MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department
enews Vol 2, #6
March 2006
In this issue:
- Awards and accomplishments
- Comings and goings
- Job openings
- AA Tours, talks, reception for alums at reception
- Hoffman on Engineer's role in space exploration
- HAL gets mobile lab
- Lockheed Martin supports AA activities
- How, Williams named Info Sector co-heads
- News from the student groups
- Hall featured in Tech Talk/Home Page
- Space robot talk on MIT World
- CDIO holds N. American regional meeting
- Mars Biosat Project seeks interns
- Web favorites
1. AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
AIAA has selected Ph.D. candidates Soon-Jo Chung and Umair Ahsun as two of six finalists in its 2006 AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference Graduate Student Paper Competition. Soon-Jo's paper is “Model Reduction and Decentralized Control of Tethered Formation Flight by Oscillation Synchronization,” and Umair's is "Dynamics and Control of Electromagnetic Satellite Formations in Low Earth Orbits." All finalists are provided travel to the conference in Colorado this summer where they will present their papers, and they will be recognized at the conference award banquet where the winner is named. Both students are working under Professor Dave Miller. Excellent job!
The department's AeroAwards Committee awarded two Above & Beyond awards recently to Carol Niemi and Stacey Scott Congratulations! Nominate a staff member for an award. The annual Spirit of XVI Award will be given to a staff member in May - get your nominations in now!
2. COMINGS AND GOINGS
Carla Rivera of the Student Services Office is leaving on April 6 for a job at Boston University. We’ll miss her, and wish her the best.
3. JOB OPENINGS
The Environmental Design Space team is searching for a postdoctoral associate to undertake a number of responsibilities including assessment and application of a suite of computational aircraft design tools, leading the development of a fidelity management system, close collaboration with graduate students and other researchers, and interaction with industry partners. Requirements: Ph.D., along with technical skills in the area of aerospace system design. Familiarity with the basics of aircraft and engine conceptual design is desired, along with strong computational skills and the ability to learn new design tools. Excellent teamwork, oral communication, and written communication skills are essential. Please send resumes to Anne Maynard by May 31, 2006.
4. AA TOURS, TALKS, RECEPTION FOR ALUMS AT RECEPTION
Aero-Astro will participate in the upcoming Graduate Alumni Convocation and Reunion, on Friday, April 21 with a tour and presentations – and, of course, students, faculty, and staff are welcome to join in. See Marie Stupard for more information. Our schedule for the day is as follows:
2-3 p.m.: Lab tour including Space Propulsion, Space Systems, and Man Vehicle labs, and the Learning Lab for Complex Systems (Seamans and Gelb labs and Neumann Hangar). Includes demos and a poster display. Tour leaves from 33-306
3-4:15 p.m., Room 33-206: short presentations by Course 16 students, including this year’s Lemelson Student Prize Winner, Ph.D. candidate Carl Dietrich. Carl's talk will present some of the Space Systems Laboratory research on fusion reactors for spacecraft power and propulsion. He will also discuss Terrafugia, a startup company that he has founded with four other MIT students, to produce flying automobiles.
4:15-5 p.m. Room 33-106: Reception for alums with department faculty, student, and staff.
5. HOFFMAN ON ENGINEER'S ROLE IN SPACE EXPLORATION
As part of MIT Campus Preview for newly admitted freshmen, former NASA astronaut, Prof. Jeffrey Hoffman will give a talk titled: "The Role of Aerospace Engineers in Future Space Exploration.” Prof. Hoffman will discuss how NASA has recognized the critical need for both discipline and systems engineers to carry out the nation's "Vision for Space Exploration." Prof. Hoffman will also cover the MIT Aero-Astro approach to engineering education, and how it helps give students the skills they will need to be able to participate in future space exploration programs. The program is April 6, 4-5 p.m. in room 35-225. All are invited.
6. HAL TO GET MOBILE LAB
Professor Missy Cummings' Humans and Automation Lab has received the exciting news that it's been awarded a Department of Defense Defense University Research Instrumentation Program award funding a mobile lab to take their Office of Naval Research-sponsored command and control research on the road. "Command and control applications can require specific subject matter experts not locally available," says Professor Cummings."While HAL experimenters can go to operators in the field, equipment and traveling limitations prohibit incorporating a realistic MMWS mock-up." Professor Cummings says. The new mobile lab will enable all levels of C2 Navy (and other services) personnel to participate in performance and usability testing, while also allowing military personnel the ability to become engaged and become a stakeholder in future technology development. The Mobile Advanced Command and Control Station, as the traveling lab will be called, will provide HAL, and potential other related agencies, with a fully-equipped mobile testing unit for human-in-the-loop research with actual subject matter experts. Keep your eyes peeled for a Winnebago parked behind the Neumann Hangar...
7. LOCKHEED MARTIN SUPPORTS AA ACTIVITIES
Following a Gelb Lab tour with Professors Earll Murman and Dave Miller, and Col. Pete Young; and Chuck Hugo of the MIT Industrial Liaison Program, Lockheed Martin officials have decided to contribute to several department activities. Jennifer Brooks, Lockheed Martin University Relations - Campus Relations Manager, has forwarded checks to the ILP which will be disbursed to Aero-Astro and several other MIT departments. Specifically, the Aero-Astro grants are $3,000 for an undergraduate design project and $3,000 for a Rocket Team project. The department is most grateful for LM's support.
