News /aerospace/ en Four aerospace PhD students earn NASA Fellowships /aerospace/2024/11/11/four-aerospace-phd-students-earn-nasa-fellowships <span>Four aerospace PhD students earn NASA Fellowships</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-11T08:50:43-07:00" title="Monday, November 11, 2024 - 08:50">Mon, 11/11/2024 - 08:50</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/nasa-logo-web-rgb_2.png?h=052569ad&amp;itok=kafqzV6P" width="1200" height="600" alt="NASA logo"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div><div> <div class="align-right image_style-square_thumbnail_image_style"> <div class="imageMediaStyle square_thumbnail_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail_image_style/public/article-image/nasa-logo-web-rgb_2.png?h=052569ad&amp;itok=DBYKsJJI" width="100" height="100" alt="NASA logo"> </div> </div> <p>Four University of Colorado Boulder aerospace graduate students have been named <a href="https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary!init.do?solId=%7b2CA37D02-F6A7-9746-68C1-8B681D7532EA%7d&amp;path=open" rel="nofollow">2024 Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST).</a></p><p>Domenique Freund, Austin Smith, Gary Sutliff, and Hai-shuo Wang have each earned the grants, which provide up to $50,000 annually for three years to cover tuition, expenses, and student-designed research projects.</p><p>FINESST proposals must address goals relevant to NASA's science mission directorate divisions -- heliophysics, earth science, planetary science, or astrophysics.&nbsp;</p><p>Find out more about each of our awardees and their research below:</p></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 2"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-left col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-11/Photo_DFreund-1.jpg?itok=fOccmkhJ" width="1500" height="1100" alt="Domenique Freund"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2><span>Domenique Freund</span></h2><p><span>2nd Year PhD Student</span></p><p><span><strong>Advisors:</strong> </span><a href="/aps/lauren-blum" rel="nofollow"><span>Lauren Blum</span></a><span> and </span><a href="/aerospace/zoltan-sternovsky" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="d79d3eac-9941-4296-a087-d1504a7c0231" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Zoltan Sternovsky"><span>Zoltan Sternovsky</span></a><br><span><strong>Lab:</strong> </span><a href="https://lasp.colorado.edu/" rel="nofollow"><span>Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics</span></a></p><p><span>My research focuses on the dynamics of energetic particle populations within the magnetospheres of Earth and Jupiter. Specifically, it aims to investigate particle losses through atmospheric precipitation, analyzing spatial and temporal variations on both planets. On Earth, I primarily examine relativistic electrons and their role in rapid depletion events. In contrast, my work on Jupiter covers electrons, protons, and heavier ions, addressing a broad understanding of particle dynamics. Understanding these variations requires analyzing magnetic field strengths and the influence of factors such as solar storms, the geomagnetic state, and Jupiter’s moons. By comparing precipitation patterns and overall energy input into the atmospheres of Earth and Jupiter, this research helps to not only understand atmospheric dynamics but also uncovers similarities and differences between different magnetospheres.</span></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Austin Smith</h2><p>2nd Year PhD Student</p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/zoltan-sternovsky" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="d79d3eac-9941-4296-a087-d1504a7c0231" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Zoltan Sternovsky">Zoltan Sternovsky</a><br><strong>Lab:</strong> <a href="https://impact.colorado.edu/" rel="nofollow">Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust (IMPACT)&nbsp;</a></p><p><span>My research aims to further our understanding of dust populations in the solar system using spacecraft (SC) instrumentation. As dust particles impact SC with high velocities, they ionize and their constituents expand outward in a plasma plume that is not fully characterized.&nbsp;This work is focused on improving the mass resolution and sensitivity of&nbsp;time-of-flight mass spectrometers (dust analyzers) by designing ion optics that mitigate resolution-limiting plasma effects. Additionally, research into other performance limiting effects will be pursued and characterized in order to mitigate limitations on future dust analyzer instruments.&nbsp;</span></p></div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-right col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-11/austinsmith_0.jpg?itok=VI1m9Zr_" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Austin Smith"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 2"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-left col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-11/mcmurdo.jpg?itok=UKHVWf5v" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Gary Sutliff"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Gary Sutliff</h2><p>4th Year Phd Student</p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/xinzhao-chu" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="96a6af1a-aced-4d51-9d03-a78f3c3435d6" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Xinzhao Chu">Xinzhao Chu</a><br><strong>Lab:</strong> <a href="http://cires1.colorado.edu/science/groups/chu/" rel="nofollow">Chu Research Group</a></p><p>My research focuses on developing new tools for studying the upper atmosphere, near-space environment, and coupling between the thermosphere and ionosphere. The research grant focuses on the development of a new calcium and calcium ion Doppler lidar system, simulating calcium ion spectroscopy and the performance of the new lidar system, and developing data processing techniques to extend the range of Doppler lidars. The proposed system is expected to allow for measuring neutral temperatures and winds to over 200 km and ion temperature and winds to over 300 km, and observe the energy coupling between them. Additionally, it is theorized that one of the formation mechanisms of the natural metal layers in the thermosphere is due to the recombination of metal ions, and this system could lead to direct observations of that process.