Dr. Francesco Simonetti andDr. Jong Guen Lee join facultyas Ohio Research Scholars

Student teams win at National SAE Aero Design Competition

AerospaceEngineering

2011 Vol. 81, Issue 1

Department News3 Letter from the School Director 4 Spotlight: Ohio Research Scholars5 Mark Turner recognized as an ASME Fellow, receives Young Researcher Award5 Peter Nagy publishes new text5 Kelly Cohen shares expertise with high school students6 Russell DiMicco retires6 Grant Schaffner receives Doc Counsilman Science Award7 Space Shuttle Symposium — “The End of a Love Affair”

Student News8 Student Spotlight - SAE Aero East Competition9 Danielle Grage wins Herman Schneider Award10 Student Awards10 Aerospace welcomes National Merit Scholars

Alumni News10 Thomas Byar recognized as UC Life Benefactor11 Class of 1961 reunion11 Alum notes

Contact UsUniversity of CincinnatiCollege of Engineering and Applied ScienceSchool of Aerospace SystemsP.O. Box 210070Cincinnati, OH 45221-0070513-556-3548

aerospace.ceas.uc.edu

On the cover — winning student entry in the National SAE Aero Design East competition, micro class division

College of Engineering & Applied Science

School of Aerospace Systems

Letter from the School Director

I am glad to share exciting news of our students, faculty and alumni from the past academic year. We are very proud of our two Aerocat teams who won first place in both regular and micro class entries in the SAE Aero Design East competition in Marietta, Georgia on May 1. In the regular class, the senior Aerospace team surpassed a 25-year competition record for most payload ever carried. Their ability to recover from a near disastrous crash and to miraculously rebuild their aircraft in 45 minutes is a reflection of their excellent teamwork skills, sheer determination, and all the attributes needed to excel in their future careers. For the second time in three years, one of our seniors, Danielle Grage, won the CEAS Herman Schneider Award for her exemplary co-op experience. We look forward to continuing our student successes in the future, with four national merit scholars in our largest ever first-year class this fall. The class of ’61 had a very busy 50th anniversary reunion led by Frank Tepe. Thomas Byar, class of 1959, was recognized by UC President Williams and UC Board of Trustees Chair Sandra Heimann as a Life Benefactor in recognition of his generous support of the Knowlson and Irene Byar Endowed Scholarship in Aerospace Engineering.

Our Center for Intelligent Propulsion Systems and Advanced Life Management is now a reality with the two outstanding faculty, Professors J. G. Lee and Francesco Simonetti, who joined UC as Ohio Research Scholars. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on combustion and propulsion in air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems. Dr. Simonetti’s research focuses on both theoretical and experimental aspects of wave mechanics for subsurface sensing and super-resolution imaging. Our Advisory Board met in May to review the Aerospace Engineering strategic plans and accomplishments, evaluate the Senior Design Team presentations and have lunch with the students. They were very impressed by both student and faculty achievements and would like to urge all alumni and friends to help identify co-op opportunities for our growing body of outstanding students.

Aerospace Department Advisory Board (Spring 2011)From left to right: Dr.Christopher Lorence, GE Aviation; Dr. Baily Vittal, Liberty Works, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies; Dr. Jack Benek, AFRL/WPAFB; Dr. Mike Heil, Ohio Aerospace Institute; Dr. Ronnie Miller, PAC/MISTRAS; Dr. Carol Russo, NASA Ames Research Center; Dr. Tom Wakeman, Belcan Corporation; Dr. Ajay Kumar, NASA Langley Research Center; Dr. Joe Shang, Wright State University; Dr. Eric Baumgartner, Ohio Northern University

I mpressed by both student and faculty achievements,

our Advisory Board would like to urge all alumni and friends to help identify co-op opportunities for our growing body of outstanding students.

“The Ohio Research Scholars Program (ORSP), in partnership with the Ohio Board of Regents, was designed to attract leading research talent that can contribute to the growth of research centers of excellence within Ohio’s academic institutions that support economic development priorities of the state. The goal of the ORSP is to strengthen and increase the number of clusters of research excellence by 1) investing in the attraction of senior research talent and related facilities and equipment, and 2) promoting unique collaborations with nonprofit and for-profit research and commercialization partners needed to build and sustain scientifically and commercially promising lines of research.” The College of Engineering and Applied Science’s School of Aerospace Systems is proud to have Dr. Jong Guen Lee and Dr. Francesco Simonetti as new Ohio Research Scholars.

