June 5, 2006 – Reston, VA – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is proud to announce that the following awards will be presented at the 25th AIAA Aerodynamic Measurement Technology and Ground Testing Conference, 3rd AIAA Flow Control Conference, 24th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference, 36th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference and Exhibit, 37th AIAA Plasmadynamics and Lasers Conference, and 9th AIAA/ASME Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference, June 5-8, 2006, at the Hyatt Regency at Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California.
Thomas Horvath, senior research engineer in the Aerothermodynamics Branch at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, will be honored as the Engineer of the Year. The award is presented to an individual member of AIAA who has made a recent significant contribution that is worthy of national recognition. Horvath is being recognized for exemplary contributions to understanding of Space Shuttle orbiter aerothermodynamic phenomena which were critical to the Columbia accident investigation and the safe entry of Discovery on the STS-114 Return-to-Flight mission.
Larry Goss, president of ISSI Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, will receive the AIAA 2006 Aerodynamic Measurement Technology Award. The award is presented for continued contributions and achievements toward the advancement of aerodynamics flow field and surface measurement techniques for research in flight and ground test applications. Goss is being honored for outstanding and significant contributions to the development and application of optical/laser-based diagnostic instrumentation to propulsion systems and air and space vehicles.
Philippe Spalart, Technical Fellow at Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle, Washington, will receive the AIAA 2006 Fluid Dynamics Award. The award is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application, and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods. Spalart is being recognized for contributions to applied turbulence modeling and of pioneering work in the direct simulation of turbulent boundary layers and in merging fluid dynamics concepts and aero-acoustic models for aircraft-related noise predictions.
Professor Hiroyuki Yamasaki in the Department of Energy Sciences at the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering at the Toyko Institute of Technology in Midori-ku, Yokohama, Japan, will receive the AIAA 2006 Plasmadynamics and Lasers Award. The award is presented for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the physical properties and dynamical behavior of matter in the plasma state and lasers as related to need in aeronautics and astronautics. Professor Yamasaki is being recognized for a distinguished career in the advancement of closed cycle, non-equilibrium MHD power technology with pioneering accomplishments in defining plasma discharge structure, ionization stability, and MHD disk generator optimization.
Carl Scott, former Aerospace Technologist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, has been selected to receive the AIAA 2006 Thermophysics Award. The award is presented for an outstanding singular or sustained technical or scientific contribution by an individual in thermophysics, specifically as related to the study and application of the properties and mechanisms involved in thermal energy transfer and the study of environmental effects on such properties and mechanisms. Scott is being recognized for pioneering in the investigation, understanding, and education of the effects of surface chemistry on the aerothermodynamic heating of re-entering spacecraft at hypersonic velocities.
All of the honorees will receive an engraved medal, a certificate of citation, and a rosette pin on Wednesday, 6 June 2006, during the awards luncheon.
For more information about AIAA awards and honors, please contact Carol Stewart at 703/264-7623 or carols@aiaa.org.
Headquartered in suburban Washington, DC, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) serves over 35,000 members in 65 regional sections and 79 countries. AIAA membership is drawn from all levels of industry, academia, private research organizations, and government and focuses on emerging technologies in aviation, space and defense.