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Hai-shuo Wang</h2><p>3rd year PhD student</p><p><strong>Advisor: </strong><a href="/aerospace/daniel-scheeres" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="80afa833-c7b9-4193-bfbd-1c433d3bd0ca" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Daniel Scheeres">Dan Scheeres</a><br><strong>Lab: </strong><a href="https://ccar.colorado.edu/scheeres/" rel="nofollow">Celestial Spaceflight Mechanics Lab (CSML)</a></p><p>My research focuses on the upcoming close encounter of the asteroid (99942) Apophis with Earth in 2029, when Apophis will pass closer than geostationary satellites. The strong tidal forces exerted by Earth could alter the asteroid’s shape, particularly as radar observations suggest it is likely a contact binary with a loosely bound structure compared to a monolithic body. To explore this, I aim to simulate the potential shape changes using high-fidelity contact dynamics models.</p></div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-right col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-11/IMG_7241_1.JPG?itok=SQ_nuQbf" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Hai-shuo Wang"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Zebra Striped</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 11 Nov 2024 15:50:43 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5832 at /aerospace Boyd discusses Iron Dome with ABC News Australia /aerospace/2024/11/01/boyd-discusses-iron-dome-abc-news-australia <span>Boyd discusses Iron Dome with ABC News Australia</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-01T15:10:11-06:00" title="Friday, November 1, 2024 - 15:10">Fri, 11/01/2024 - 15:10</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-08/iain.jpg?h=74cd93cc&amp;itok=CqaNnzcR" width="1200" height="600" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/337" hreflang="en">Iain Boyd News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-small_500px_25_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle small_500px_25_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/small_500px_25_display_size_/public/2024-08/iain.jpg?itok=EYXXbDtL" width="375" height="250" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/iain-boyd" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="30759aa4-4b42-429c-8325-eda0f0d82b16" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Iain Boyd">Iain Boyd </a>discusses Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system in a feature article from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.</p><p>Boyd, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is a national security expert and also the director of the <a href="/researchinnovation/nsi" rel="nofollow"> Boulder Center for National Security Initiatives</a>.</p><p>The article outlines components of the Iron Dome system and how it has functioned over the last year during attacks from Hamas and Iran.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-31/the-iron-dome-shield-protecting-israeli-cities/104532268" rel="nofollow">Read at ABC News Australia...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Fri, 01 Nov 2024 21:10:11 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5828 at /aerospace Smead Aerospace recognizes 2024 Graduate Assistantships /aerospace/2024/10/10/smead-aerospace-recognizes-2024-graduate-assistantships <span>Smead Aerospace recognizes 2024 Graduate Assistantships</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-10T09:24:00-06:00" title="Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 09:24">Thu, 10/10/2024 - 09:24</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/cuaerospace-24767_2.jpg?h=165eb83c&amp;itok=ZAEDc71x" width="1200" height="600" alt="The Aerospace Building"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Smead Aerospace recognized three students with graduate assistantships named for alumni and longtime faculty.&nbsp;</p><p>The Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences held a ceremony Sept. 24, celebrating the student honorees and commemorating each namesake for the assistantships.&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Prof. George H. Born Graduate Assistantship</h2><p><strong>Recipient: </strong>Tommy Clark, 1st Year PhD Student<br><strong>Advisor: </strong><a href="/aerospace/daniel-scheeres" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="80afa833-c7b9-4193-bfbd-1c433d3bd0ca" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Daniel Scheeres">Dan Scheeres</a></p><p>Tommy Clark's research is focused on data-driven methods and machine learning in astrodynamics. He hopes to use machine learning to better understand the space of trajectories in the three-body problem.</p><p>This assistantship is named in honor of <a href="/ccar/george-born" rel="nofollow">George Born</a> (1939-2016), who joined Boulder aerospace in 1985 and established Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR), which he built into an internationally recognized organization, known for contributions to spacecraft guidance, control, and navigation; and remote sensing of the oceans and atmosphere with radar and lidar technology.</p><p>"Professor Born's assistantship is a great honor. He was a pioneer in the field and left an important legacy at and beyond. The assistantship has provided me the time and freedom to explore this research." - Clark</p><p><em>Photo: Thomas Clark and Carol Born.</em></p></div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-right col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-09/DSC08134.JPG?itok=lL3xwdTn" width="1500" height="844" alt="Thomas Clark and Carol Born"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 2"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-left col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-09/DSC08179.JPG?itok=9LWhVs8g" width="1500" height="844" alt="Anant Telikicherla with members of Hardaway's family and the New Horizons team."> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Dr. Lisa Hardaway Graduate Assistantship</h2><p><strong>Recipient: </strong>Anant Telikicherla, 1st Year PhD Student<br><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/robert-marshall" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="a7968fce-268e-4529-99df-3d325fb4e294" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Robert Marshall">Bob Marshall</a> and <a href="https://lasp.colorado.edu/people/tom-woods/" rel="nofollow">Tom Woods</a></p><p>Anant Telikicherla's research is in the field of Heliophysics, with an emphasis on miniaturized small-satellite instruments that aim to address unresolved questions in the field. He aspires to conduct interdisciplinary research that integrates engineering optimization of space instruments with observational data analysis to investigate underlying space physics phenomena.