Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering

Texas A&M Aero Students Sweep 2008 AIAA Region IV Student Conference

jerrod — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:01:01 +0000

Due to their first-place rankings at this year’s Region IV AIAA Student Conference, three Texas A&M aerospace engineering student representatives will be competing for the International Championship in aerospace engineering technical papers in Orlando, FL in January 2008. Three additional student papers placed 2nd and 3rd in their respective competition categories.

The 2008 AIAA Region IV Student Paper Conference was held on 18-19 April, and hosted by the University of Arkansas Student Branch and the Houston Section. A total of 82 students and faculty advisors from University of Arkansas, University of New Mexico, Louisiana State University, Rice University, University of Texas-Arlington, Texas A&M University - Commerce, Texas A&M University - Kingsville, and Texas A&M University - College Station attended.

The First Place students in the Graduate Technical Division, the Undergraduate Technical Division, and the Team Design Division will compete in the National Student Paper Competition at the 2009 AIAA Aerospace Sciences Conference in Orlando, FL.

Conference attendees were treated to a tours of NASA Johnson Space Center, and a Young Professional Seminar was also held so that student attendees could interface with young aerospace professionals and garner career advice.

The students and faculty from Texas A&M University who attended the conference wish to express their appreciation for the generous support provided by the Houston Section.

The following are the results from the competition:

A. Freshman/Sophomore History Category (single entry)

Grant Atkinson

B. Team Design Division (12 teams competing)

Kristen Holmstrom, A. Bolon, J. Nguyen, R. Palacios,
A. Soto and B. Spratlen

2nd Place: Louisiana State University

3rd Place: Louisiana State University

C. Undergraduate Technical Division (5 competitors)

Alex Bayeh

2nd Place: University of Texas - Arlington

Clark Moody

D. Graduate Technical Division (7 competitors)

Kenton Kirkpatrick

Shane Schouten

Shalom Johnson

Gary Don Seidel receives 2008 Distinguished Graduate Student Award

jerrod — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:41:52 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS! to Gary Don Seidel, recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research. He graduated from TAMU in August 2007 with a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering under the direction of Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas. His doctoral research focused on �Micromechanics Modeling of the Multifunctional Nature of Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Nanocomposites�. During his graduate program, he was an inaugural recipient of the Sandia National Laboratories/Texas A&M University Doctoral Fellowship in Engineering (2002-2006). Dr. Seidel is currently employed as a postdoctoral research associate with the Texas Institute of intelligent Bio-Nano Materials and Structures for Aerospace Vehicles (TiiMS), and, also, as a lecturer with the Aerospace Engineering Department, Texas A&M University. Dr. Seidel plans to pursue an academic career in the near future.

Dr. Bob Webb (Interim Dean of Graduate Studies), Dr. Gary Seidel, Aerospace Engineering, Mr. Marty Holmes (Assistant Executive Director, Association of Former Students).

Seminar Feb. 7th: Dr. Naomi Leonard - Mobile Sensor Networks

jerrod — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:14:32 +0000

As a part of the Dwight Look College of Engineering Seminar Series, the Aerospace Engineering department is proud to host Naomi Leonard of Princeton University on February 7th, 2008, for her talk entitled Mobile Sensor Networks: Cooperative Sensing and Control. The seminar will be given from 4:00-5:00 pm in room 131 of the H.R. Bright Building.

>> Download the flyer

Dr. Leonard describes her talk as follows:

“Coordinated motion control of multi-agent systems makes possible the design of mobile sensor networks to follow and sample features and to provide efficient sampling coverage of time-varying, spatially distributed fields in the environment (sea, land, air, space). In this talk I will describe collaborative work on models for coordinated motion of multi-agent systems based on moving particles with steering control driven by an extension of coupled oscillator dynamics. The methodology provides means for systematic design of simply parameterized families of stable collective motion patterns that can be optimized for sampling. I will describe application to design of an adaptive ocean sampling network and present results from field experiments in Monterey Bay, California. I will also describe connections to modeling and analysis of collective motion and decision making in animal groups.”