Ohio Research Scholars join the School of Aerospace System

D E p A r t m E n t S p o t l i g h t

4 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science

Dr. Simonetti’s research lies at the interface between engineering, physics, and applied mathematics. He has made significant contributions to both theoretical and experimental aspects of wave mechanics for sub-surface sensing, including pioneering work on super-resolution imaging. His research has been underpinned by close collaboration with a wide spectrum

of industries through his active participation in the UK Research Centre in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). As a Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering and a Faculty Affiliate of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Simonetti has made significant contributions to ultrasonic and electromagnetic materials characterization, flaw detection, diagnostics, and health monitoring applications. Dr. Simonetti has now established the Ultrasonic Imaging Laboratory at UC. Covering an area of 1200 sq. ft., the lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for basic and applied research, including ultrasonic microscopes, 128-channel programmable array controllers, laser interferometers, and high-resolution infrared cameras. The mission of the lab is to develop the next-generation sensing technology that will lead to novel industrial applications. These encompass life extension technologies, and life cycle management and prognostics of complex engineering systems as well as applications in medical diagnostics such as breast cancer screening.

Dr. Simonetti comes to UC from Imperial College in London where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Center for intelligent propulsion and Advanced life management

Dr. Lee’s research focuses on combustion and propulsion problems in air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems. He has many years of experience in combustion dynamics in gas turbine, ramjet and augmentor, development of various laser-based optical diagnostic techniques with applications to propulsion systems, combustion control and sensors monitoring the combustion

process, turbulent flame propagations and multi-phase combustion processes. He has been collaborating with many major gas turbine/aircraft industries such as GE Aviation, GE Energy, Pratt and Whitney, Siemens-Westinghouse, Solar Turbines as well as the NASA-GRC and DOE NETL (Natural Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, West Virginia) in those areas. His research interests also include supersonic combustion, plasma-aided combustion, solid-propellants and combustion of alternative fuels.

Dr. Lee comes to University of Cincinnati from the Pennsylvania State University where he has been a senior researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research at UC will continue to be focused on Combustion/ Propulsion/ Energy Systems. His laboratory is now being established and equipped with state-of-the-art optical diagnostic instrumentation enabling Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence, Time-resolved Spectroscopy, High Speed Imaging, Spray Characterization, Fuel/air Mixing Measurement, Infrared Absorption, etc.

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Peter Nagy publishes new text

“Physical Ultrasonics of Composites” presents a rigorous treatment of both theoretical and experimental aspects of ultrasonic materials characterization as it is applied to composite materials, components, and structures that present unique challenges and great opportunities in aerospace and other high-tech industries.

This text is co-authored by three university professors who have been collaborating for over twenty years. One of those authors is CEAS Professor Peter Nagy. Their book provides a synergistic description of both modeling and experimental methods in addressing wave propagation phenomena and composite property measurements and is expected to be used by students both nationally and internationally.

The CEAS Research Award for Young Faculty is awarded to faculty with ten years or less service to the College and who are at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. In recognition of his remarkable initiative and research achievements, Dr. Mark Turner received this year’s Research Award for Young Faculty. Dr. Turner’s area of expertise is in Jet Engine and Turbomachinery Simulation. He is the co-director of the Gas Turbine Simulation Laboratory (GTSL) for solving complex flows in turbomachinery and engine inlets. Turner is also the vice chair of the Education Committee for the International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) of ASME. Since joining UC, Dr. Turner has been responsible for bringing in over two million dollars of external research funding and as PI, he has brought in $1.5 million. In addition to his work on turbomachinery applications, he has been exploring areas of sustainable energy with wind turbine research.

mark turner recognized as an ASmE Fellow and the CEAS 2011 Young Faculty researcher

Kelly Cohen shares expertise

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Japan, Seton High School students, pictured, got a firsthand look at the sheer power of earthquakes and how to design buildings to withstand their force. The experience began with a Skype conversation with UC aerospace professor Kelly Cohen. The students were able to interact with Cohen using Seton’s state-of-the-art wireless campus and Tablet PCs. After discussion with Cohen about what causes quakes and how their energy is released into buildings, the students were challenged to create a building that would best handle an earthquake. Students built their structures and tested them on a shake table. Using a motion detector, their math teacher was able to determine how much the buildings shook. Students then had to rework their designs and solve any problems that contributed to the shaking.

