OCTOBER 17, 2008 — PARTNER is soliciting submissions for its Fifth Annual Joseph A. Hartman Student Paper Competition. Papers must relate to aircraft noise and/or emissions reduction. The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students located anywhere in the world. -more-
SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 — The US NextGen Joint Planning and Development Office’s Environmental Working Group has released a report outlining key findings and recommendations for aviation-related climate change research. “A Report on the Way Forward Based on the Review of Research Gaps and Priorities” includes chapters on contrail and induced cirrus — microphysics and climate impacts; contrail and induced cirrus — optics and radiation; chemistry and transport processes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and climate impacts metrics.The report may be downloaded at the ACCRI Web site.
The report summarizes current scientific knowledge, modeling, observation and data analyses capabilities, and offers recommendations for near-, mid- and long-term research priorities. The report concludes that ACCRI needs to be a priority driven research program that delivers realistic outcomes that support NextGen decision-making as well as international scientific evaluation and assessment of climate and ozone depletion.
The report was developed under the Aviation Climate Change Research Initiative. ACCRI is a program developed by the FAA with participation from NASA, NOAA and the EPA, and with support from other agencies participating in the US Climate Change Science Program, to advance scientific understanding to better inform decision-making. ACCRI activities are coordinated with other national and international research efforts. The initiative is offering scientific input to the process of developing optimum actions and policies for mitigating aviation-related environmental impacts.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 — PARTNER director Ian A. Waitz told members of the House Committee on Science and Technology today 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 that bridge fundamental aeronautics research and industrial development programs. -more-
AUGUST 28, 2008 — The Transportation Research Board has named three students working with PARTNER researchers as recipients of its Graduate Research Award. The students are Hernando Jimenez of the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Aerospace Engineering’s Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory, Ioannis Simaiakis of the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department, and Elizabeth Black of Missouri University of Science and Technology. -more-
JULY 14, 2008 — In a ceremony today held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, PARTNER director Ian A. Waitz was presented with the Federal Aviation Administration's Excellence in Aviation Research Award. -more-
MAY 22, 2008 — PARTNER project lead investigators Anthony Atchley and Victor Sparrow, both of Pennsylvania State University, have been offered prestigious new roles at their institution. Atchley, who chairs the Penn State Acoustics Department, has accepted the position of Associate Dean for Administration and Planning for the College of Engineering. Atchley is PARTNER's overall lead investigator for Penn State. He was lead investigator for PARTNER’s now completed Project 1, Low Frequency Noise Study; and is a co-investigator for Project 2, Quantifying and Mitigating the Impact of Noise on People; and Project 10, Noisequest. Vic Sparrow has been promoted from associate to full professor in the Penn State Graduate Department of Acoustics. Sparrow is lead investigator for Project 8, Sonic Boom Mitigation.
APRIL 17, 2008 — Massachusetts Institute of Technology Aeronautics and Astronautics Dept. graduate students Elza Brunelle-Yeung and Christopher Sequeira are the first and second place winners, respectively, in the Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emissions Reduction's 2008 Joseph A. Hartman Student Paper Competition. Peter A. Barros Jr. of the Georgia Institute of Technology was the third place winner. -more-
FEBRUARY 21, 2008 — PARTNER has published two new reports as part of its Project 1: Low Frequency Noise Study. The reports are Passive Sound Insulation, and Vibration and Rattle Mitigation. Insulating homes in proximity to airports from low frequency sound is important because aviation noise has significant LF content. Windows are particulalry vulnerable to LF noise penetration. The Passive Sound Insulation study examined different types of windows for their acoustic properties. The Vibration and Rattle Mitigation study examined the LF-induced excitation of structures within buildings. The results of both studies will help planners and engineers understand and mitigate the effect of aviation-induced sound on homes and other environments. The reports were prepared by Daniel Robinson, Robert J. Bernhard, and Luc G. Mongeau. Both reports are available for download in the Reports and Project 1 sections of the PARTNER Web site.
FEBRUARY 8, 2008 — The Federal Interagency Committee on Aviation Noise, a federal interagency committee that provides forums for debate on research needs to better understand, predict and control the effects of aviation noise, and to encourage technical development in these areas, has joined the PARTNER advisory board. FICAN chairman Kevin P. Shepherd will represent the FICAN on the board. A NASA researcher, Shepherd has participated in PARTNER projects. “Because of the important role that FICAN has played in U.S. noise policy, they are a welcome and important addition to our board, and we look forward to their input,” said PARTNER director Ian Waitz.
The board's 53 member organizations, which comprise aviation-related companies and associations, government agencies, and community groups, actively collaborate in PARTNER research. The board members also participate in strategic planning, review the research portfolio to ensure its scholarly excellence, and provide recommendations for balancing the portfolio in response to national and international needs.
JANUARY 28, 2008 — In a January 16 luncheon address to the National Aeronautics Association, FAA assistant administrator for aviation policy, planning and environment Daniel Elwell identified what he called "five very critical prerequisites to this effort if we want to achieve (carbon-neutral growth) in a commercially viable manner." The five areas he highlighted were: 1) improve understanding of aviation emissions impacts, 2) accelerate fuel burn-reducing air traffic management improvements and efficiencies, 3) hasten development of promising environmental technology improvements, 4) explore alternative fuels, and 5) understand that variety of market-based measures may assist managing aviation emissions growth. Elwell said, "We have a disconnect growing between perception and performance on aviation emissions. But the United States must trump perception with performance. We’ve been doing so for over four decades and we have no intention of stopping." Elwell noted the FAA's partnership with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuel Initiative, an organization of which PARTNER is also an active participant. CAAFI is a member of the PARTNER advisory board. The complete text of Elwell's remarks appears on the GreenAir Web site.
JANUARY 28, 2008 — In recognition of her proposal "Practical Algorithms for Next Generation Air Transportation Systems," MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics assistant professor and PARTNER Project 21, Airport Surface Movement Optimization lead investigator Hamsa Balakrishnan has received the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award. The proposal's core insight is that by analyzing the large amounts of weather and airline data, weather forecasts may be used to determine schedules that are robust to uncertainty, market-based mechanisms can be designed that manage airline competition for scarce resources, and environmental considerations can be incorporated into an optimization framework. "Equitable resource allocation algorithms will encourage truthful reporting of operational data by the airlines, provide incentives for information sharing, and improve passenger experience. Green air traffic management algorithms will support increased air traffic loads with a tolerable environmental impact," she says.
The National Science Foundation CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career development activities of scholars who are likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. Recipients are chosen on the basis of creative career development plans that integrate research and education within the context of their university’s mission.
JANUARY 23, 2008 — PARTNER director Ian A. Waitz, the MIT Hunsaker Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, has been named the new head of the MIT Aeronautics and Astronautice Department. - more-
JANUARY 23, 2008 — Sarah McGuire, a graduate student from the Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering who is working on PARTNER’s Project 2, Quantifying and Mitigating the Impact of Noise on People, has been named a Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration Transport Centers of Excellence 2007 Student of the Year. - more -
JANUARY 18, 2008 — PARTNER has released the results of a three-year study of land use and noise complaint patterns at selected airports. The research was an effort to better understand the dynamics of land use management, public concerns, and air traffic-related annoyance. - more-
JANUARY 14 , 2008 —The Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative, a coalition of industry, government, academic, and military organizations focused on the emerging alternative fuels industry, has joined the PARTNER advisory board. -more-
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