MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department
enews Vol 3, #10
May 2007
In this issue:
- Honors and Recognition
- Spakovsky to Vice-Chair Turbomachinery Commitee
- Staff Receive Hi-5s, Above & Beyound Awards
- AA Team takes 1st Place in AIAA DBF Competition
- Students Sought for Unified Grader,
Fellow Positions
- Aero-Astro Alum Winds Annenberg Fellowship
- Baby Babble
1. HONORS AND RECOGNITION
The HST (MIT- Harvard Heath Sciences & Technology) Bioastronautics
Graduate Training Program http://hst.mit.edu/images/upload/upload-2327.pdf directed
by Professor Larry Young, is part of the National Space Biomedical
Research Institute's Education and Outreach Team that has received
the Stellar Award from the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement
Foundation. The Stellar Award recognizes the team's "performance
as a nationally recognized, top-tier program that is pioneering new
models for exemplary teaching, training and public outreach in support
of the Vision for Space Exploration." The NSBRI group was the
only education team to receive the award. For more, visit http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=865 .
On
May 5 Professor Jeff Hoffman was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut
Hall of Fame http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/visitKSC/attractions/fame.asp.
Past recipients of Astronaut Scholarships were invited to attend,
which included two Aero-Astro first-year graduate students, Robert
Panish and Russell Sargent. Professor Hoffman is a veteran of five
shuttle flights, including the make-or-break mission to repair the
myopic Hubble Space Telescope, which was unwittingly launched with
a primary mirror that was ground to the wrong prescription. He first
flew aboard Discovery in April 1985, making the first contingency
spacewalk in shuttle program history: an excursion to repair a malfunctioning
satellite. He and his crew survived a brake failure and blown tire
upon landing at Kennedy Space Center. Hoffman next flew on the star-crossed
ASTRO-1 mission, a 1990 flight that was delayed six months by a series
of mysterious propellant leaks that effectively grounded NASA's shuttle
fleet.
Congratulations to Professor Moe Win on his promotion to Associate
Professor with Tenure. The Charles Stark Draper Professor of Aeronautics
and Astronautics, Professor Win specializes in wireless, optical,
and space communications systems.
Col. Pete Young informs us that the AIAA has elected Aero-Astro
grad student Caroline Lamb as its student board liaison.
2. SPAKOVSKY TO VICE-CHAIR TURBOMACHINERY
COMMITTEE
Professor Zolti Spakovszky has been selected to be the next
vice-chair (and then chair) of the International Gas Turbine Institute's
Turbomachinery Committee. This large and active committee comprises
members from academia, industry, and government. It oversees an international
forum for dissemination of technical information relating to turbomachinery
through conferences and through the technical journals. The vice-chairs
and chairs have been senior academics, executives from industry,
the chief scientist of a NASA center level, so this is a profound
expression of the regard in which Professor Spakovszky is held by
the technical community.
3. STAFF RECEIVE HI-5S, ABOVE & BEYOND AWARDS
Aero The Aero-Astro staff recognition awards are a wonderful means
of acknowledging the great, and often unsung work, by many of our
staff. The High Five Award is a quick, easy thank you for help, service,
or support beyond normal duties. The recipient is presented a special
mug and note from the nominator, who can be anyone in the department.
High-Five Aero-Astro recipients this school year, each recognized
by a fellow staffer or a faculty member for their work, include Sharon
Brown, Marilyn Good, Jacques Mathieu, Paul Bauer, Peggy Edwards,
Holly Anderson, Kathryn Fischer, Beth Marois, Phyllis Collymore,
Diane Soderholm, Mark Prendergast, Helen Halaris, Todd Billings,
Brian O'Conail, Anne Maynard, Robin Palazzolo, Bill Litant, Sally
Chapman, Ping Lee, and Jean Sofronas.
The Aero-Astro Above and Beyond Award is an even greater distinction.
It's presented for substantive achievement, for performance tasks
or services in an exemplary manner, or have improved the quality
of life in the department, and must be voted on by the department
Awards and Recognition Committee. Winners receive a gift certificate,
a folio, and a framed certificate. Recipients this year include Carol
Niemi, Phyllis Collymore, Ping Lee, Stacy Scott, Barbara
Lechner, and Brian O'Coniall
Everyone in the department is encouraged to recognize deserving
staff by presenting them with a High Five award, or nominating them
for Above and Beyond. For more information and to make online nominations,
visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/about/awards/index.html.
4. AA TEAM TAKES 1ST PLACE IN AIAA DESIGN-BUILD-FLY
COMPETITION
An Aero-Astro student team took First Place in the 11th annual
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Design/Build/Fly
competition. The competition, held the weekend of April 20th in Tucson,
AZ, is the culmination of a year-long development cycle in which
student teams design, build, and test fly radio-controlled aircraft
to comply with rules released at the beginning of the school year.
This year, the aircraft were required to carry two different payloads
and perform two ground missions, which involved readying the aircraft
for flight as quickly as possible and swapping the two payloads.
Scoring favored small, light aircraft, and MIT capitalized with a
two-foot span biplane weighing less than two pounds. The next lightest
aircraft weighed five pounds. The team of eight Aero-Astro students
(George Kiwada G, Nii Armar G, Carl Engel '07, Adam Woodworth '07,
Brandon Suarez '09, Ryan Castonia '09, David Sanchez '09, and Fuzhou
Hu '09) finished first with a score of 273 points, besting the second
place team from Oklahoma State University by more than a factor of
two, and ending OSU's three-year winning streak. Aero-Astro Professor
David Miller advised the team with the help of Professor Mark Drela,
lecturer Col. Pete Young, and research specialist Paul Bauer.
Noted aircraft designer Robert Liebeck, an AA Professor of the Practice
and head of Boeing's Blended Wing aircraft project, called the winning
aircraft "distinct in its simplicity, distinct in its functionality," and
added, "As an airplane designer guy, I feel a bit humble." To
see a photo of the team, visit
http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/news/design-build-flywinners.html.
5. STUDENTS SOUGHT FOR UNIFIED GRADER, FELLOW
POSITIONS
The Aero-Astro Department is looking for students interested
in the positions of Undergraduate Grader and Graduate Teaching Fellow.
Requirements for these paid fall 2007 positions in Unified Engineering
is that applicants have an interest in teaching and service, enjoy
working closely with faculty and fellow students, and are available
up to 20 hours a week. (5-10 undergrad, 20 grad). For more information,
please contact Sue Whitehead in Professor Harris's office, whitehea@mit.edu
6. AERO-ASTRO ALUM WINS ANNENBERG FELLOWSHIP
For the first time in its 20-year history, the prestigious
Annenberg Fellowship has been awarded to a student from MIT. Beginning
this fall, MIT graduate Katonio A. Butler will spend at year at Eton
College--perhaps the most exclusive boys' school in the United Kingdom--where
he will act as an American "ambassador" to the 1,300 students,
aged 13 to 18. Butler received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautics
and astronautics this past January. Read more at http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/annenburg.html.
7. BABY BABBLE
The many friends of former Aero-Astro Professor John-Paul Clarke
will be happy to learn that he became a first-time father, twice,
on April 23 with the birth of twins Maxwell Allan Leslie and Michael
Angelo Leslie (5 lbs, 4 oz and 5 lbs 6 oz, respectively). The lads
are reportedly doing just fine, as are parents J.P. and Michelle.
If you know of events, honors, activities, or other information
you'd like to see in the next issue of Aero-Astro enews, please send
to wlitant@mit.edu - we'd be
pleased to include it!
