News
![2022 Capstone team awards](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Capstone%20Awards%20%28Thumb%29.png?itok=W51VrVxS)
Mon, 06/27/2022
2022 capstone team awards
We announce the winners of the 2022 Capstone Film Fest and the Technical Excellence Awards.
![Zap Energy's Z-Pinch](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Zap%20Energy.png?itok=A6S_JNSR)
Wed, 06/22/2022 | GeekWire
More funding for fusion: Seattle startup lands $160M and reveals technology breakthrough
GeekWire quotes A&A's Chris Hansen about the breakthrough of Uri Shumlak's spinoff company.
![Zap Energy's executive team](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/ZapBW.jpeg?itok=0iwDUjW1)
Wed, 06/22/2022 | New York Times
A Big Step Toward Fusion Energy Is Hailed by a Seattle Start-Up
Uri Shumlak's Zap Energy hit a key milestone, putting the company close to reaching the energy break-even point.
![Reiner Decher](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Reiner-Decher-thumb.jpg?itok=gjQzJpgQ)
Wed, 06/22/2022
Reiner Decher is writing about the mechanics and history of aerospace for the masses
A&A professor emeritus Reiner Decher is writing about the mechanics and history of aerospace for the curious.
![Daniel Crews headshot](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Daniel-Crews-thumb.jpg?itok=JpgnDlPo)
Wed, 06/22/2022
Paper by Daniel Crews wins IEEE first place
Crews’s paper on the validity of quasilinear theory wins best student paper at IEEE Conference
![Howard Hu](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Howard%20Hu.png?itok=1edUw3uo)
Wed, 06/01/2022 | UW Magazine
From 'Star Wars' to the stars
NASA is going back tot he moon and planning to land humans on Mars, thanks in part to Orion manager Howard Hu ('91, '94)
![Gary Lai and his crewmates](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/06/Gary%20Lai%20and%20crew.jpeg?itok=78378DN6)
Sun, 05/29/2022 | UW Magazine
Gary Lai, '99, helps lead Blue Origin into space
Gary Lai was one of the first 20 employees of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin aerospace company. In March, he joined five other passengers for the company's fourth manned suborbital space flight.
![Catherine and Mike Taniguchi](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/05/Catherine-and-Mike-Taniguchi-thumb.jpg?itok=VwgGZGM5)
Tue, 05/24/2022
Mike Taniguchi (‘71) is the 2022 A&A Distinguished Alum
Mike Taniguchi, expert in liquid rocket propulsion, is the 2022 Distinguished Alum.
![Nanobubbles](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/04/aa-nanobubbles.jpg?itok=ZwQwzQcH)
Mon, 04/11/2022
NSF supports our research into why nanofoams are full of surprises
NSF supports an A&A and ME collaborative investigation of a novel new material.
![Carter Vu and his colleagues](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/04/Carter%20Vu%20thumb.jpeg?itok=7tEKNAhP)
Thu, 03/31/2022 | UW Foster Blog
Environmental Innovation Challenge rewards student ventures
A&A's Carter Vu earned the Grand Prize in the 2022 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge for a plastic recycling process.
![UW campus and US News logo](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/03/Ranking%20thumbnail.png?itok=K5Vlus6b)
Mon, 03/28/2022 | UW News
UW graduate and professional disciplines again place high in US News’ best graduate school rankings
A&A's graduate program ranks 17th in aerospace engineering, according to U.S. News & World Report.
![Stephanie Bostwick (far right) teaches engineering at Northwest Indian College on Lummi Nation land near Bellingham, WA.](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/04/cei-microgrids-news-img.jpg?itok=bLXfBa1j)
Fri, 03/25/2022 | Clean Energy Institute
Microgrids for energy sovereignty
Alumna Stephanie Bostwick aims to bring clean energy to her classroom at Northwest Indian College and to the Lummi Nation.
![Gary Lai with the New Shepard capsule.](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/03/lai%20360X230.jpeg?itok=A4p73BRU)
Mon, 03/21/2022 | GeekWire
Blue Origin gives ‘SNL’ comedian Pete Davidson’s suborbital seat to the spaceship’s chief architect
Gary Lai (A&A '99), Blue Origin's chief architect for the New Shepard launch system, gets a ticket to space.