Naomi Ehrich Leonard is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and
associated faculty member of the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics at Princeton University where she has been since 1994. In 2001 she was the Lise Meitner Guest Professor at Lund University, Sweden and in 2007 a Visiting Professor at University of Pisa, Italy. She received the B.S.E. degree in mechanical engineering from Princeton University in 1985. From 1985 to 1989, she worked as an engineer in the electric power industry for MPR Associates, Inc. She received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1991 and 1994.

Prof. Leonard�s research is in nonlinear control and dynamics with current interests in cooperative control for multi-agent systems, mobile sensor networks, adaptive ocean sampling networks, modeling and analysis of collective motion and decision making in animal aggregations such as fish schools and decision dynamics in mixed human/robot teams. She became an IEEE Fellow in 2007 and received the Mohammed Dahleh Award (2005), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (2004), Automatica Prize Paper award (1999), ONR Young Investigator Award (1998) and NSF CAREER Award (1995). She has served as associate editor for Automatica and SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization.

Aggie Aero Grad Tom Cogan named Design News 2007 Engineer of the Year

jerrod — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:45:30 +0000

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ — Tom Cogan, chief project engineer for the Boeing 787, has been named 2007 Engineer of the Year by Design News magazine, a leading news resource for design engineers.

Cogan was selected by Design News’ readers for his role in creation of new 787 airplane. He leads a cross-functional team with experts in design, manufacturing, business and global partners focused on the integration of the airplane’s design and achievement of the performance targets. He will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held Sept. 26 at the National Manufacturing Week tradeshow in Rosemont, IL. (Booth # 5263).

Cogan began his Boeing career as an aerodynamics engineer 1977, after graduating from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. During his 30 years with the company, he has served as the chief project engineer for the Sonic Cruiser program and for Boeing 757 programs, overseeing the various engineering disciplines that support the 757 family of airplanes. Prior to that, he held positions devoted to the development and production of the Boeing family of airplanes. These included Interiors Integrated Product Team leader for the 757-300, Crown Systems leader for the 737-600/-700/-800 and senior manager in Payloads for airplane configuration definition and interior certification of all Boeing commercial models.

“The creativity and determination of the Boeing people to find a way to solve challenges is endless and always impressive,” said Cogan. “It is the people I work with and the amazing products we create together that make it easy to keep coming back into the office every day. No matter what challenges pop up on any given day, I know we have the right team in place to find the answers we need.”

As part of his award, Cogan will receive a $5,000 educational grant to be designated to his alma mater, Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Read More…

Prof. John Whitcomb named ASME Fellow

jerrod — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:47:38 +0000

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME International) has awarded Professor John D. Whitcomb of Texas A&M’s Aerospace Engineering Department fellow status.

Fellow Grade is the highest elected grade of membership within ASME, the attainment of which recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession.

Prof. John D. Whitcomb is internationally recognized for his outstanding research contribution ranging from developing a thermographic nondestructive evaluation method to vector programming strategies for finite element analysis. He conducted extensive pioneering work in several areas: delamination growth due to local buckling of delaminated regions, global/local methods, analysis of textile composites, and permeability of cryogenic composites. Recently he expanded his work to include design of multifunctional materials, design of piezoelectric materials, and bridging the gap between first principle atomistic models and continuum scales models. In addition, he is a devoted educator and contributed enormously in developing new curriculum for undergraduate and graduate education.

Dr. John Junkins receives UCLA Alumnus Achievement Award

jerrod — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:24:36 +0000

Dr. John L. Junkins, a Distinguished Professor in the Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering Department, has been awarded the “2007 Alumnus Achievement in Academia Award” by the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Junkins received his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA in 1967, where he earned his Ph. D. two years later - with distinction.

