Chairman's Corner

Friends and Colleagues,
The start of school is always an exciting time for me. I look forward to the return of students, the beginning of classes and the smell of autumn in the air. It’s been a great year for the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics (AEM) department and I look forward to another great year ahead.
Some of the highlights from the past year include: Minnesat, the University’s entry into a two-year, student-driven project aimed at creating nanosatellites, finished fifth overall at their national competition in the spring. We are extremely pleased with the results, especially since Minnesat was our first entry into the highly-competitive Nanosat competition. McKnight Land Grant Professor Demoz Gebre-Egziabher and several returning students are preparing for the next competition – Nanosat-5. Minnesota’s entry, “Goldeneye,” aims to use GPS as a type of radar to inexpensively yet accurately access target locations. Many congratulations, students and staff.
Students participating in the Reduced Gravity program elected to study a well-known but little-tested (in microgravity, at least) phenomenon: cavitation. Cavitation occurs when water quickly passes over an object (e.g., a propellor). Water vapor bubbles form, and collapse, in the wake of this machinery. The Reduced Gravity flight test is featured on page 9.
AEM and the University honored Professor Eugene E. Covert, an AEM alumnus and pioneer in aeronautical engineering who has a distinguished career in academia and service. He has been previously honored with many awards, including the prestigious Daniel Guggenheim medal. The Guggenheim medal may be the most distinguished award in aerospace, having honored the likes of Orville Wright and Charles Lindbergh in the past. More information about Mr. Covert may be found on page 12.
Several of our faculty members were recognized this year for their work. Professor Graham Candler received the 2007 AIAA Thermophysics award, one of the most prestigious in his field (see page 10). I was most honored to receive the Distinguish McKnight Professorship from the University. Professor Ellen Longmire received the Distinguished Women Scholars Award from the University. Professor Longmire was selected for the award based on her impact on her field, her international scholarly reputation, and her distinction in undergraduate and graduate education.
AEM and Akerman Hall have seen a great deal of change over the past year. In an effort to better serve our constituents, we upgraded our web site and renovated space in Akerman Hall. The updated web site is graphically more appealing, has new content offerings and is better organized than our previous web site. Remodeling of our main office and the creation of undergraduate and graduate lounges is complete. We feel it is important to provide our undergraduate and graduate students with a well-designed space to congregate, study and interact. The main office renovation improved the staff working environment, their work flow and allows us to better serve our students, faculty, alumni and visitors.
One of the goals I communicated to you last year is our intent to increase AEM’s visibility on both the local and national stage. We are making progress toward that end, as our students, programs, and outreach are receiving a large amount of press at the University and beyond. Some notable articles, like a profile of AEM alumnus Steve Cook, coverage of Minnesat (in both IT magazine and the Minnesota Daily), and an article featuring seven AEM students’ and their internships at NASA over the summer, are available through http://www.aem.umn.edu/spotlight.shtml. While we are making progress in increasing our visibility, we do need your assistance. Please submit news, photos, and comments to aemnews@aem.umn.edu.
We continue to strive to be one of the top Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics departments in the country. We have made excellent progress toward that goal this past academic year. With your help, we will continue to make progress and achieve our goal in the coming years.
Best Regards,

Gary J. Balas
Department Head
balas(@aem.umn.edu)