Grady, E. (2011, April 20). Seton students studying earth-quakes, buildings. Delhi-Price Hill Community Press, p. A6.

Mark G. Turner, P.E., has been elected to the grade of Fellow at ASME, the premier organization for promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and applied sciences to diverse communities throughout the world. Nominated by their peers, a Fellow is one who has attained a membership grade of distinction, at the time of advancement shall be a corporate member of the Society, shall have been responsible for significant engineering achievements, and shall have not less than ten years of active practice and ten years of continuous corporate membership in ASME. Dr. Turner has the privilege of being one of only 3,150 Fellows out of 111,473 ASME members, and was recognized for his admirable engineering achievements.

D E p A r t m E n t n E w S

D E p A r t m E n t n E w S

6 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science

Professor Grant Schaffner was honored recently by the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) for his creative use of innovation in sport science. He was named the Doc Counsilman Science Award winner for his work designing the new X2 skeleton sled. Schaffner joined UC’s Aerospace Engineering Department as an assistant professor in 2009. His research at UC is in the area of human health, survivability and performance in extreme environments. Schaffner describes his usual work, “Mainly I deal with astronauts in the space environment, soldiers in combat and athletes.” More recently, Schaffner helped the U.S. skeleton program to create a new revolutionary skeleton sled. He worked in partnership with the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (USBSF), ProtoStar Engineering and Machintek Corporation to create a sled technology program. After collaborating on theories, design, construction and on-ice testing, the X2 sled was created. Schaffner has credited a significant part of design to “bodystorming.” Bodystorming is a term used by ProtoStar Engineering to describe the philosophy of physically interacting with the product. “The ‘bodystorming’ term is a play on ‘brainstorming,’ except that you physically involve your body, too,” says Schaffner. The project was targeted for 2014, but significant progress was made and the X2 was tested and raced at the second half of the 2009-10 World Cup and made its official debut in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. For more information on the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton Federation or to see the official news release you can go to the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.

Grant Schaffner receives Doc Counsilman Science Award

Grant Schraffner, third from right, pictured with bobsled skeleton team

Russ DiMicco retires from UC Aerospace Research

For 21 years, Senior Research Associate, Russell DiMicco greatly contributed to our undergraduate laboratories, graduate research, and was instrumental in the day-to-day operations of the Gas Dynamics and Propulsion Laboratory. In October, 2010, Russ accepted a new career opportunity with Belcan in Cincinnati. During Russ’s time here at UC, the undergraduate and graduate students’ educational experience was significantly enhanced by having had the opportunity to interact with him. DiMicco prepared and ran classes for the Aerodynamics Measurement laboratory and Gas Dynamics Laboratory for fifth-year undergraduate students, and was instrumental in assisting more than 50 graduate students toward achieving their graduate degrees. Russ’s work as a senior research engineer involved many projects in diverse areas and his contribution to all of them was crucial for our success. Among his important contributions were the design, fabrication, and assembly of multiple high-pressure air supply systems and complex test facilities. The facilities include a high-pressure combustion system and an afterburner simulator at Center Hill. While on the UC campus he was instrumental in building a turbocharger research facility, aeroacoustics research facility, oil-well drilling simulator, Pulse Detonation Engine Research Lab, and an Acoustic Liners facility. These state-of-the-art facilities were meticulously constructed, had sophisticated controls, were ideal for developing advanced diagnostics, and allowed us to provide the highest caliber results to our sponsors. The sponsors Russ worked with included GE Aviation, the U.S. Navy, NASA, Air Force, BF Goodrich, Boeing, Honeywell, Halliburton, GE Global Research, and GE Energy. His experience and insight was invaluable to the success of our research. DiMicco remains in contact with many of us here at UC to ensure the great things he built during his time at UC continue to operate at a high standard.