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="/aerospace/2017/03/08/memorium-aerospace-executive-advisory-board-chair-lisa-hardaway" rel="nofollow">Lisa Hardaway</a> (1966-2017) (AeroEngr PhD'00) was an industry trailblazer and active Boulder aerospace alumna. She spent 20-years at Ball Aerospace, playing critical roles on projects that advanced our knowledge of the universe – including New Horizons mission which took the first ever close up photos of Pluto.</p><p>"Receiving this assistantship motivates me to pursue cutting-edge space research. As an aspiring instrument scientist, I consider Dr. Lisa Hardaway, who led the development of multiple space instruments, including the RALPH instrument on NASA’s New Horizons mission, an exemplary role model." - Telikicherla</p><p><em>Photo: Telikicherla with the Hardaway family and friends and members of the New Horizons Team. (L-R) James Hardaway (AeroEngr BS'89 ArchEngr BS'89, CivEngr MS'91), Anant Telikicherla, Jaella Hardaway, Jeanette Domber (AeroEngr MS’99, PhD’04), Alan Stern (AeroEngr PhD'89), Elijah Lowe, and Cathy Olkin.</em></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-row-subrow row"> <div class="ucb-article-text col-lg d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><h2>Captain William H. DuBois Graduate Assistantship</h2><p><strong>Recipient:</strong> Angela Wang, 1st Year PhD Student<br><strong>Advisor: </strong><a href="/aerospace/jade-morton" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="a0d0403b-4e6f-4741-ae42-5e9f39cd822c" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Jade Morton">Jade Morton</a></p><p><span>Angela Wang's research is centered on the receiver signal processing part of remote sensing. With Prof. Jade Morton, Wang is working on processing signals of opportunity from low earth orbiting weather satellites to study ionospheric effects. In the years to come, she hopes to extend this work to more satellites and to study the troposphere as well.</span></p><p><a href="/afrotc/about-us/remembering-our-fallen/captain-william-h-dubois" rel="nofollow">Capt. William "Pyro" DuBois</a> (AeroEngr BS'08) attended Boulder aerospace on an Air Force Scholarship. Following graduation, he completed F-16 training and was twice named the top fighter pilot in his class. He served in the 77th Fighter Squadron, and on Dec&nbsp;1, 2014, his wingman’s F-16 developed mechanical issues. True to his character and leadership, Will was escorting his wingman safely back to base, when his own jet went down.&nbsp;</p><p><span>"I feel humbled to receive an award honoring Captain William Dubois. He was a person who seemed to live life to the fullest and it motivates me to do so here at Boulder both in and out of school. The assistantship's funding allows me to explore research topics of my interest for this year. Furthermore, it has given me extra flexibility to explore Colorado and my hobbies. I am so thankful for the assistantship and I will continue to make it worthwhile." - Wang</span></p><p><em>Photo: Angela Wang (center) with William DuBois' parents, Ham and Donna.</em></p></div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-right col-lg"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-09/DSC08214a.jpg?itok=MTetNxK9" width="1500" height="1000" alt="Angela Wang with Ham and Donna DuBois"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-darkgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"><p class="text-align-center">Your contributions help provide Boulder aerospace graduate assistantships.&nbsp;<br>Find out more about these and other opportunities <a href="/aerospace/engage-us/give-now/support-aerospace-grad-students" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="df88e0a1-a145-4058-b0c9-5f4872ad1747" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Support Aerospace Grad Students">to support tomorrow’s engineering workforce and the future of aerospace.</a></p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:24:00 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5802 at /aerospace Boyd discusses military drones with Kyiv Independent /aerospace/2024/10/07/boyd-discusses-military-drones-kyiv-independent <span>Boyd discusses military drones with Kyiv Independent</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-07T14:03:38-06:00" title="Monday, October 7, 2024 - 14:03">Mon, 10/07/2024 - 14:03</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-08/iain.jpg?h=74cd93cc&amp;itok=CqaNnzcR" width="1200" height="600" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/337" hreflang="en">Iain Boyd News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/article-thumbnail/iain_boyd_2021_cue24ga_2.jpg?itok=60WHaliu" width="750" height="563" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/iain-boyd" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="30759aa4-4b42-429c-8325-eda0f0d82b16" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Iain Boyd">Iain Boyd </a>discusses military drone technology in a new interview with the Kyiv Independent.</p><p>Boyd, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is a national security expert and also the director of the <a href="/researchinnovation/nsi" rel="nofollow"> Boulder Center for National Security Initiatives</a>.</p><p>The article outlines potential results of drone attack technology by Russia in its war against Ukraine.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-attacks-against-ukraine-reach-record-levels-but-experts-warn-of-worse-to-come/" rel="nofollow">Read the full article at the Kyiv Independent...