![Casey Dunn, Finn Van Donkelaar, and James Penna](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/03/220316-wavemo3-630x400.jpeg?itok=NZD_1Y_F)
Wed, 03/16/2022 | GeekWire
Wave Motion wins $1.3M award to work on prototype jet-gun launcher for U.S. Navy
A start-up founded by three A&A alumni won $1.3M from the U.S. Navy to develop a barrel-less space launcher technology.
![blue and green plasma flow Illustration](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/03/plasma-flow-with-black-star-01.png?itok=yaokbvx5)
Tue, 03/01/2022
NSF invests in UW’s plasma modeling
The National Science Foundation invests in our labs to advance plasma modeling for propulsion and cleaner energy.
![Howard Hu](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/03/Howard%20Hu.png?itok=C0fIXvGR)
Mon, 02/28/2022 | NASA
NASA Promotes Howard Hu to Lead Orion Ahead of First Artemis Mission
Howard Hu will lead NASA's Orion as the program prepares to send its first uncrewed flight test around the Moon.
![Astronaut walking on Mars](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/02/Space-matters-thumb.png?itok=fqVeT2Na)
Mon, 02/14/2022
Space matters
SPARC sets the course for space research and policy partnerships in the Pacific Northwest.
![Mayim Bialek and Kaden Lee on Jeopardy!](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/02/KADEN-LEE-University-of-Washington-RE-SE-LR7106-630x420.jpeg?itok=XATgl6d-)
Thu, 02/10/2022 | GeekWire
Univ. of Washington student tests trivia smarts in 'Jeopardy! National College Championship'
A&A's Kaden Lee speaks with GeekWire about competing on Jeopardy!
![Rao Varanasi & Usha Varanasi](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/01/Varanasi%27s-2022-Deans-Award.png?itok=G2x8ljAk)
Wed, 01/26/2022
Rao and Usha Varanasi receive 2022 Diamond Award
Rao (A&A PhD '68) and Usha Varanasi are the 2022 UW College of Engineering Diamond Award Honorees for Distinguished Service.
![Group photo of six people](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/01/SpaceVision%20award%20-%20SEDS%20-%2002.png?itok=1hFl8JCu)
Fri, 01/14/2022
SEDS wins two chapter awards at SpaceVision
SEDS is a burgeoning chapter at UW, recently winning the Chapter of the Year award and the Chapter Diversity award.
![Abhiram Aithal headshot](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2022/01/Abhiram-Aithal-AA-news.png?itok=YJmrwZuw)
Wed, 01/05/2022
Aithal awarded Condit Fellowship
Abhiram Aithal chosen as the Condit Dissertation Year Fellow, a new award to help PhD students finish their degree.
![Behçet Açıkmeşe headshot](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/12/Beh%C3%A7et%20A%C3%A7%C4%B1kme%C5%9Fe%20%20-%20IEEE%20Fellow.png?itok=I4bVwXVc)
Thu, 12/09/2021
Behçet Açıkmeşe elevated to 2022 IEEE Fellow
Professor Açıkmeşe voted IEEE Fellow for optimization-based nonlinear control and planetary landing systems.
![Samuel Buckner headshot](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/11/Samuel%20Buckner-news-item.png?itok=OkoHgnSE)
Wed, 11/24/2021
Samuel Buckner is the newest A&A ARCS Scholar
A&A doctoral student Samuel Buckner received an ARCS Scholarship to create new technologies and expand innovation.
![Chris Hansen](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/11/CJH_headshot1-1260x1009_0.jpeg?itok=FoQX9v4O)
Sat, 11/06/2021 | GeekWire
The buzz about fusion energy: Expert explains industry’s ‘reinvigoration’ as tech attracts VC dollars
A&A’s Chris Hansen talks fusion energy with GeekWire, discussing the current industry state as VC dollars flood in.
![W on campus](https://www.aa.washington.edu/sites/aa/files/styles/large/public/media/images/2021/10/October-campus-W_360_2.jpeg?itok=PbO1wzmh)
Mon, 10/25/2021 | UW College of Arts & Sciences
The Math Alliance expands diversity in STEM through mentorship
The math mentorship program preparing underrepresented students for STEM graduate programs comes to the UW with A&A support.