The End of a Love Affairby Victoria Krall, Class of 2011

On June 8, 2011, I was privileged to represent the University of Cincinnati at the Space Shuttle Symposium at Georgia Tech in

Atlanta, Georgia. There were 39 different universities represented from all over the country and every student there had the same dream and passion as me. We all wanted to be a part of the U.S. space program and we all are self-proclaimed “shuttle huggers.” The symposium started with a reception for the students on Monday night. We got to mingle amongst ourselves and get to know the people with whom we would be spending the next day and half. Along with the students, the various speakers were also there. They included managers from NASA, United Space Alliance, and Boeing. There were other industry leaders who attended just to take part in the celebration of the space shuttle. The entire symposium was a great time to rub elbows and make new networking connections. The next day the symposium was kicked off with opening remarks from General Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator. Being a past shuttle astronaut and having flown four shuttle missions, he gave a wonderful speech on the space shuttle. He described NASA’s relationship with the space shuttle as a love affair. Then there were several lectures on the different aspects of the shuttle program. The following are just a few of the lectures presented at the symposium; “A Brief History of Orbiter Evolution,” “Space Shuttle Propulsion System,” “Ground Operations,” “Flight Systems and Mission Operations,” and a Lessons Learned panel. There were also three keynote speakers during the meals. My favorite was Robert Thompson who was the Space Shuttle Program Manager from 1970-1981. His lecture was titled “Why We Built the Space Shuttle.” He discussed the thought processes behind it and why certain decisions were made. Being able to participate in the Space Shuttle Symposium at Georgia Tech has been an eye opening experience. I have learned so much more about these wonderful vehicles and have fully embraced the term “shuttle hugger.” I also took away many important points during the lessons learned panel, including the importance of healthy tension in the workplace and not being afraid to make sure your opinion is heard. I will remember these things as I begin my career. The space shuttle program, in my opinion, has had a huge impact on our nation. It has led to new discoveries and inspired generations of our nation’s youth. Even though the technology on the Shuttle is considered obsolete, NASA has learned something new from every single flight. I believe we are making a mistake by ending the Shuttle Program before we have a vehicle to replace it, thus giving up our transport to space and the International Space Station. As NASA’s love affair with the Space Shuttle comes to an end I look forward to the future of America’s Human Spaceflight program and all the new discoveries it may bring. The students that attended this symposium are the future of the U.S. Space Program and I look forward to working with every one of them in the future!

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Space Shuttle Symposium

Shuttle Symposium attendees pose for photo. First row, second from right, Victoria Krall, UC student representative, immediately to her left, General Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

S t u D E n t S p o t l i g h t

8 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science

Two teams of aerospace engineering students from the University of Cincinnati each won in their respective divisions at the 2011 National SAE Aero Design East competition held in Marietta, Georgia, April 29 – May 1. More than 70 teams were present from across the globe including Canada, Poland, Venezuela, India, Mexico, Egypt, and the reigning competition champions from Brazil. The competition requires teams to design, build, and fly a radio-controlled aircraft over a closed course from takeoff

to landing. Points are earned based on satisfying specified design requirements, a written report, an oral presentation, and carrying the most payload for a complete circuit of the course. A team of three aerospace engineering graduate students won the Micro Class competition. Team members included Marshall Galbraith, Philip Italiano, and Cody Lafountain. One key criterion for judging the Micro Class competition was the ratio of the fully loaded aircraft weight to its empty weight. The UC aircraft weighed a mere 0.7 pounds when empty, so the team had the highest score for this critical ratio, as well as the highest score for their presentation. “Due to the poor flying conditions, we

continuously experienced ‘hard’ landings that damaged our nose gear. We spent every minute between flight rounds repairing the damage,” explained Galbraith. The second team was a group of aerospace engineering seniors who won the Regular Class division. Student competitors included Timothy Britt, Daniel Brunck, Nicholas Ernest, Robert Fellows, Lisa Kain, Christopher Lightfield, Dustin Muller, Dominic Pompeo, Christopher Porter, Tyler Relf, Nathan Rooy and Michael Whitsel. The Regular Class team surpassed a 25-year competition record for the most payload ever carried around the closed course. The story of this victory can be classified as a true tale of “triumph from disaster.” The undergraduate team completed all flights the first day of the competition, landing them in first place with a 14-point lead. The following day, the team attempted a 37-pound payload flight to assure victory. Although conditions were perfect, the aircraft lost control for unknown reasons and crashed into the ground. The crash set the team back to second place and the plane appeared to be beyond repair. The team had only 45 minutes to rebuild their aircraft and carry on in the competition. It was required that the aircraft must be 50 percent original to be considered the same. If the rebuild were over 50 percent, the scores would be wiped from the day before. “Those 45 minutes were very intense. I personally thought that we had worked on it for at least 1.5 hours for the amount of work that we had done. There was a lot of teamwork as we only had a few blades and only one bottle of glue. Everybody was being productive and helping out,” said Fellows. With slight winds and unfavorable density altitude, the plane began its last flight of the competition; it rolled down the runway and lifted off within the required 200-foot ground roll. While in the air the tail started to shift because of the quick repair but held firm. The aircraft made it to a successful landing largely because of the skill and control of Santiago Panzardi, the team’s AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) licensed pilot. After the landing the payload weight was determined to be 35.27 pounds — a new record for a Regular Class aircraft. The Brazilian teams in first and third place also completed flights in the final round making it unsure if the 35-pound payload would yield enough points. Once the scores were tabulated, teams were notified and the University of Cincinnati team had won the Regular Class competition with an 11.82-point lead over both Brazilian teams.