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 07 Oct 2024 20:03:38 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5814 at /aerospace Boyd interviewed on Iron Dome missile defense system /aerospace/2024/10/02/boyd-interviewed-iron-dome-missile-defense-system <span>Boyd interviewed on Iron Dome missile defense system</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-10-02T08:53:11-06:00" title="Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - 08:53">Wed, 10/02/2024 - 08:53</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/iain_boyd_2021_cue24ga_1.jpg?h=b15b9c22&amp;itok=NRCttOm4" width="1200" height="600" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/337" hreflang="en">Iain Boyd News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2024-08/iain.jpg?itok=H7QzDyyg" width="750" height="500" alt="Iain Boyd"> </div> </div> <p><a href="/aerospace/iain-boyd" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="30759aa4-4b42-429c-8325-eda0f0d82b16" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Iain Boyd">Iain Boyd </a>discusses Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system in a new interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.</p><p>Boyd, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is a national security expert and also the director of the <a href="/researchinnovation/nsi" rel="nofollow"> Boulder Center for National Security Initiatives</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>The interview follows attacks on Israel by Iran. Boyd outlined the response by Israel and allies and the potential for future upgrades to the country's missile defense system.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-02/how-long-can-iron-dome-repel-missiles/104422450?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&amp;utm_content=link&amp;utm_medium=content_shared&amp;utm_source=abc_news_web" rel="nofollow">Watch at ABC News Australia...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:53:11 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5807 at /aerospace Engineering ranked as a top 5 aerospace program /aerospace/2024/09/24/cu-engineering-ranked-top-5-aerospace-program <span> Engineering ranked as a top 5 aerospace program</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-09-24T08:54:02-06:00" title="Tuesday, September 24, 2024 - 08:54">Tue, 09/24/2024 - 08:54</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/cuaerospace-24174-b.png?h=84b100ad&amp;itok=xNiUMTeD" width="1200" height="600" alt> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p> Boulder’s College of Engineering and Applied Science maintained a top 20 spot in <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate" rel="nofollow"><em>U.S. News and World Report</em>’s Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs</a> rankings, coming in at No. 17 among its public institution peers for the third year in a row.&nbsp;</p><p>The most notable change in the engineering specialty rankings was in the aerospace / aeronautical / astronautical category, where Boulder’s <a href="/aerospace" rel="nofollow">aerospace engineering sciences degree</a> jumped to No. 5 from No. 8 among public university peers.</p><p>The college’s <a href="/even" rel="nofollow">Environmental Engineering Program</a> also earned a top 10 public ranking, coming it at No. 9.&nbsp;</p><p>Five other programs were ranked in the top 20 among public peers:</p><ul><li><a href="/chbe" rel="nofollow">Chemical engineering</a>: No 11, up three spots from last year</li><li><a href="/mechanical/" rel="nofollow">Mechanical engineering</a>: No. 17, up three spots from last year</li><li><a href="/ceae" rel="nofollow">Civil engineering</a>: No. 15</li><li><a href="/cs" rel="nofollow">Computer science</a>: No. 16 (ranked in <a href="https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/computer-science-overall" rel="nofollow">Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs</a>)</li><li><a href="/ecee" rel="nofollow">Electrical engineering</a>: No. 16</li></ul><p>The rankings were released on the <em>U.S. News and World Report</em> website on Sept. 24. Undergraduate rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty at peer institutions who participated in a peer assessment survey. <a href="https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/undergraduate-engineering-programs-methodology" rel="nofollow">Read more about the methodology</a>.&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.location.href = `/engineering/2024/09/23/cu-engineering-ranked-top-5-aerospace-program-top-20-overall`; </script> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:54:02 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5798 at /aerospace Giving high school students hands-on STEM experiences /aerospace/2024/08/19/giving-high-school-students-hands-stem-experiences <span>Giving high school students hands-on STEM experiences</span> <span><span>Jeff Zehnder</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-08-19T10:23:32-06:00" title="Monday, August 19, 2024 - 10:23">Mon, 08/19/2024 - 10:23</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-08/DSC07961.JPG?h=b39c5fef&amp;itok=B0udG4k9" width="1200" height="600" alt="Kawther Rouabhi helping two high school students troubleshoot their camera."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/301" hreflang="en">Tomoko Matsuo News</a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2024-08/DSC07961.JPG?itok=XyIji21Z" width="750" height="422" alt="Kawther Rouabhi helping two high school students troubleshoot their camera."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>PhD student Kawther Rouabhi helping two high school students troubleshoot their camera.</p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>Roaming outdoors with homemade multispectral cameras, high school students are getting a hands-on look at engineering remote sensing.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="/aerospace/tomoko-matsuo" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="6407b33c-255d-4a14-9788-fff26e36f9c8" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Tomoko Matsuo"><span>Tomoko Matsuo,</span></a><span> an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, is leading a special summer program giving 9th-12th graders a unique STEM experience.