Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Two aerospace engineering students have advanced to the International Student Technical Paper Championship of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The 2009 AIAA Region IV Student Paper Conference was held April 17-18. It was hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Southwest Texas Section of AIAA.  A total of 27 students and faculty advisors from the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University at Kingsville, and Texas A&M University.

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 2010 AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Conference attendees were treated to tours of Boeing Co. and the Southwest Research Institute. 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 Southwest Texas Section of AIAA.

The results from the competition:

Graduate Technical Division

1st Place: Matthew Harris, Texas A&M University

“The Implicit Function Theorem with Applications in Dynamics and Control”

Advisor: Dr. John Valasek

Undergraduate Technical Division

1st Place: Justin Wilkerson, Texas A&M University

“Fatigue of a Nanocomposite Laminate”

Advisor:  Dr. Dan Davis

Team Design Division

2nd Place: Kristen Holmstrom, Roy Palacios, and Brock Spratlen,

Texas A&M University

“Autonomous Robotics Laboratory: Hardware Demonstration of Cooperative Formation Control Laws”

Advisors: Dr. Johnny Hurtado, Magda Lagoudas

3rd Place: Justin Wilkerson, Texas A&M University

“Development of an Uninhabited Tactical Strike Aircraft”

Advisor Dr. Leland A. Carlson