Observations from the PilotThe air currents in the airfield were a nightmare to fly through as the topography falls away from the runway (wind blowing in that direction) and the airplanes were flying the 1st turn, downwind, and base legs of the course in swirling downdrafts. Indeed one of the most enduring moments was the awards mistake in Micro class as we were called in 2nd place. We all walked forward in incredulity knowing there was a mistake. We tried to look gracious but our faces had been plastered with disbelief. Brazil was awarded first, and then came straight over to us with the 1st place trophy and said “this is yours.” All stood and applauded. The SAE officials were perplexed, however, the matter was resolved quickly when they realized the scores were transposed. It was very nice to speak to the Brazilians and hear them talk about UC being a formidable school in aeronautics. The weekend was a blur, the Micro team worked almost every minute. The regular team had it just slightly smoother until the 5th round crash which carried the winning payload. Then I witnessed what I thought only professional UAV technicians could accomplish in at least 60 minutes, the team did in 45minutes — rebuild the entire aircraft to good airworthy conditions AND fly the winning payload. I inspected the aircraft and although it was not perfect, it was structurally sound. The fact that it carried 35 lbs in less than optimal conditions and in higher density altitude speaks volumes about their initial prediction of 39 lbs at standard day, sea level. Both teams, technically and functionally, were your dream teams.

Santiago Panzardi, AMA Licensed Pilot

Aerospace teams win big

The annual Herman Schneider Medal is awarded to a senior for “distinction as an exemplary co-op student — one who has taken fullest advantage of the unique opportunities of a cooperative education.”

Danielle Grage is this year’s Herman Schneider Award recipient. Danielle graduated second in the Aerospace Engineering class of 2011 at UC. A self-described ‘road less travelled person,’ “I always knew I wanted to do engineering, from a young age I was fascinated with math, science, and solving problems. I chose UC because I was very interested in the opportunities presented by the co-op experience and the engineering program the University offered.” She is the first ACCEND student to graduate with a BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering after just five years. She is an Honors Scholar who has completed all of her co-op assignments at GE Aviation. One of her nominators wrote, “Danielle exemplifies the very qualities that Dr. Herman Schneider was hoping to engender when he started the co-op program at UC. At her co-op placements, she frequently took on engineering project leadership roles beyond what would be expected of a co-op student, and accomplished tasks at a level normally associated with veteran employees.” Danielle holds a tremendous ability to balance her studies with volunteer work. She has been active in many community activities including the Crosstown Helpout, Green-Up Day, fund raising for the Just Community 5K walk, and organizing the first annual Aruna 5K to benefit women in India. When reflecting back on a co-op placement one of her supervisors stated, “One of Danielle’s strongest traits is her ability to ask questions about something in order to get a better understanding and concept of the process. She consistently displays leadership skills with clear thinking while delving into complex problems. She is able to identify critical parameters and recommend courses of action, far beyond her limited experience.” Danielle has fully taken advantage of the co-op program and applied her experiences from her academic studies and co-op to her research pursuits. Her MS thesis focused on cooperation with GE Aviation to investigate correlating jet acoustics with the respective exhaust flow field. She has been offered a full time position at GE Aviation and will continue to pursue her education through the Edison Leadership Program at GE.

