) in January 2015.
Aerospace Engineering News | 17
Faculty Achievements
Girijami receives 2014 AFS College Level Teaching Award
Dr. Sharath Girimaji, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas
A&M University, has been awarded the 2014 Association of Former Students Distinguished
Achievement Award in Teaching, College Level. Each fall The Association of Former
Students honors outstanding faculty members for their dedication to teaching. These
awards recognize, encourage, and reward superior classroom teachers – those individuals
whose command of their respective discipline, teaching methodologies, pervasive caring,
communication skills, and commitment to the learning process exemplify the meaning of
teacher/mentor in its highest sense. This award is designed to distinguish those teachers
who maintain high expectations of their students and who ensure academic rigor in
their courses. Distinguished teachers recognize their responsibility in motivating and
contributing to the overall development of the student.
Girimaji teaches general dynamics of aerospace engineering. He was nominated for his
outstanding performance in the classroom, his commitment towards providing exciting
extracurricular activities within the Dwight Look College of Engineering, his outreach to
high schools through Project Aether and Camp SOAR, and his commitment to teaching
and mentoring of high-level graduate students. Girimaji maintains one of the top-producing
research programs in the department, where he couples these activities into his teaching mission.
In addition to his impact in the classroom, he has developed several extracurricular activities, including the HighAltitude Balloon Club (HABC), Space Propulsion, and Air-Swimmers. HABC was founded as an undergraduate
research club under Girimaji’s mentorship with the objective to demonstrate low-cost, accessible space exploration
through high altitude balloon launches. The club has launched over 40 balloon flights, most of them reaching up
to 100,000 feet. Through Space Propulsion, the main goal is to introduce talented undergraduates to aerospace
engineering related scientific research, including modeling plasmas and turbulence effects in aerospace engineering
and other fields. The Air-Swimmers project participants develop theory and perform computations, experiments and
demonstrations of caudal fin efficiency by examining aquatic animals such as Koi, tuna and sharks.
Girimaji is also one of the main mentors of the educational organization Project Aether, which collaborates with high
schools to teach students physical concepts and experimental research skills. Girimaji is also involved in Camp SOAR,
a weeklong summer camp for high school juniors and seniors involving hands-on experience in various aerospace
engineering design projects.
His commitment to graduate education starts in the classroom, where he has developed and taught three different
graduate courses: Fundamentals of Turbulence – Turbulence Processes, Topics in Turbulence Modeling, and Rarefied
Gas Dynamics. He has mentored over 35 undergraduate summer research students, and has graduated 12 Ph.D. and
17 master’s students at Texas A&M.
Girimaji received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras, India and his master’s degree
and Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University. He has been a member of the aerospace
faculty for 14 years.
Banks announces administrative appointments
Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering, has appointed Dr. John Hurtado as the senior
director for multidisciplinary engineering programs and Dr. Kristi Shryock as the senior director of retention.
Hurtado is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. In his new role, Hurtado oversees all aspects of
the multidisciplinary engineering programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Hurtado received both
his master’s degree and his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M in 1991 and 1995, respectively.
Shryock is an instructional associate professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. In her new role, Shryock
oversees the retention of undergraduate engineering students. Shryock received her bachelor’s and master’s in
aerospace engineering, as well as her Ph.D. in interdiciplinary engineering from Texas A&M.
18 | Aerospace Engineering News
Faculty Achievements
Junkins Presents 24th Theodore von Karman Lecture
Dr. John Junkins, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M
University, delivered the plenary lecture at the 55th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace
Sciences at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, on Feb. 25, 2015. The lecture is named in honor
of pioneering engineer/scientist Theodore von Karman who founded the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. Junkins’ presentation was the 24th offering of the bi-annual Theodore von
Karman Lecture.