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“They’re going through a whole arc: building an instrument, a field campaign, data collection,” Matsuo said. “It’s great to be with these aspiring young students. They’re so curious.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The module was developed as part of Matsuo’s </span><a href="/aerospace/2019/03/14/matsuo-awarded-prestigious-nsf-career-award" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="c59cafd2-94bd-40e8-a282-619276a73853" data-entity-substitution="canonical" rel="nofollow" title="Matsuo awarded prestigious NSF CAREER award "><span>National Science Foundation CAREER Award grant.</span></a><span> This year it is offered as part of a Science Discovery Camp, an educational outreach program designed to connect public audiences with the STEM research happening at Boulder. Roughly two dozen teens are participating in the activity as part of a weeklong program exploring different aspects of science and engineering.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Matsuo’s day-to-day research is in remote sensing, the science of investigating aspects of the earth and space environment from a distance, typically using instruments aboard aircraft or satellites. It often involves monitoring conditions not visible to the naked eye. The teens in the camp are getting a basic primer with more easily accessible technology – digital cameras.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>But these are not off-the-shelf Nikons. The project involves assembling do-it-yourself cameras consisting of an ultra-tiny Raspberry Pi Linux computer, batteries, a camera lens, and special multi-spectral filters to see beyond visible light into the UV and infrared spectrum.</span></p> <div class="align-left image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2024-08/DSC07957.JPG?itok=mAYxtjOv" width="750" height="422" alt="Two high school students testing their multispectral camera on objects in nature."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Two high school students testing their multispectral camera on objects in nature.</p> </span> </div> <p dir="ltr"><span>While humans cannot perceive such light under ordinary circumstances, some animals and insects can. The camera makes it possible to view how the world appears through those eyes.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Assisting with the lesson was recent PhD graduate John Marino (ElEngr MS’16, AeroEngr PhD’24), who saw the project as an opportunity to build excitement for science and engineering.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I hope one of the kids comes away learning something they didn’t know and wanting to know more. It’s nice to be able to generate programs like this for kids,” Marino said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The camera originated as a personal side project of Marino’s. After demonstrating the technology to Matsuo and the ability to see things in UV and infrared, they adapted it into an educational module.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“I just wanted to see if I could build a multi-spectral camera for fun, but Tomoko saw the potential as an enrichment activity,” Marino said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The experience included more than just assembling and using the camera. Kawther Rouabhi, a third-year aerospace PhD student led the teens step by step through one of her favorite activities: programming.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“They’re building the cameras, learning a little bit about their inner workings, and getting hands-on experience with the Linux command line and Python. Everything that makes it work. My first experience with programming was when I was about their age, and I really like solving problems this way,” Rouabhi said.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>As a student in Matsuo’s lab, Rouabhi spends much of her time analyzing remote sensing data with machine learning, but she is thrilled to share her knowledge with teens.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“These types of programs were very important for me to get excited about STEM as a young person,” she said. “I want to make things like this more accessible. It’s been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. Working with teens, they’re all super motivated and excited. It’s really fun.”</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span> Boulder’s Science Discovery Camps are an annual series of weeklong summer programs open to K-12 students.</span><a href="/sciencediscovery/" rel="nofollow"><span>&nbsp;Find out more at the Science Discovery website.</span></a></p><div class="row ucb-column-container"><div class="col ucb-column"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2024-08/DSC07921.JPG?itok=7Cr6P0qF" width="750" height="422" alt="PhD graduate John Marino working with two high school students in the lab."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>PhD graduate John Marino working with two high school students in the lab.</p> </span> </div><div class="col ucb-column"><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-08/DSC07924.JPG?itok=1g2rrAYw" width="1500" height="844" alt="Prof. Matsuo helping two camp attendees with their camera."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p>Prof. Matsuo helping two camp attendees with their camera.</p> </span> </div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Roaming outdoors with homemade multispectral cameras, high school students are getting a hands-on look at engineering remote sensing...</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 19 Aug 2024 16:23:32 +0000 Jeff Zehnder 5775 at /aerospace Three aerospace students earn major Defense fellowships /aerospace/2024/07/22/three-aerospace-students-earn-major-defense-fellowships <span>Three aerospace students earn major Defense fellowships</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-22T09:33:36-06:00" title="Monday, July 22, 2024 - 09:33">Mon, 07/22/2024 - 09:33</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/1024px-united_states_department_of_defense_seal.svg__1.png?h=436b82d4&amp;itok=L5-cDqX4" width="1200" height="600" alt="Department of Defense logo"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Three University of Colorado Boulder aerospace PhD students have earned prestigious 2024 <a href="https://ndseg.sysplus.com/NDSEG/Awardees/FY2024" rel="nofollow">National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate</a> (NDSEG) Fellowships.