8. HOW, WILLIAMS NAMED INFO SECTOR CO-HEADS
With Professor Vincent Chan on sabbatical, AA Head Professor Wes Harris has announced that Professors Jon How and Brian Williams have been named co-heads of the Aero Astro Information Sector. Professor Dave Miller continues as Systems Sector interim head, and Professors Alan Epstein and Ed Greitzer head and co-head, respectively, the Vehicle Technologies Sector. For a list of faculty associated with each sector, visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/faculty/facultybysector.html
9. NEWS FROM THE STUDENT GROUPS
The Graduate Association of Aeronautics and Astronautics is planning a number of events starting with The Space Exploration System Architecture Group presenting a sampling of its work following an intoduction by Professor de Weck. Grads: Find out what your colleagues are doing and draw inspiration from related research you didn't know existed. Undergrads: Scope out possible UROPs and research ideas. Everyone: Learn more about the research going on in Aero-Astro. The seminar is 4-5 p.m. on April 6 in the Given Lounge on the 5th floor of Building 37. A social hour with light food and beverage follows. Other upcoming GA3 activities include , a breakfast social around April 10, a wine and cheese reception on May 4, an ice cream social during finals, and a mixer with Mech E's grad group GAME on May 18. Swati Mohan of GA3 says he will send out email alerts prior to the events. You can contact GA3 if you have questions.
Aero-Astro Intramural Sports leader Dan Kwon reports that the departments finished a successful winter season. The B-league hockey team finished in 2nd place in the league. A team picture is posted online. Spring sports underway include softball (Ugrad, Grad B, Grad C leagues), volleyball (B league), and ultimate (B league). Email Dan if you'd like to join a team.
Chris Sequeira of the MIT Flying Club invites all to visit the club's new Web site:
10. HALL FEATURED IN TECH TALK/HOME PAGE
Professor Steve Hall's work on electromechanical morphing/active materials was profiled recently in Tech Talk and on the MIT home page. The article states that "MIT engineers report they may have found a way for structures -- and materials -- to move in this way, essentially morphing from one shape into another. The discovery could lead to an airplane that morphs on demand from the shape that is most energy efficient to another better suited to agility, or to a boat whose hull changes shape to allow more efficient movement in choppy, calm or shallow waters."
11. SPACE ROBOT TALK ON MIT WORLD
Newly added to MIT World, the on-demand video archives of significant MIT events, is a talk by Rodney Brooks who discusses robots in space, his desire to go to Mars, and the capabilities of the next generation of artificial intelligence. Brooks directs the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
12. CDIO HOLDS N. AMERICAN REGIONAL MEETING
Diane Soderholm reports that The North American CDIO regional collaborators held a successful meeting at Univ. of Colorado Boulder March 14-16. Schools represented included MIT; U Colorado, Boulder; Ecolé Polytechnique, Montreal; Queen's University, Kingston; US Naval Academy, Daniel Webster College; Cal State Northridge; U. Washington; and Northwestern U. In addition to a CDIO Introductory Workshop, activities were enjoyed by all included an Instructor Resource Material demo; working sessions of the theme groups design-build/workspaces, teaching, learning & assessment, curriculum & program evaluation; a presentation on faculty development by Jeff Froyd of the Foundation Coalition and Texas A&M Univ; and a presentation by Raytheon's Karl Arunski, Director of Rocky Mountain Engineering, on what Raytheon looks for in engineers and new hires. The next CDIO meeting is the Annual Conference, which will be held in Sweden in June.
13. MARS GRAVITY BIOSATELLITE PROGRAM SEEKS INTERNS
The Mars Gravity Biosatellite Program is accepting applications for summer internship positions in the fields of science, engineering, management, business development, and educational outreach. The Mars Gravity Biosatellite represents the only current option for investigating the long term effects of partial gravity on mammals, a subject that must be more thoroughly studied before astronauts can travel to Mars or beyond. Join students and researchers as they work towards a PDR in the coming months, gaining real world experience and taking a critical step on the path to manned Mars missions. Help design this ground-breaking spacecraft, assist the science team, or lend a hand with management and outreach. Applications are being accepted through the end of April.
14. WEB FAVORITES
The MIT News Office regularly writes and/or promotes articles about Aero-Astro activities, projects, and people. These articles are archived in one, convenient spot at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/topic/aeronautics.html. At this writing, stories on the page include vehicle morphing (see item 10. above), "MIT scientist shares AAAS honor for cooperation," "Sky's no limit for Lemelson winner," "Challenger anniversary recalls MIT's contributions," "IAP: Life on Mars could be human, someday," and more. An RSS feed for the page is available (and will be added to the "News" section of the Aero-Astro site shortly).
Please share your news with the rest of the Aero-Astro community by contributing to the e-news. Awards, events, new research - it's all of interest. Send your suggestions to wlitant@mit.edu.