Junkins’ lecture was titled “Astrodynamics for Modern Space Operations: Recent Analytical,
Computational and Experimental Results.” In his lecture, Junkins discussed the challenges
posed by the recent rapid accumulation of space debris in near earth orbit, with particular
emphasis on the large derelict spacecraft and spent rocket boosters. At present, 22,000
trackable objects (greater than 10 cm) are known, and many hundreds of thousands of
smaller objects are known to be there even though too small to track using conventional
means.
The majority of the small debris objects are due to two recent collision events (the 2007
Chinese Fengung C deliberate intercept of one of their dead communication satellites, to
demonstrate their space warfare capabilities, and the 2009 US/Russian Iridium/Cosmos accidental collision).
Aside from increasing the probability of collisions, the recent dramatic escalation of debris objects makes the recursive
task of making extracting the needed information from tracking data orders of magnitude more challenging. One
severe challenge is the informational one, our present catalogs do not include many pieces of dangerous debris from
these two collisions, and earlier events that created lesser amount of orbit debris. Methods for tracking space debris
have been essentially overwhelmed by the 2007 and 2009 collisions, and we are only recently establishing methodology
needed for keeping track of the vastly increased volume of small objects.
Each collision’s debris cloud increases probability of subsequent collisions. This cascading phenomena is partially
counterbalanced by atmospheric drag that automatically removes objects with high surface to mass ratio, albeit at
too slow a pace to keep up with the challenge before us. The cascading growth of debris and collision frequency is
known as the Kessler Syndrome, after Don Kessler, a NASA engineer who foresaw this problem in the 1970s. Due to
the increasing collision probability, orbit debris can pose unacceptable safety hazards for space utilization, already the
International Space Station must maneuver three or four times per year to avoid debris.
In his lecture, Junkins makes the case that now is the time to develop the needed technology for remediation of
space debris and take the national and multinational steps needed to minimize the further accumulation. If we limit
attention to the largest low earth orbit objects with intact nozzles, there are approximately 3,000 large derelict objects
in the mass range from 100 kg to 8,000 kg. Studies indicate that removing five to eight of these large objects per year
will flatten the growth of orbit debris and is recommended as a high priority thrust for civilian and military space
agencies worldwide.
Under NASA sponsorship, a novel approach has been investigated by Junkins that seeks to utilize the nozzle as a
universal “docking port” enable capture of these objects to send them on re-entry trajectories to burn in the upper
atmosphere, and for the larger objects to be safely guided into an ocean landing zone.
There are multiple challenges with this approach including autonomous sensing and control of sufficient fidelity
and reliability; design of capture mechanisms and control strategies to incur minimal risk of creating more collision
debris; and developing new designs that make the debris removal missions affordable.
Junkins outlined the design of a capture device and discussed experiments wherein a probe is inserted into the
nozzle and deploys an inflatable bladder in the pressure so the nozzle is firmly captured for disposal of the debris.
Controllable pressure in the bladder can be used to make the approach broadly applicable to different sized nozzles
and to enable ease of release once the object is on the desired re-entry trajectory.
In addition to addressing the challenges of removing debris, Junkins also treated the computational issues implicit in
tracking, identifying and doing hazard analysis for space debris. These computational challenges must be addressed to
establish the high fidelity catalogs needed for collision avoidance computations, new spacecraft mission planning and,
Aerospace Engineering News | 19
Faculty Achievements
Vadali receives 2014 Dirk Brouwer Award
Dr. Srinivas Rao Vadali, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas
A&M University, has been awarded the prestigious 2014 Dirk Brouwer award by the
American Astronautical Society.
The Dirk Brouwer Award was established to honor significant technical contributions
to space flight mechanics and astrodynamics and to recognize Brouwer’s outstanding
role in celestial mechanics and his widespread influence on workers in space flight and
astrodynamics.
Brouwer was an inspiring leader in the field of celestial mechanics during a period that
saw a revival and flowering of that discipline, from its purely academic and esoteric role,
to one of widespread development and application in man’s exploration of space. He
was successful as a researcher, teacher and administrator. He always strove to make the
growth of his subject truly international. The Space Flight Mechanics Committee selects
the recipient of this award.
