MIT Aeronautics and
Astronautics Department
enews Vol 5, #1
September 2008
In this issue:
- Awards and Recognition
- Welcome
- Waitz Testifies on NextGen Air Transportation System
- De Weck Names ESD Associate Director
- Space Grant and NASA Future Forum
- Video Contest Seeks Entries
- New in AA Video Gallery: Seamans, Armstrong on Space Race
- Aero-Astro Seeks Design Challenge Mentors
- Grad Student's Project Heading for ISS
1. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Professor Zoltan Spakovszky, director of the Gas Turbine
Lab, and his co-author Christian Roduner of the ABB company, have
received a best paper award from the International Gas Turbine Institute
of the ASME. The award was presented at the IGTI Turbo Expo in Berlin
this summer.
Another best paper award - this time to Undergraduate Dean/AA Professor
Dan Hastings, at the International Council on Systems Engineering
Conference. The paper was titled "Two Empirical Tests of Design
Principle for Survivable System Architectures." Co-authors
were Matt Richards, Adam Ross, and Donna Rhodes.
Grad student Dan Kwon received a Boeing Engineering Student of the
Year honorable mention for research he performed in the Space Systems
Lab. The award recognized research that is likely to "impact
the future of aerospace engineering in areas such as new or enhanced
capabilities, systems, processes or tools; new levels of performance;
and improved life cycle costs." An article on the Boeing awards
appears at http://tinyurl.com/4qz3z4 Dan also received a first place
in the Frank J. Redd Student Scholarship Competition at the Annual
AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, for his paper "Cryogenic
Thermal Design of Small Electromagnetic Formation Flight Satellites." A
picture of Dan hoisting his hefty winnings appears at http://tinyurl.com/5xd7sk
Aero-Astro/TPP Master's candidate Ioannis Simaiakis, was selected
by the Transportation Research Board for its Graduate Research Award
for his paper "Airport Ground Operations Planning for Surface
Emissions Reduction." He is involved with the Partnership for
AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction research consortium,
led by Aero-Astro, assisting lead investigator Hamsa Balakrishnan
on PARTNER Project 21, Airport Surface Movement Optimization.
Professor Raul Radovitzky has accepted an offer by the Faculty of
Engineering at the University of Buenos Aires to the position of
Invited Professor Ad Honorem.
Professor Jon How was notified that a patent application stemming
from the Boeing/MIT alliance in which he is involved was selected
for a Boeing Special Invention award. Few Boeing applications are
considered for special recognition, and of those even fewer are selected
for award. The application is for a facility his lab, and now Boeing,
set up in Seattle and is a larger version of his RAVEN UAV lab in
Building 41.
MITSUI has asked Professor Nancy Leveson to present the MITSUI lecture
in Japan this year. The lecture brings both nationally and internationally
prominent speakers to address issues of concern to China, Korea,
and Japan.
2. WELCOME
Dr. Leo Daniel http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/people/daniel.html of the University of New Orleans joined the department in August
for the year as the Martin Luther King Visiting Assistant Professor.
Research scientist Dr. Andy Liu has transferred from the Kavli Institute
to Man Vehicle Lab.
3. WAITZ TESTIFIES ON NEXTGEN AIR TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM
At a September 11 hearing in Washington, Aero-Astro Head and
Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emission Reduction director
Professor Ian A. Waitz told members of the House Committee on Science
and Technology that the two most critical needs for the Next Generation
Air Transportation System are to accelerate the FAA-NASA Aviation
Climate Change Research Initiative, and to increase and accelerate
technology, operations, and alternative fuels programs in NASA and
FAA that bridge fundamental aeronautics research and industrial development
programs. Professor Waitz's complete testimony and a video of the
hearing are available at http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2293
4. DE WECK NAMED ESD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
This summer, Professor Olivier de Weck was named associate director
of the Engineering Systems Division. Aero-Astro Head Professor Ian
Waitz said the appointment "is fine recognition of Oli's exceptional
talents in systems engineering and of his leadership abilities. The
appointment will also provide the opportunity to further strengthen
the ties between Aero-Astro and ESD. Oli is maintaining his relationship
with Aero-Astro consistent with his dual appointment, retaining his
primary office in Building 33, continuing his research in space systems
engineering, teaching his course 16 subjects, and participating in
department service.
