UMD Aerospace Engineering Newsletter May 2023

University of Maryland Department of
Aerospace Engineering Newsletter | May 2023

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“Gambit” Pays Off in UMD Team’s Search-and-Rescue Competition Win

UMD Team wins NIST First Responder UAS Indoor Challenge with custom-built, low-cost drone, and takes home more than $150K in prize money.

Seven UMD Students Receive Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships

Maryland students represent a third of total 2023 VFF Scholarship recipients.

Maryland Engineering Graduate Programs: Top 10 Among Public Universities, Five Years in a Row

Aerospace Engineering programs at Maryland ranks 15th overall and 10th among publics.

DEPARTMENT NEWS

UMD Aerospace Gets VR Flight Simulators

Augmented reality, haptics combine to create immersive aviation experiences.

Hartzell Selected for MMX Science Team

UMD Professor Christine Hartzel will analyze data obtained from the first-ever rover to be deployed on a Martian moon.

UMD Researchers Help Measure DART’s Success

Findings suggest asteroids can be deflected successfully through kinetic impact.

Paley Selected for Special Recognition At Division of Research Event

Maryland Research Excellence Celebration honored faculty scholars and researchers for demonstrably elevating the university’s research visibility and reputation.

UAS RESEARCH AND OPERATIONS CENTER (UROC) NEWS

Snow, Wind, and Drone Ops

UMD UROC pilots and engineers handle austere conditions while helping NOAA with satellite calibration.

An Egg Drop Challenge—with a UAS Twist

Nineteen students from a Southern Maryland high school spent the day at USMSM’s Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology (SMART) Building, applying their ingenuity to a STEM challenge that combined UAS technology with more traditional engineering principles.

STUDENT NEWS

Planning for Planetary Defense

Aerospace Engineering Students Tackle Hypothetical Asteroid Impact Exercise at the International Planetary Defense Conference.

Undergrad Ryan Jones Awarded DoD SMART Scholarship

SMART scholarship awards provide students with full tuition for up to five years and post-graduation employment.

Senior Jerry Liu Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines.

Ph.D. Student Sean Dungan Receives NDSEG Fellowship Award

Federal fellowship will support Sean Dungan’s work in new computational methods for accurately and efficiently predicting boundary layer transition onset.

Ph.D. Student Frank Cianciarulo Takes Second in SPIE’s Craig F. Bohren Best Student Presentation Awards

Two UMD Teams Take Top Spots in SAMPE Bridge Contest

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

Aerospace Engineering Inducts Class of 2023 Academy of Distinguished Alumni Members

Bernhard, De Veny, Luzier, Newman, and Wisnosky inducted into department's Academy of Distinguished Alumni.

UMD Alumnus Selected as Vertical Flight Society’s New Executive Director

Angelo Collins (’09) to begin role on June 1.

Alumnus Christopher Huie (B.S. '11) was selected to go into space with Virgin Galactic's Unity25 Crew

Unity 25 is the final assessment of the full space flight system and astronaut experience before commercial service opens in late June.

Two Alumni Among 2023 VFS Individual Awards Recipients

Dr. Rajneesh Singh (Ph.D. '99), Team Lead, US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory and Dr. Berend G. van der Wall (M.S. '91), Senior Expert Rotorcraft, DLR—The German Aerospace Center were among this year's Verstical Flight Society awardees.

Also, be sure to find us on LinkedIn! In addition to our public page, we also have a private group page for connecting alumni with one another. Be sure to join up to stay tuned for upcoming events like next year's 75th Anniversary Celebration.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Attend the Greater D.C. Engineering Alumni Reception
Tuesday, June 6 | 7:00PM - 9:00PM

Join Dean Samuel Graham, Jr., and legendary Maryland Women's Basketball Head Coach Brenda Frese, for the Greater D.C. Engineering Alumni Reception on Tuesday, June 6th, at Pinstripes in North Bethesda.

All UMD engineering alumni and friends are invited to this intimate and inspiring evening celebrating Maryland pride. Enjoy an open bar and heavy hors d'oeuvres while networking with fellow Clark School Terps.

Early bird ticket price: $20 (through May 25th)
Regular ticket price: $30 (starting May 26th)

Registration is requested by Tuesday, May 30th.
Register at bit.ly/engalumnisp23

PHILANTHROPY

The Department of Aerospace Engineering is grateful for the gifts made by alumni and friends. Are you interested in learning about how you can make a difference in the work of the department and the life of its students?

Contact Almarie Wood at aiwood@umd.edu or or 301-405-9836, or visit aero.umd.edu/give.

Copyright © 2023 University of Maryland Department of Aerospace Engineering, All rights reserved.

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Attend the Greater D.C. Engineering Alumni Reception Tuesday, June 6 | 7:00PM - 9:00PM

Attend the Greater D.C. Engineering Alumni Reception
Tuesday, June 6 | 7:00PM - 9:00PM