Vadali was honored for his contributions in spacecraft dynamics and control with significant
advances in the state of the art in attitude control, momentum management, optimal control and formation flying.
The award was presented at the 2015 AAS Space Flight Mechanics Meeting held in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Previous award winners from the department include Dr. John Junkins and Dr. Kyle T. Alfriend.
Two aerospace faculty recognized as TEES Fellows
Two faculty members from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University have been recognized
by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) as TEES Fellows.
The TEES Fellow designation recognizes established faculty members with a history of continuous performance.
TEES is an engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.
Texas A&M Engineering faculty hold joint appointments as TEES Researchers.
Dr. Diego Donzis has been selected as a TEES Select Young Faculty Fellow and Dr. Sharath Girimaji has been selected
as a TEES Senior Faculty Fellow.
Donzis is an assistant professor in the department. His research interests include large-scale, highperformance computing, fluid dynamics, turbulence and turbulent mixing. He joined the department
in fall 2009. He received his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Universidad
Tecnologica Nacional, Argentina in 2001, his master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia
Institute of Technology in 2004, and his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Georgia Institute of
Technology in 2007. In addition to this award, he has received the Francois Frenkiel, the NSF CAREER
award, a previous TEES Select Young Faculty award, two INCITE awards by DOE, and best graduates
from Argentina by the National Academy of Engineering of Argentina.
Girimaji is a professor in the department. He teaches general dynamics of aerospace engineering and
maintains one of the top-producing research programs in the department. In addition to teaching
and mentoring high-level graduate students, he provides extracurricular activities within the College
of Engineering, including the High-Altitude Balloon Club, Space Propulsion, and Air-Swimmers. He
is also involved in outreach to the high school programs through Project Aether and Camp SOAR.
Girimaji received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from IIT Madras, India and his master’s
and Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University. He has been a member
of the aerospace faculty for 14 years.
20 | Aerospace Engineering News
Faculty Achievements
Alfriend named 2015 AIAA Honorary Fellow
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has named Dr. Terry
Alfriend, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University,
a 2015 AIAA Honorary Fellow. Presentation of the new Fellows and Honorary Fellows
will take place at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala, May 6, 2015, at the Ronald
Reagan Building and International Trade Center, in Washington D.C.
The title of Honorary Fellow, the highest distinction conferred by AIAA, is granted to
preeminent individuals who have long and highly contributory careers in aerospace, and
who embody the highest possible standards in aeronautics and astronautics.
“The title of AIAA Fellow is among the highest honors that one can earn in the aerospace
community. It represents the acknowledgement of peers that one’s work is truly
outstanding, and that you have made lasting contributions to significantly advancing
the state-of-the art of aerospace science and technology,” said Mike Griffin, AIAA pastpresident. “Beyond that, the title of Honorary Fellow honors those whose work and
contributions have placed each at the pinnacle of our profession.”
For more than 40 years, Alfriend has been making key contributions to the understanding of the flight mechanics
and control of space vehicles. His career includes a mix of experience in academia, industry and government. His
innovations appear prominently in subjects as diverse as analytical celestial mechanics; satellite formation flying;
attitude dynamics and control; surveillance of space; probabilistic problems in astrodynamics including probabilityof-collision formulations used by NASA to ensure safety of manned space flight; and application of space systems to
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Papers from every phase of his career continue to be cited regularly at
conferences and in journals.
In addition to his academic and industrial posts, Alfriend has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Guidance, Control
and Dynamics, as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences and as associate editor of the International
Journal of Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy.
Alfriend’s many honors include election to the National Academy of Engineering, election to the International
Academy of Astronautics, and citation with the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. He is a Fellow of both the
AIAA and the AAS and has received both the Mechanics and Control of Flight Award and the Dirk Brouwer Award
from these societies. In 2005, he received the AAAS International Scientific Cooperation Award for his decade-long
efforts to organize the US/Russian Space Surveillance Workshop series. He continues today as one of the two principal
American organizers of this unique contribution to international understanding.
