News

BlackSky, a company owned by A&A Alum Jason Andrews (1994), has launched its first satellite in a planned 60 satellite constellation designed to allow anyone to order low-cost, custom satellite photos.

In 2016, Prof. James C. Hermanson was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship to collaborate with the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity at the University of Bremen in Germany (ZARM). Each summer, Hermanson travels to Germany to work in concert with the Combustion Technology group headed by Christian Eigenbrod on a new DLR-funded project to study the combustion of single oxygen droplets in a hydrogen environment. 

On Aug. 26, Rachel Peterson from Senator Patty Murray’s office visited campus to tour the UW A&A labs and receive an update on current research relevant to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water.

Dr. Chris Lum from the University of Washington William E. Boeing department of Aeronautics & Astronautics will be joining a panel with Dr. Lav R. Khot from Washington State University at 2016 UAS Agricultural and Academic Conference to discuss the latest UAS trends in agriculture. The panel will explore various ways UAS technology is being used currently and explore future opportunities for technology adoption and employment in the agriculture industry. This conference is hosted by the Washington State Unmanned Aviation Technology Coalition in Sunnyside WA on Thursday September 15, 2016. Agenda and registration are posted online.

The inaugural Additive Manufacturing (AM) for Aerospace course was completed in spring quarter 2016 as part of the evening Masters of Aerospace Engineering (MAE) program. Additive manufacturing - which includes "3D printing" - is a manufacturing process that uses computer models to create 3D objects by building up layer upon layer of material. This approach can produce complex structures and material properties previously unattainable by traditional manufacturing methods.

This year, the Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace class provided an overview of design, manufacturing, inspection, qualification, and certification considerations that one must consider in when selecting from a broad spectrum of available AM methods. Each student was given the opportunity to design and print a 3D object, which provided first-hand view of the design and manufacturing process start-to-finish.

The class was taught by Dr. Robert Yancey, the Vice President for Additive Manufacturing at Altair Engineering and Affiliate Professor at UW, with assistance from A&A research engineers Fiona Spencer and Eliot George. This class was also supported by Dr. Royan D’Mello, a postdoctoral fellow working with A&A Professor and Chair Anthony Waas. Interest in the Additive Manufacturing for Aerospace course has exceeded expectations and the department is hoping to make it a regular offering in the MAE program.

Congratulations to Thao Nguyen for receiving the College of Engineering Dean’s Medal in recognition of her excellence in research. Thao, a Chemical Engineering student, works as an undergraduate research assistant on an NSF-sponsored project in A&A Professor Jim Hermanson’s Combustion Lab, where they are studying the explosive vaporization of superheated liquid droplets.  Read more.

A team led by University of Washington engineers has developed a new tool that could aid in the quest for better batteries and fuel cells. Although battery technology has come a long way since Alessandro Volta first stacked metal discs in a “voltaic pile” to generate electricity, major improvements are still needed to meet the energy challenges of the future, such as powering electric cars and storing renewable energy cheaply and efficiently. The key likely lies in the nanoscale.... Read more at UW Today.

Congratulations to Professor Uri Shumlak, whose ZaP Flow Z-Pinch project received the “UW Greenest Lab Award”. This is a particularly fitting award for a research project that seeks to develop a carbon-free effectively-limitless energy source - fusion energy - that has applications for space power and propulsion. The UW Green Laboratory Certification Program recognizes laboratories at UW that operate and behave sustainably within their laboratory space. The ZaP Flow Z-Pinch Lab received the highest ranking score which demonstrates excellence in their efforts to reduce the environmental impact at the UW. Learn more about what it takes to get the UW Green Laboratory Certification: https://green.uw.edu/green-laboratory/certification

Professor Jim Hermanson received a three-year Fulbright Award to work at the Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity at the University of Bremen in Germany. Hermanson will work there with Dipl.-Eng. Christian Eigenbroad, head of Aerospace Combustion Engineering, on a study of combustion behavior of oxygen droplets under cryogenic conditions.

Graduate student Pablo Trefftz Posada has received a 2016 Aviation Week '20 Twenties' Award. Pablo was one of 20 students selected nationally in recognition of his academic acumen, the value of his research and his contribution to the broader community. Pablo, who works with Professor Antonino Ferrante, will be honored at the Aviation Week annual Laureate Awards banquet on March 3rd in Washington, D.C., where he will be highlighted to the leaders of the world's top aerospace companies and agencies. He will also be featured in  the February 29th digital and print publication of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Dalton Waldock, a senior from Briarcliff Manor High School in New York was just selected as an Intel Science Talent Search semi-finalist. Dalton spent last summer working as an intern in Professor John Slough’s Plasma Dynamics Laboratory as part of a College Science Research class. Dalton worked with his mentor, A&A graduate student Jordan Neuhoff, to measure the energy of plasma emitted from a Pre-Ionizer, which destabilizes atoms to create plasma and free electrons. This experiment has real-world implications for space travel by potentially enabling a space probe to reach its destination efficiently and have enough fuel to return to Earth. Dalton was selected as an Intel semi-finalist based on the strength of his research and his paper, titled, “Spectroscopic Measurements Versus Langmuir Probe Analyses of RF Plasma.”