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Danielle Grage wins Herman Schneider Award

nASA/gSrp Award ($30,0000 + tuition) Michael Knadler

nASA Space grant Awards Undergraduate Scholars Senior awards ($4,000 total– $3,500 NASA + $500 UC) Sydney Barker (ASE, continuing) Krista Kirievich (ASE, new) Nathan Wukie (ASE, continuing) Junior Awards ($3,000 total – $2,500 NASA + $500 UC) Tyler Vick (ASE, new) Alex Walker (ASE, new)

PhD Fellowships (three year award: per year $20,000 total – $15,000 NASA + $5000 UC + tuition) Adam Gerlach (ASE, 2nd year, continuing) Robert Knapke (ASE, 1st year, new)

MS Fellowships (1.5 year award: per calendar year: $16,000 total – $13,000 NASA + $3,000 UC + tuition) Rob Charvat (ASE) (2nd year) Charles Williams (ASE) (1st year) (all pending final NASA approval)

AiAA Foundation graduate Student research Award ($5,000) Chelsea Sabo (2nd year, back-to-back)

AiAA Foundation Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship ($2,000) Nathan Wukie AFrl/DAgSi Award ($25,000 + tuition) Steven Etheridge Chelsea Sabo Choose ohio First Scholars Award ($4,500 per year) Patrick Rachow Alicia Zwiebel

nSF/StEp Award ($30,000 per year + tuition) Nicholas Ernest Phillip Italiano Cody Lafountain

Student Awards 2011-12

S t u D E n t n E w S

10 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science

Thomas Caley, Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, ACCEND student, BS AE/MS AEEM “That sense of joy and wonder everytime I see an airplane led me to the field of aerospace. The co-ops, and the professors that took the time to talk to me attracted me to the program at UC. Some of my accomplishments include backpacking 83 miles in New Mexico and getting the Cincinnatus Excellence Scholarship. I look forward to doing well in school and while on co-op, ... and maybe play some intramural sports.”

Carolyn Coutre, Grand Haven High School, Grand Haven, Michigan, BS AE“One of the things I feel most proud of from high school is the seven years I spent on my school’s

Science Olympiad team. This program really forced me to challenge myself. When looking at colleges, I was really excited about the prospect of co-oping. I was also looking for a bigger school and Cincinnati seemed like a good fit for me. I’m really looking forward to all of the opportunities a big school will give me. I hope to get involved in many things around campus.”

Michael Ferguson, Wayne High School, Huber Heights, Ohio, BS AE“I’ve always loved learning about how planes and spaceships fly and what works aerodynamically and what doesn’t. Combine that with a love of making and fixing things and very quickly you discover that aero is the ideal field of study. I looked at (and applied to) many schools. But what sets UC apart is the balance it has between flexible and defined degree

programs.”

Eric Wesseling, Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, ACCEND student, BS AE/MBA “I’ve wanted to go into Aerospace for a few years now. Math and science have always been my strongest subjects, and I’m interested in physics and space technology. Aerospace seems like the best way for me to get involved and really make a difference in the fields that interest me. UC has a great engineering school, and they offered me a generous scholarship. I’m very happy and excited to be a Bearcat!”

Aerospace Engineering welcomes four National Merit Scholars this fall

A l u m n i S p o t l i g h t

Thomas R.Byar was honored at the 2011 Benefactor Award Celebration as a Life Benefactor which recognizes cumulative giving of $250,000-$999,000.

Byar earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and has generously given back to the College through his establishment and support of the Knowlson and Irene Byar Endowed Scholarship in Aerospace Engineering. He supports the Engineering and Applied Science All-College Awards Banquet and other university-wide priorities.

Thomas Byar recognized as a

University of Cincinnati Life Benefactor

Left to right, Steven Wilson, Chair, UCF Board of Trustees, UC President Gregory Williams, Thomas Byar, Sandra Heimann, Chair, UC Board of Trustees