In 1933, Orville Wright became AIAA’s first Honorary Fellow. Today, AIAA Honorary Fellows and AIAA Fellows are
the most respected names in the aerospace industry. Candidates of no more than four deemed most worthy of the
Honorary Fellow honor shall be recommended to the AIAA Board of Director for election each year. To be elected
signifies that Alfriend stands out amongst his peers and some of the greats in aerospace history.
AIAA is the largest aerospace professional society in the world, serving a diverse range of more than 35,000 individual
members from 80 countries, and 100 corporate members. AIAA members help make the world safer, more connected,
more accessible, and more prosperous.
Aerospace Engineering News | 21
Nine inducted into Aerospace Engineering
Alumni Academy
The Department of Aerospace Engineering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University
inducted nine alumni into the Aerospace Engineering Distinguished Alumni Academy last April during the Aerospace
Engineering Annual Awards Banquet.
Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award
Receiving the Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Award were David W. Lund ’79, Merri J. Sanchez, PhD, ’85, and
Michael L. Slack ’73. This award is presented to an alumnus 40 years or older who has proven superior professional
achievement, community service and service to the university. These persons are role models for all to follow, and
their example of distinguished professional practice deserves recognition.
David W. Lund ’79
A 1979 graduate, Lund has over 30 years experience in research, technology transition and education.
He has a track record of delivering results working for NASA, AIAA, small business, Boeing and
academia (Texas A&M and University of Kansas). He has made contributions in unconventional
aircraft configurations, laminar flow, advanced materials and structures, supersonic transports, and
advanced systems. His expertise is sought by proposal red teams, aerospace instructors, non-advocate
boards, government panels, audit teams and strategic planning groups. Lund currently serves on the
Aerospace Engineering External Advisory Board for the department.
Merri J. Sanchez, PhD, ’85
Upon graduation from Texas A&M Sanchez went to work at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space
Center. She was selected to the NASA Senior Executive Service in 2009. Sanchez joined Sierra
Nevada Corporation’s Space System’s Group as the senior director for space exploration systems
in July 2010, where she manages the Dream Chaser Program, a lifting-body design of a commercial
human spacecraft. Sanchez has distinguished herself through her more than 30 years of service
as an aerospace engineer in service to our nation’s space program. With roles as Space Shuttle
integration test engineer, X-38 spacecraft deputy project manager, Space Station increment manager,
NASA executive liaison to the U.S. Air Force, and manager of a team building a human spacecraft
for NASA, she is recognized for her superior achievement and service to the aerospace profession. Sanchez currently
serves on the Aerospace Engineering External Advisory Board for the department.
Michael L. Slack, ’73
Slack, a 1973 graduate of Texas A&M, focuses on the most challenging and demanding areas of civil
litigation, including aviation law and products liability. He is co-founder and manager of Slack &
Davis, LLC. Slack’s aviation law experience includes more than 29 years of litigation arising from
air crashes. In addition, he has received national media attention as an advocate for stronger federal
oversight to improve air ambulance safety. Prior to his legal career, Slack was senior aerospace
engineer with NASA in Houston, working on the Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle Programs. NASA
awarded him special commendations for his contributions. Slack currently serves on the Aerospace
Engineering External Advisory Board for the department.
22 | Aerospace Engineering News
Aerospace Engineering Honorary Engineer Award
The Aerospace Engineering Honorary Engineer Award is presented to non-Texas A&M University aerospace
engineering alumni who have made major contributions to the engineering profession and whose support of
the department merits recognition. The two honorees given this distinction were Keith Ferris and Thomas Uriel
McElmurry, Lt. Col USAF (Ret).