</p><p>Vicki Hurd, Sarah Kinney, and Ryan Menges have each been awarded the Department of Defense honor, which provides three year fellowships to promising young scientists and engineers.</p><p>The program, established by Congress in 1989, provides fellowships to up to 500 people across the United States annually and is designed to promote education in science and engineering disciplines relevant to the Department of Defense.</p><p class="lead">Find out more about our honorees and their research below.&nbsp;<i class="fa-solid fa-arrow-circle-down">&nbsp;</i></p><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-left image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/vickiheadshot.jpeg?h=63bf2683&amp;itok=0B0pXVBk" width="1200" height="600" alt="Vicki Hurd"> </div> </div> <h2>Vicki Hurd</h2><p><strong>3rd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/1594" rel="nofollow">Allie Hayman</a><br><strong>Lab:</strong> <a href="/bioastronautics/" rel="nofollow">Bioastronautics Lab</a></p><p>My research will develop venous gas emboli (VGE) detection algorithms and characterize the impact of signal degradation and motion artifacts on detector performance to establish the foundation for a wearable ultrasound extravehicular activity (EVA) VGE monitor. It is currently unknown how VGE form over time and relate to the onset of decompression sickness. Recent advances in ultrasound transducers could enable long-term, continuous monitoring, transforming our understanding of decompression sickness and providing a means to monitor astronaut VGE levels during EVA. This will be critical as future exploration missions emphasize increased EVA frequency, duration, and number of transitions between pressurized environments. I will develop and validate sound-based and image-based ultrasound VGE detection algorithms and generate novel performance metrics for each, establish algorithmic means of synthesizing decompression sickness data, characterize algorithm performance under degraded signal conditions, and assess how motion artifacts influence VGE detection abilities. Autonomous detection of VGE levels in the circulatory system via wearable ultrasound would prove monumental in the foundational understanding of decompression sickness and would serve as a direct strategy to predict and mitigate decompression sickness during surface EVA.</p><p><em>Hurd is a 2024 awardee of both the NDSEG and a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowowship. Program rules allow honorees to receive only one. </em><a href="/aerospace/node/5754" rel="nofollow"><em>She has chosen the NSTGRO.</em></a></p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-lightgray"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-right image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/sarah_kinney_1.jpg?h=e1c955ab&amp;itok=dC7mt9z3" width="1200" height="600" alt="Sarah Kinney"> </div> </div> <h2>Sarah Kinney</h2><p><strong>1st Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisors:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/3381" rel="nofollow">Iain Boyd</a> and <a href="/aerospace/node/396" rel="nofollow">John Evans</a><br><strong>Labs:</strong> <a href="/lab/ngpdl/research" rel="nofollow">Nonequilibrium Gas and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory (NGPDL)</a> and <a href="/isogeometric/" rel="nofollow">Computational Mechanics and Geometry Laboratory (CMGLab)</a></p><p>Aerodynamic heating is a critical design challenge for hypersonic vehicles due to the complex relationships between material ablation and chemical kinetics, which significantly impacts fluid dynamics. These complex relationships make modeling and predicting aerodynamic heating and flow separation in hypersonic conditions particularly difficult. Reproducing these conditions in wind tunnels is often impractical or prohibitively expensive, and flight tests are even more costly. As a result, hypersonic vehicle testing is often limited to wind tunnel experiments with limited fidelity and scope. My research aims to develop a reduced-order model that accounts for tunnel facility noise and other fluid-structure interactions in hypersonic environments. The goal of this model is to integrate data from lower fidelity hypersonic tests, providing a more cost-effective approach to correlating these results with those from higher fidelity tests. Ultimately, this work seeks to enhance the accuracy and affordability of hypersonic vehicle testing and development. <em>Photo Credit: Leighton Jack</em></p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-fill ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-left image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/callout/ryan.jpg?h=fa644041&amp;itok=GxOeENmA" width="1200" height="600" alt="Ryan Menges"> </div> </div> <h2>Ryan Menges</h2><p><strong>1st Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/432" rel="nofollow">Daniel Scheeres</a><br><strong>Lab: </strong><a href="https://ccar.colorado.edu/scheeres/" rel="nofollow">Celestial Spaceflight Mechanics Lab (CSML)</a></p><p>Ryan Menges is a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Daniel Scheeres in the Celestial Spaceflight Mechanics Lab (CSML). His research lies at the intersection of dynamical systems theory and spacecraft navigation. In his current work, he is developing semi-analytical methods for spacecraft state propagation and navigation in cislunar space utilizing high-fidelity dynamical models. Ryan is particularly interested in enabling advanced spacecraft autonomy.</p></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:33:36 +0000 Anonymous 5758 at /aerospace Five PhD students earn 2024 NASA fellowships /aerospace/2024/07/17/five-phd-students-earn-2024-nasa-fellowships <span>Five PhD students earn 2024 NASA fellowships</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-17T08:56:03-06:00" title="Wednesday, July 17, 2024 - 08:56">Wed, 07/17/2024 - 08:56</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/nasa-logo-web-rgb_png1_0_0.png?h=bc8cc8e5&amp;itok=7HM3jGKX" width="1200" height="600" alt="Nasa logo"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <a href="/aerospace/jeff-zehnder">Jeff Zehnder</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><div><div><div><div><p>Five PhD students in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences are being recognized with 2024 <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/space-tech-research-grants/nstgro-2024/" rel="nofollow">NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)</a> fellowships.