5. SPACEGRANT AND NASA FUTURE FORUMS
Mass. Space Grant/Aero-Astro's Professors Larry Young and Jeff
Hoffman are involved in local activities for NASA's Future Forum,
part of a year-long series celebrating the agency's 50th anniversary.
The Future Forum in Boston will focus on how space exploration benefits
Massachusetts' economic and academic sectors. Jeff moderated a kick-off
session "Education and Inspiration.". Several students
from MIT and other universities supported by Space Grant presented
posters.
6. VIDEO CONTEST SEEKS ENTRIES
SpaceContest.org, which is affiliated with the Space Frontier
Foundation, has asked us to let you know that it is running a video
essay contest titled "What is the future of American human space
flight?" They want you to respond to with a short video posted
to YouTube. The videos that best answer that question will win a
$2000 first prize, a $1000 second prize and a $500 third prize. The
deadline for entries is Sunday, November 2, 2008. Complete details
and rules can be found online at http://www.space-frontier.org/Projects/SpaceContest/
7. NEW IN AA VIDEO GALLERY: SEAMANS, ARMSTRONG
ON SPACE RACE
Newly
posted to the Aero-Astro Video Gallery: In 1994, the late Dr. Robert
Seamans and astronaut Neil Armstrong (with a guest appearance by
Buzz Aldren) discussed their experiences in the race to the moon.
Deliver at the 1994 Aero-Astro Gardener Lecture, the video is a fascinating
look at the first generation of the space race. Dr. Seamans, who
passed away earlier this year, was a NASA administrator in the '60s,
and then Draper Lab director, MIT engineering dean and Aero-Astro
senior lecturer. To see this video and other recent additions to
the Aero-Astro Video Gallery, visit http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/news/videos.html.
If you have a video related to an Aero-Astro activity or project
that you'd like posted to the gallery, please email Bill Litant wlitant@mit.edu or Phyllis Collymore pcollymo@mit.edu.
8. AERO-ASTRO SEEKS DESIGN CHALLENGE MENTORS
Professor
Jeff Hoffman represented Aero-Astro at a September 17 Massachusetts
State House announcement of the commonwealth's participation in the
DoE's Real World Design Challenge. DoE will soon announce the details
of the competition, but Professor Hoffman says, "We know it
will relate to aerospace and energy, dealing with some aspect of
aviation." The idea of the competition is for students and teachers
to undertake a design to meet the specified challenge, using professional
CAD software. This will introduce students to how engineers actually
work and encourage them to consider engineering as a career. Each
team will have a mentor, who will look at the design and offer suggestions.
Designs will be shared over the web using Windchill software, so
mentors can work from their own offices and do not have to travel.
Jeff is seeking AA grad students interested in mentoring, and asks
them to contact him at jhoffma1@mit.edu
9. GRAD STUDENT'S PROJECT HEADING FOR ISS
After
astronaut/alumni Mike Fincke arrives on the ISS this fall, he'll
be installing a payload that Aero-Astro grad student/ICAT RA Fabrice
Kunzi helped develop. The AgCam will take images in response to requests
from farmers, ranchers, foresters, natural resource managers, and
tribal officials to help improve their environmental stewardship
of the land for which they are responsible. Imagery will also be
shared with K-12 educators for classroom use. Fabrice notes that
the AgCam will be mounted in a spot just above Greg Chamitoff's head
in the photo distributed to the department on Sept. 25 http://web.mit.edu/aeroastro/img/dept/imgoniss.jpg
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!