Keith Ferris
Flight has changed our perception of the world, and Ferris has changed our perception of the world
of aviation in his paintings. During his time as a student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering,
Ferris went to war and never re-enrolled in school. Not able to pursue his lifelong dream of being
a pilot, he turned to his other passion, art. In 1960, Ferris became a member of the Society of
Illustrators. This New York professional artist society brought flying into focus and allowed Ferris to
get back to the excitement and dedication that is the United States Air Force. Through this program,
artists were able to fly missions anywhere in the world in exchange for donating their time and talents
- to the art collection. The Air Force Art Collection now contains over 5,600 paintings and other
works donated by more than 900 participating artists. Ferris has over 21 in the collection at present.
Thomas Uriel McElmurry, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret)
McElmurry is recognized for his achievements during his exceptional careers in the military, industry
and academia. McElmurry began his lifelong passion for flying in the Army Air Corp, which later
became the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force he was a test pilot, and later the operations
officer at Edwards Air Force Base Test Pilot School. McElmurry, along with such well known individuals
as Frank Borman, Buck Buchanan, and Jim McDivitt developed the training curriculum for the Air
Force’s first Aerospace Research Pilot program, and were among its first graduating class. McElmurry
retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel, and then joined NASA, where he held many roles,
including Chief of Flight Crew Operations in the Office of Manned Space Flight in Washington,
D.C., and Chief, Orbiter Atmospheric Flight Test Office, Director of Flight Crew Operations working on SkyLab at
the Johnson Space Center in Houston. After retiring from NASA, McElmurry became an associate professor in the
department where he taught for 13 years.
Distinguished Aerospace Engineering Alumni Award
Four alumni were honored with the highest honor in the academy, the Distinguished Aerospace Engineering Alumni
award. This award is presented to an alumnus who is retired or near retirement with outstanding career records. This
award recognizes sustained and meritorious contributions to engineering and engineering management. The four
honorees were Norman “Ken” Dyson ’60, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret), Mark A. Fischer ’72, Gerald “Gerry” D. Griffin ’56 and
Walter E. Haisler, Jr, PhD, ’67.
Norman “Ken” Dyson ’60, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret)
After graduating first in his class in 1960, Dyson went into flight training for the Air Force, and was
the top graduate in his class. After four years as a fighter pilot, Dyson attended the USAF Aerospace
Research Pilot School prior to testing weapons in the F-100, F-101 and F-4 aircraft. He flew the F-100
and F-4 aircraft in the Vietnam War before returning to Edwards AFB as an instructor at the USAF
Test Pilot School and later as an F-15 test pilot and director of the F-15 Joint Test Force. He began
classified work in 1976, where he flight tested Have Blue and Tacit Blue until 1982.
After Air Force retirement, Dyson joined Rockwell and flew throughout the B-1B test program. He
flew the first flight of the X-31 Post Stall Aircraft in 1990 and flew the X-31 through its early testing.
He retired from Rockwell as chief test pilot and director of flight test in 1993.
Dyson was awarded the Kincheloe Award in 1989 for test flying Have Blue and in 1996 for Tacit Blue after these
programs were declassified. He has also received the Legion of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, nine Air
Medals and Aviation Week & Space Technology’s Aerospace Laurels. Dyson is an Engineering Fellow of the University
of Alabama, a Distinguished Alumnus of the USAF Test Pilot School and was named to the Aerospace Walk of Honor
in 1997.
Aerospace Engineering News | 23
Mark A. Fischer ’72
A 1972 graduate with honors, Fischer began his career with Humble Oil Company, now Exxon
Company USA. In 1988, Fischer founded Chaparral Energy, Inc. as a privately held independent oil
and gas product and exploration company with headquarters in Oklahoma City. He has served as its
chairman, chief executive officer and president since its inception.
Fischer is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the American Petroleum Institute
and has served as a director of the API from 1984-1986. In 2012, Fischer was a national finalist for the
Ernest and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He sits on several non-profit organization boards
including the Boy Scouts of America and he is currently serving on the Dwight Look College of Engineering Advisory
Council and the board of the Association of Former Students for Texas A&M.
Gerald “Gerry” D. Griffin ’56
A 1956 graduate Griffin is the former director of the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in
Houston. In prior positions at NASA, he served as the deputy director of the John F. Kennedy Space
Center in Florida and the Hugh F. Dryden Flight Research Center in California.
