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UMD aerospace engineers contributed significantly to the design of the history-making Mars helicopter, Ingenuity.
Ingenuity completed the first powered flight on another planet just over a year ago, on April 19, 2021. Since that initial flight, which lasted 39.1 seconds, the 4 lb (1.8 kg) helicopter, originally meant to fly 5 sorties, has continued its mission, with more than 28 successful flights to date.
“This is an emerging field of the future. It has blurred the distinction between space and aeronautics,” said UMD Associate Professor Anubhav Datta, who as a graduate student in 2000 led the UMD design competition team that established the feasibility of Martian rotary-wing flight and whose blueprint for a Mars rotorcraft paved the way for Ingenuity (see AIAA J. of Aircraft, v 4, n 3, 2003).
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Building designed to inspire innovation, entrepreneurship, and research across disciplines will also house new lab space for the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center.
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With $515K in NSF support over five years, Brehm aims to address current gaps in the research concerning flow-surface interactions, and more specifically, how certain surface types—particularly ablative surfaces, which are rough and evolve over time—interact with transitional flows.
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Trujillo most recently served as the Integrated Planning and Sequencing for Surface Missions Group Supervisor at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she supported mission operations for NASA’s ongoing exploration missions on the surface of Mars as well as the planned Mars Sample Return mission.
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 Alumnus Dan Scott addresses 2022 Order of the Engineering Inductees as Keynote Speaker
The Clark School of Engineering hosts an Order of the Engineer Ceremony each spring where new engineers accept the "Obligation of an Engineer" - a formal statement of an engineer’s responsibilities to the public and to the profession - and which is publicly accepted during induction at a Ring Ceremony.
Excerpt for Scott's address: "Your careers will undoubtedly challenge the way you think, behave, conform, advocate, and protest. You are problem solvers, and regardless of your disciplines, or areas of expertise, you will be asked to help solve HARD PROBLEMS (technical and cultural). And in the process, you’ll be exposed to data and information, about people and decisions, that will cause you to rethink what’s right [and/or] best for all….You will be responsible, and the world awaits your skill, innovation, commitment, and ethical leadership in so many ways."
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Do you have alumni news to share? Submit it at: go.umd.edu/AE-alumni-news.
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Winning student paper demonstrates alternative to GPS in UAS swarm navigation.
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Winning paper explored using a thermal imaging camera and a LiDAR sensor to track statistics of a wildfire, specifically of the fire’s front, to help more efficiently fight the fire and protect the lives of firefighters.
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Merrill received the Most Innovative and Original Design Award for his research exploring the use of a “gecko skin” adhesive roller that could remove over 98% of the lunar dust simulant from flat surfaces and spacesuit material at 1 atm.
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University System of Maryland Student Council award recognizes students for outstanding leadership and civic engagement.
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 Alumnus Renews Support for Scholarships in Aerospace Engineering
To recognize the many benefits alumnus Dorian DeMaio (’68) received from his Maryland education and the inspiring instructors whose focus on academic studies, experiment, and design projects provided an excellent foundation for his future work, he established the DeMaio Scholarship in Aerospace Engineering in 2021.
“Maintaining our leadership in aerospace and space technology is important to me and I hope there are many future ambitious engineering projects to inspire later generations.” said DeMaio, who wants to motivate UMD students to become global leaders in the field. “I also wanted to find a way to honor all of the professors who were very impactful on me while I was at school.”
In 2022, DeMaio renewed his commitment to the fund which will support six additional student scholarships this fall.
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The Department of Aerospace Engineering welcomes gifts to this or any scholarship fund. Or, are you looking to honor a faculty member who made an impact on a student, past or present?
Learn more by contacting Almarie Wood at aiwood@umd.edu or 301-405-9836, or visit aero.umd.edu/give.
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