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A l u m n i n E w S

The College of Engineering’s class of 1961 celebrated their 50 year reunion during the weekend of May 13-15, 2011. The college’s graduates from that year were by far the most numerous participants in the festivities arranged by the University for the Alumni Association’s Alumni Weekend for graduates from all the UC’s colleges. The three events scheduled by the Alumni Association for the 1961 graduates included a “Taste of Cincinnati Lunch Buffet” on Saturday (with Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream), a reception with the University President that evening, and the “Golden Bearcat Club Brunch” Sunday morning. The lunch saw 67 UC graduates from 1961 and their spouses in attendance, with 43 of those being graduates and spouses from the College of Engineering, while the reception that evening found 58 of the 78 attendees from Engineering, and at the Sunday morning brunch 25 of the 73 participants were from Engineering. Overall, College of Engineering graduates still have a strong loyalty to the University and their fellow classmates. Participants from the Aeronautical Engineering Department (yes, that is what it was called in 1961) in these events included Dave Brown and his wife Pat, Larry Lantzer and his wife Sue, Jim Snyder, and Frank Tepe and his wife Judy. They also attended the College’s All Alumni Awards Banquet on Friday May 13 at the Netherland Hilton and were recognized by Dean Carlo Montemagno at that annual College event. The Dean also gave a presentation regarding the current and future activities of the College after the Saturday afternoon buffet. The AE graduates and their spouses also went out for dinner as a group after the Saturday evening reception. All of the AE graduates greatly enjoyed seeing their fellow classmates again as well as catching up with our colleagues from the other engineering departments. We encourage all our fellow graduates from 1962 and beyond to start planning for your 50th reunion, you’ll really enjoy it.

— Frank Tepe, Class of ‘61

L-R, Jim Snyder, ‘61, Prof. Widen Tabakoff, Frank Tepe, ‘61, UCAA President Myron Hughes, Prof. Awatef Hamed, UC President Gregory Williams, Judy Tepe

Class of 1961 Reunion Belcan Engineering project lead, Donald Dlesk, Jr., BSAE 2006, is using the finite element code, ANSYS, to redesign rotation components in the GE90-115b and BEnx-1b high-bypass turbofan engines for GE Aviation. Team members include Brett Geiser, BSME 2010, and Matthew Miller, BSME 2010. The effort seeks to replace legacy metallic parts with composite equivalents to reduce rotating weight and improve performance and fuel economy.

Fumi Ichihashi, BSAE 2008, MS AEEM, 2011, recently joined Hexcel as an acoustics and thermal research engineer. “Having the facility to manufacture test-samples within reach of hand is an engineering researcher’s dream and it is happening at Hexcel. I appreciate and am excited by the responsibilities and trust Hexcel has given me.”

John Louis, BSAE, 2005, is currently the Lead Flight Sciences person for the G280, Gulfstream’s mid-cabin airplane. He and his wife, Kai, had twins Kamden (boy) and Elizabeth (girl) on May 12, 2011. He is pursuing his masters at Embry-Riddle with a focus on flight sciences.

Ralph Spitzen, AE ‘74, MBA ‘76, and daughter Rachel (pictured above) near the end of a ten day high altitude trek in the Himalayas in the Kingdom of Bhutan. The snow capped mountain is 24,000 ft. Chomolhari on the Bhutan-Tibet border and one of the world’s tallest unclimbed mountains.

Ball Aerospace engineer, Joe Stern, BSAE, 2006, MS AEEM, 2008, is creating supervisory control interfaces for multiple UAV’s through varying levels of autonomy as well as coding virtual environments for UAV piloting.

Alex Sullivan, BSAE, 2005, is now leading the G650 Electrical Component Installations and Water and Waste program at Gulfstream. He and his wife had their first child, Parker Joseph Sullivan, on July 1, 2011.

Capt. Walter Cornelius, Aeronautical Engineering, 1938, passed away August 5, 2011 at the age of 95. Cornelius was a senior research engineer with General Motors, retiring in 1981 after 44 years. Capt. Cornelius proudly served the U.S. Navy from 1942-1973. He received the UC College of Engineering distinguished alumnus award in 1973.

In Memoriam

University of CincinnatiCollege of Engineering and Applied ScienceSchool of Aerospace SystemsP.O. Box 210070Cincinnati, OH 45221-0070

how to make a gift to the School of Aerospace Systems

The School appreciates alumni support at any level. If you would like to contribute to the School’s important mission, please make your check out to the UC Foundation/School of Aerospace Systems and send to:

University of CincinnatiCollege of Engineering and Applied ScienceOffice of DevelopmentPO Box 210018Cincinnati, OH 45221-0018

Online gifts can be made at www.Giveto.UC.edu. Indicate that the gift is for the School of Aerospace Systems when filling out the online giving form.