Griffin laid the foundations for America’s space shuttle and space station programs. During NASA’s
Apollo Program, he was a flight director in Mission Control and served in this capacity for all of the
Apollo manned missions. He was lead flight director for three lunar landing Missions: Apollo’s 12,
15 and 17. During the flight of Apollo 13, Griffin was scheduled to lead the lunar landing team in
Mission Control. When the landing was canceled as a result of the oxygen tank explosion, he led one
of the teams of flight controllers who were responsible for the safe return of the astronauts.
Today Griffin is chairman of the board of the Golden Spike Company (GSC), a Delaware Corporation headquartered
in Boulder, Colorado. GSC is a commercial space company planning human lunar expeditions.
Griffin has received the Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor
Award, the Texas A&M College of Engineering Alumni Honor Award, and he is a Fellow of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Astronautical Society.
Walter E. Haisler, Jr ’67, Ph.D.
For over 41 years, Haisler has been an outstanding and dedicated teacher, an internationally
recognized researcher, and a willing provider of meritorious service to the department, Texas A&M
University, and to the aerospace community. Haisler received his bacherlor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in
aerospace engineering from Texas A&M in 1967, 1968 and 1970, respectively, and joined the faculty
in September 1970.
Haisler is recognized by current and former students and faculty as an outstanding teacher and as
one who considers teaching and education as the most important function of faculty at the university.
He has earned a number of faculty and teaching awards including two student awards, four college
awards and the university-level Texas A&M University Former Students Award for Excellence in
Teaching. At the national level he has received the AIAA/ASEE Atwood Aerospace Engineering Education Award.
Haisler’s research is internationally recognized and he has over 100 publications and technical reports and 40 plus
conference presentations. He has mentored approximately 25 master’s and 10 Ph.D. graduates, and has served on
numerous graduate student committees both within and outside of the department. He has also served on several
NASA and DOD peer review committees and as a consultant to industry in his research areas.
In recognition of his contributions and service, Haisler was awarded The Charles W. Crawford Service Award in 2001,
the Dwight Look College of Engineering Faculty Fellow Award in 2004, and the Charles W. Crawford Service Award
again in 2007. He was named an Associate Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1987, a
Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1985 and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society in 1986.
He was selected as a TEES Research Fellow for 1982-83, 1983-1984 and then as Senior TEES Research Fellow in 1984.
In addition, he was the Halliburton Professor of Aerospace Engineering for 1984-85.
24 | Aerospace Engineering News
Giving
Giving Opportunities
The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas
A&M University is among the top engineering programs
in the United States, providing unique cutting-edge
educational and research opportunities, which include
space exploration, national defense, air transportation,
communications and sustainable energy. The program
has an enrollment of nearly 500 undergraduates and 150
graduate students.
Our students are offered a modern curriculum that
is balanced across the three disciplines of aerospace
engineering: aerodynamics and propulsion, dynamics
and control, and materials and structures. The program
also has strong relationships with major aerospace
industries, the U.S. Department of Defense and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Scholarships, Fellowships,
Professorships
Undergraduate Scholarships
$25,000 and above
The need for undergraduate student support never
ceases. In addition to giving students the extra money
and time they need to excel in their studies, scholarship
programs help the university recruit top students. The
criteria for recipient selection may be designated by
donors, and your generous contribution will provide an
annual award that will be directed to a worthy aerospace
undergraduate student.
The Department of Aerospace Engineering sincerely
appreciates your interest of our funding initiatives and
philanthropic causes for support. While philanthropic
motivating factors often vary, your giving will provide
an impactful and rewarding opportunity to assist the
department with meaningful scholarships and awards
to our well-deserving students and critical funding to
support and attract world-class faculty. We welcome this
opportunity to partner with you to ensure the long-term
advancement of our highly regarded and nationally
ranked department.