</p><p>The annual program sponsors graduate students who show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our nation’s science, exploration and economic future.</p><p>Program recipients perform space technology research at their university campuses and at NASA Centers.</p><p>NSTGRO honorees receive research funding and are matched with a technically relevant NASA subject matter expert, who serves as a research collaborator.</p><p>Smead Aerospace students have had strong representation in this program, with 25 winners over the past five years.</p><p class="lead">Read below for more information about each 2024 honoree and their research.&nbsp;<i class="fa-solid fa-arrow-circle-down">&nbsp;</i></p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-left image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/ahner_nstgro_headshot.jpeg?h=0a2bc863&amp;itok=f3vuUazc" width="1200" height="600" alt="Kristen Ahner"> </div> </div> <h2>Kristen Ahner</h2><p><strong>2nd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisors:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/432" rel="nofollow">Daniel Scheeres</a> and <a href="/aerospace/node/466" rel="nofollow">Jay McMahon</a><br><strong>Labs: </strong><a href="https://ccar.colorado.edu/scheeres/" rel="nofollow">Celestial Spaceflight Mechanics Lab (CSML)</a> and the <a href="/faculty/mcmahon/" rel="nofollow">Orbital Research Cluster for Celestial Applications (ORCCA) Laboratory</a></p><p>My research focuses on high-fidelity uncertainty propagation techniques and their incorporation into robust spacecraft guidance to enable autonomous mission execution for space exploration. As complex dynamics cause errors to grow over time and drive a spacecraft to deviate from its orbit and planned maneuvers, corrective guidance algorithms must adaptively re-optimize the spacecraft thrust maneuvers to reach target states and achieve mission goals, such as precise science observations or strict orbit accuracy. I aim to advance the state of the art by combining stochastic control approaches to uncertainty with nonlinear chance constraints in the cislunar region and planetary exploration environments.</p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-right image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/vickiheadshot.jpeg?h=63bf2683&amp;itok=0B0pXVBk" width="1200" height="600" alt="Vicki Hurd"> </div> </div> <h2>Vicki Hurd</h2><p><strong>3rd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/1594" rel="nofollow">Allie Hayman</a><br><strong>Lab:</strong> <a href="/bioastronautics/" rel="nofollow">Bioastronautics Lab</a></p><p>This research will develop venous gas emboli (VGE) detection algorithms and characterize the impact of signal degradation and motion artifacts on detector performance to establish the foundation for a wearable ultrasound extravehicular activity (EVA) VGE monitor. It is currently unknown how VGE form over time and relate to the onset of decompression sickness. Recent advances in ultrasound transducers could enable long-term, continuous monitoring, transforming our understanding of decompression sickness and providing a means to monitor astronaut VGE levels during EVA. This will be critical as future exploration missions emphasize increased EVA frequency, duration, and number of transitions between pressurized environments. I will develop and validate sound-based and image-based ultrasound VGE detection algorithms and generate novel performance metrics for each, establish algorithmic means of synthesizing decompression sickness data, characterize algorithm performance under degraded signal conditions, and assess how motion artifacts influence VGE detection abilities. Autonomous detection of VGE levels in the circulatory system via wearable ultrasound would prove monumental in the foundational understanding of decompression sickness and would serve as a direct strategy to predict and mitigate decompression sickness during surface EVA.</p><p><em>Hurd is a 2024 awardee of both the NSTGRO and the Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Program rules allow honorees to receive only one. She has chosen the NSTGRO.</em></p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-left image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/20240606_165054.jpg?h=56aa595e&amp;itok=lSmPhrDR" width="1200" height="600" alt="Max Joyner"> </div> </div> <h2>Max Joyner</h2><p><strong>2nd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/1592" rel="nofollow">Natasha Bosanac</a><br><strong>Lab:</strong><a href="/faculty/bosanac/" rel="nofollow"> Bosanac Group</a></p><p>While orbital rendezvous between spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) has become routine, the sensitive and chaotic gravitational dynamics of multi-body environments present additional challenges that need to be addressed for more ambitious exploration missions such as NASA's Artemis program. My research aims to help bridge this gap through developing a new approach for rapidly designing safe spacecraft trajectories for far-range approach and then close-range rendezvous in a multi-body system using motion primitives. This process will involve constructing two libraries of motion primitives for each domain, assessing them using a safety metric adapted from heritage LEO indices, building a hybrid motion primitive graph to construct initial guesses, and refining these guesses through a corrections problem to produce safe and efficient rendezvous trajectories.</p><p><em>Joyner is a 2024 awardee of both the NSTGRO and the Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Program rules allow honorees to receive only one. He has chosen the NSTGRO.