“The Alumni Achievement in Academia Award honors UCLA engineering alumni who are full-time faculty members in engineering, either at UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science or another university, and who have excelled in their fields as researchers and educators.”

For more information, browse to the UCLA Engineering Award Descriptions webpage.

New Open-Access Aerospace Engineering Journal Established, AERO’s Dr. Talreja as Editor-in-Chief

jerrod — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:54:43 +0000

A new, open access aerospace engineering journal has been established, with the Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering Department’s Dr. Ramesh Talreja as the founding Editor-in-Chief.

The International Journal of Aerospace Engineering aims to serve the international aerospace engineering community through dissemination of scientific knowledge on practical engineering and design methodologies pertaining to aircraft and space vehicles. Original unpublished manuscripts are solicited in all areas of aerospace engineering, including but not limited to mechanics of materials and structures, aerodynamics and fluid mechanics, dynamics and control, aeroacoustics, aeroelasticity, propulsion and combustion, avionics and systems, flight simulation and mechanics, and unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).

Two aspects of the journal are noteworthy:

This is an “Open Access” journal. That is, all articles published in the journal can be downloaded from the publisher’s web site by anyone at no cost. This will assure the widest posisble dissemination of research results published in the journal.
The journal is the only truly international journal in the broad area of aerospace engineering. As you can see from the editorial board, the team of experts serving the journal consists of colleagues from all parts of the world. This is the only way we can move along the path of globalization of the aerospace field.

» Download the informational brochure here.

Aero Graduate Students Awarded NSF Fellowships

jerrod — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:08:39 +0000

Kenton Kirkpatrick and Elizabeth Rollins, who are both graduate students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, have been awarded three-year graduate fellowships by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The fellowships start in the fall of 2008. Kirkpatrick earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M while Rollins earned hers at the University of Notre Dame.

Additionally, Brett Volk, who recently completed his undergraduate degree in aerospace earned honorable mention.

Students annually receive up to $10,500 for tuition and fees to the school of their choice, plus a $30,000 stipend for living expenses. The NSF Graduate Fellowships are very competitive with only 1,000 awards given from a pool of more than 3,000 applicants.

Students apply for the graduate fellowships before or during their first year of graduate study. They can choose to attend any university in the United States or an affiliate with a foreign institution.

The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering research and education. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to more than 2,000 universities and institutions nationwide.

Rockwell Collins Awards Educational Development Grant

jerrod — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:13:26 +0000

Rockwell Collins has awarded a $24,800 Educational Development Grant to the Aerospace Engineering Department’s Flight Simulation Laboratory for the project titled “Control Station & Display for Unmanned Air Vehicles”. Dr. John Valasek, Director of the Flight Simulation Laboratory, says that the project will enhance the graduate and undergraduate student experience in modern cockpit systems and displays by fostering the learning and development of real-time software development skills, aviation human factors, and working effectively on a team to meet realistic deadlines.

In conjunction with students in the Computer Science Department, the project work will be conducted in AERO 440 Cockpit Systems and Displays during the Spring 2008 semester. Rockwell Collins will provide a Technical Monitor, and other Rockwell Collins personnel will provide guest lectures and technical assistance. A Preliminary Design Review (PDR) will be held at program mid-point, followed by a Critical Design Review (CDR) at the end of the program.

Texas A&M was one of five universities nationwide who were awarded grants this year, out of more than 30 applicants.

The Flight Simulation Laboratory webpage is http://flutie.tamu.edu/~fsl.

Aero’s Dr. David Hyland featured on KBTX TV as Aggie grad Steven Swanson conducts Atlantis spacewalk

jerrod — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:05:46 +0000

The Aerospace Engineering Department’s Dr. David Hyland was featured in a KBTX television segment last night, discussing the department’s involvement in the space program. The segment also features video of astronaut and Texas A&M graduate Steven Swanson conducting a spacewalk during this week’s Atlantis shuttle mission, STS117.

Read the full story, published here.