Graduate Fellowships
$500,000
There are a variety of ways for your gift to positively impact
the Aerospace Engineering Department. Whether you
wish to fund your gift via a one-time cash contribution,
pledged payments over a period of years, establishment
of a planned gift comprised of corporate stock or real
estate holdings, or utilization of a corporate matching
gift campaign, it is our expectation that your gift be
appropriately designated and thoughtfully recognized.
Endowed Professorships
$1,000,000
As we plan for the future, department leadership will
be mindful of the critical need to identify funding
opportunities to support long-term continual need
initiatives such as undergraduate scholarships, graduate
fellowships and professorships. These options are the
bedrock of our fundraising efforts, and will always be of
the utmost importance to ensure an ever-lasting legacy
of success in the classroom.
Endowed Fellowship help to encourage more
undergraduate students to pursue more advanced
degrees. Top quality graduate students are important to
faculty recruiting, our research program, and the future
of engineering education. The endowed funds generate
annual income which will be used to attract and retain
quality faculty in the department.
With the goal of growing the College of Engineering
student body by 25,000 by 2025, we must continually
strive to attract and recruit the best and brightest minds
in the aerospace academic area to Texas A&M. By
providing a gift to create an endowed professorship, you
will make a lasting impact on the department that will
result in the future education and career development
of students that will ultimately shape the future of the
aerospace industry.
Aerospace Engineering News | 25
Endowed
Endowed Legacy FundsLegacy Funds
In celebration of the Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering Department’s 75th anniversary, we pause to reflect on the
rich history of educational impact that our esteemed faculty have imparted upon thousands of current and former
students. In thoughtful consideration and appreciation of these efforts, we cannot overstate the indelible legacy that an
esteemed few have built during their career, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of academic excellence in the arena of
aerospace engineering. Now is the time to honor each of these renowned scholars for their efforts by choosing to support
the fulfillment of an endowed legacy fund in their honor, that will help shape the future of the Texas A&M Aerospace
Engineering Department for many years to come.
The Leland Carlson
Undergraduate Fund
The John Junkins
Graduate/Ph.D. Fund
An accomplished, much loved
teacher who is greatly missed in
the classroom, Leland Carlson
joined the faculty at Texas
A&M in 1969. His primary
activities were teaching, advising
and research, with research
interests in computational fluid
dynamics, aerothermodynamics,
hypersonics, and aircraft design.
In addition, Carlson served
three years as assistant-associate
dean of engineering and eight
years as director of aerospace
engineering
undergraduate
programs, and devoted considerable time and effort to
aerospace engineering education activities with ABET.
A prolific teacher/researcher,
Dr. John Junkins, joined
the faculty in 1985. He is a
Distinguished Professor in
the Department of Aerospace
Engineering and holds the
Royce E. Wisenbaker Chair at
Texas A&M. He also holds the
Texas Engineering Experiment
Station Distinguished Chair
and holds the title of Regents
Professor of the Texas A&M
University System. He led the
proposal and is the Founding
Director of the Texas A&M
University Institute for Advanced
Study. He is presently leading the development of a
significant laboratory: The Land, Air and Space Robotics
facility. Junkins’ research has focused on developing
control laws for optimal spacecraft maneuvers, and he
is researching novel methods for computing optimal
trajectories for orbit transfer and other applications.
Having received numerous awards throughout his career
at Texas A&M, Dr. Carlson is one of the few faculty to
receive the Texas A&M University Former Students
Award for Excellence in Teaching three times, once at
the college level and twice at the university level. He is
an AIAA Fellow, an ASEE Fellow, and the recipient of
many teaching awards, including the J. Leland Atwood
Aerospace Engineering Education Award and the Charles
W. Crawford Service Award. He retired in 2009 and still
serves the department as Emeritus Faculty.