</em></p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-right image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/dsc01368.jpg?h=70517fa0&amp;itok=xQerfV-4" width="1200" height="600" alt="Andrew Morell"> </div> </div> <h2>Andrew Morell</h2><p><strong>3rd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/hanspeter-schaub" rel="nofollow">Hanspeter Schaub</a><br><strong>Lab: </strong><a href="https://hanspeterschaub.info/AVSlab.html" rel="nofollow">Autonomous Vehicle Systems (AVS) Laboratory</a></p><p>Andrew’s research aims to (quite literally) close the gap between what we know about spacecraft dynamics before and after their docking, focusing on spacecraft contact dynamics for in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM). Andrew is studying the use of impulse-based dynamics to create a generalized contact dynamics model for spacecraft using the Basilisk Simulation Framework. Currently, grappling in space relies on overengineered hardware to succeed in physically capturing another vehicle, but a full understanding of the contact dynamics can enable future sample return, on-orbit refueling, assembly of large space structures, and more by enabling advanced guidance algorithms for docking.</p></div></div></div><div class="ucb-box ucb-box-title-hidden ucb-box-alignment-none ucb-box-style-outline ucb-box-theme-white"><div class="ucb-box-inner"><div class="ucb-box-title">&nbsp;</div><div class="ucb-box-content"> <div class="align-left image_style-focal_image_wide"> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-image/img_2507.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&amp;itok=-tp21RwJ" width="1200" height="600" alt="Tomaz Remec"> </div> </div> <h2>Tomaz Remec</h2><p><strong>3rd Year PhD Student</strong></p><p><strong>Advisor:</strong> <a href="/aerospace/node/4679" rel="nofollow">Hisham Ali</a><br><strong>Lab: </strong><a href="/lab/mapl/" rel="nofollow">Magnetoaerodynamics and Aerospace Plasmas Laboratory</a></p><p>The objective of Tomaz’s research is to provide foundational experimental data on the behavior of high-speed plasma flows such as those generated during planetary entry in the presence of applied magnetic fields and the characterization of resultant forces with the goal of advancing low TRL technologies to enable more capable, cost-effective planetary exploration missions. The extreme aerothermal environment experienced during hypersonic flight creates the conditions for significant dissociation and ionization of atmospheric gases. These ions and free electrons then constitute a conductive fluid which, when in the presence of a magnetic field, will admit a current and produce an associated magnetic field due to the Lorentz force. Leveraging of these magnetohydrodynamic interactions by novel technologies could expand capabilities of current thermal protection schemes, however, reliable experimental data on said interactions in planetary entry relevant plasma flows is extremely limited. This research will provide high quality, well-validated results utilizing several new inductively coupled plasma tunnel facilities in the Magnetoaerodynamics and Aerospace Plasmas Laboratory, and the results will enhance our understanding of magnetohydrodynamic interactions in hypersonic plasma flows and will directly contribute to the development of innovative technologies that will augment the performance capabilities of scientific missions to other worlds.</p></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 17 Jul 2024 14:56:03 +0000 Anonymous 5754 at /aerospace Axelrad awarded 2024 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering /aerospace/2024/07/11/axelrad-awarded-2024-yvonne-c-brill-lectureship-aerospace-engineering <span>Axelrad awarded 2024 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering </span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-11T00:00:00-06:00" title="Thursday, July 11, 2024 - 00:00">Thu, 07/11/2024 - 00:00</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/article-thumbnail/axelrad_headshot_jpg.png?h=71263145&amp;itok=pU1u6Ovk" width="1200" height="600" alt="Penny Axelrad"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/114"> News </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/aerospace/taxonomy/term/201" hreflang="en">Penina Axelrad News</a> </div> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-content-media ucb-article-content-media-above"> <div> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--media paragraph--view-mode--default"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ucb-article-text d-flex align-items-center" itemprop="articleBody"> <div> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/aerospace/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/people/axelrad_headshot.jpg?itok=CqtoklV7" width="750" height="1050" alt> </div> </div> <p>The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) have announced that Penina Axelrad, distinguished professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Yvonne C. Brill Lectureship in Aerospace Engineering.</p><p>Dr. Axelrad will present her lecture, “The Evolution and Impact of Global Navigation Satellite Systems,” on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 11 a.m. ET, in conjunction with the NAE Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. <a href="https://web.cvent.com/event/ed7eac0e-efaf-4163-af75-8da326a0943d/summary" rel="nofollow">Registration for this lecture</a> is free and open to the public.</p><p>Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide the basis for smartphones to effectively guide us to our destinations, safe and flexible navigation for tens of thousands of airline flights per day, seamless synchronization of power grids, and precise timing of financial transactions. GNSS also enable scientific observation of Earth’s variable gravity field, soil water content and vegetation, and even Earth’s atmosphere and ocean surface winds.</p><p>Dr. Axelrad’s lecture will discuss what we can learn from the remarkable evolution of a military navigation system into a global utility, and will explore where today’s advances in the utilization of signals-of-opportunity, optical communications, atomic clocks, and quantum sensing might lead.</p><p class="lead"><a href="https://www.aiaa.org/news/news/2024/07/10/penina-axelrad-awarded-2024-yvonne-c.-brill-lectureship-in-aerospace-engineering" rel="nofollow">Read full article at AIAA...</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 11 Jul 2024 06:00:00 +0000 Anonymous 5757 at /aerospace