26 | Aerospace Engineering News
Junkins takes pride in developing people, and has
directed over 120 graduate students, leading to 49
students receiving their Ph.D. His students are known for
balance between analytical competence and pragmatic
insight into advanced implementations. His technical
descendants are distributed worldwide in industry,
government, and academia; they are respected for their
many contributions. His teaching and mentoring have
been recognized by university and international awards,
including the Distinguished Teaching Award (1990), the
John Leland Atwood Award (1988), and the 1999 Frank
Malina Medal (IAA), as well as being designated in 2002 as
a Regent’s Professor by the Texas A&M Board of Regents.
Endowed
Endowed Legacy FundsLegacy Funds
The Walter Haisler, Jr
Faculty Fund
The Stan Lowy
Design Fund
Joining the faculty in 1970,
Dr. Walter Haisler was an
outstanding and dedicated
teacher, an internationally
recognized researcher, and a
willing provider of meritorious
service to the Department of
Aerospace Engineering at Texas
A&M for over 41 years. Haisler
is recognized by former students
and faculty as an outstanding
teacher and as one who considers
teaching and education as the
most important function of
faculty at the university. Haisler’s
research is internationally recognized, with his interests
lying in structural mechanics, finite element methods,
inelastic material behavior, numerical methods, dynamics
and geophysical modeling. He mentored 25 master’s and
10 Ph.D. graduates. Haisler served as department head
from 1985-1995, and again as interim department head
from 2003-2004.
Beloved professor Stan Lowy
joined the Department of
Aerospace
Engineering
in 1964 as a professor of
aeronautical
engineering.
He taught courses in the area
of aircraft and spacecraft
propulsion, and initiated new
courses in the area of orbital
mechanics. In the 1970s, he
began teaching the courses in
aircraft and spacecraft design.
When the AIAA Bendix award
was established for national competition among students
majoring in aerospace engineering, teams supervised
by Lowy won first place in the contest for the first three
years. He served as department head from 1977-1979
and assistant dean of engineering from 1980 until his
retirement in 1986.
He has earned a number of faculty and teaching awards,
including two student awards, four college awards and the
AFS Award for Excellence in Teaching. In recognition of
his contributions and service, Dr. Haisler was awarded the
Charles W. Crawford Service Award twice and the Dwight
Look College of Engineering Faculty Fellow Award. He
was named an AIAA Associate Fellow, an ASCE Fellow and
an AAS Fellow.
Known for his readiness to encourage the inception
and development of new ideas and the optimization of
all resources to inspire maximum student performance,
Lowy received many awards during his career. Among
the awards given to Lowy include the Association of
Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for
Teaching at the University Level (1976), the Outstanding
Aeronautical Engineer Educator from AIAA and ASEE
(1977), the Charles W. Crawford Award (1986), and
the AIAA Faculty Advisor award (1986). He retired to
halftime in 1986, but remained as a professor and dean
emeritus until fully retiring in 1991. After his retirement,
the department created an award in his honor that
is presented to a student design team each fall and
spring semester for innovation, technical expertise and
teamwork.
The Texas A&M Foundation encourages donors to make gifts through the methods most convenient for them. Donors may choose to
make current gifts such as cash, securities or multi-year pledges. They also may choose to utilize estate gifts such as bequests, charitable
trusts or gift annuities. Finally, donors may designate the Foundation as beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement account.
Corporate matching funds may be available to you through your employer.
The Foundation is the University’s designated 501(c)(3) organization created for the specific purpose of soliciting, managing and
dispersing private funds given for the educational programs of Texas A&M University. Normal fees associated with collection
and disbursement of gifts and gift income at Texas A&M will be assessed. Gifts to the Texas A&M Foundation are charitable
contributions to the extent of funds donated in excess of any benefits that may have been received in return.
For more information please contact: Reagan Chessher, Director of Development - Dwight Look College of Engineering Texas A&M
Foundation, 719A H.R.Bright Building, Tel: (979) 862-1936, Cell: (979) 324-7404, [email protected]
Aerospace Engineering News | 27
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Dr. Rodney Bowersox, Department Head
701 H.R. Bright Building
3141 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3141
979.845.7541
http://engineering.tamu.edu/aerospace
28 | Aerospace Engineering News