Structures, Structural Dynamics, & Materials Award Open for Nominations 10 February 2025 – 1 June 2025

Award Recipients

2024

• Dr Carlos E Cesnik
  University of Michigan

  Awarded

  Award: 2024 AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, & Materials Award

  AIAA Citation: For seminal contributions to research and education in structural modeling, dynamics, and health monitoring emphasizing multiphysics effects in very flexible aircraft, rotorcraft, and hypersonic vehicles.

2020

• Dr Stephen P Engelstad
  Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

  Awarded

  Award: For outstanding contributions as an industry leader in R&D and DOD applications of new aeronautics computational mechanics and composites structure/certification technologies.

2018

• Prof Dewey H Hodges
  Georgia Institute of Technology

  Awarded

  Award: For outstanding contributions to structures, structural dynamics, and aeroelasticity, including research advancements, publications, development of educational materials, and mentoring of future aerospace professionals

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding contributions to structures, structural dynamics, and aeroelasticity, including research advancements, publications, development of educational materials, and mentoring of future aerospace professionals

2016

• Dr Anthony M Waas
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering contributions to the development of the innovative, experimentally validated, computational methods for progressive damage analysis of polymer and hot ceramic composite materials and structures.

2014

• Dr Daniel J Inman
  University of Michigan

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding contributions and innovative integration of smart materials into both air and space vehicles ranging from flexible satellites to morphing aircraft structures.

2010

• Charbel Farhat
  Stanford University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering research in fluid-structure interaction and its application to critical aeroelastic and engineering problems.

2008

• Dr Henry T Yang
  University of California Santa Barbara

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For sustained contributions to outstanding research, education and service in aerospace structures, structural dynamics and materials, and for pioneering work in shell finite elements, transonic flutter, structural dynamics and computational materials processing.

2006

• Prof John Dugundji
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For seminal research contributions in aeroelasticity, aeroservoelasticity, nonlinear vibrations and composite structures of fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft, turbomachinery as well as his distinguished service as inspirational aerospace educator.

2005

• Prof Terry A Weisshaar
  Purdue University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For fundamental contributions to research and education in aeroelastic design, aeroelastic tailoring, and the application of smart advanced composites.

2004

• Dr Kumar G Bhatia
  Boeing Commercial Airplanes

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering contributions to automated aeroelastic design of large commercial aircraft,and for technical leadership in developing advanced aeroelastic/aeroservoelastic design procedures based on high fidelity modeling in an industrial setting

2002

• Dr Inderjit Chopra
  University of Maryland

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original contributions to rotary-wing aeromechanics, modeling of composite bearingless helicopter main rotors, and development of the smart rotor concept

2001

• Dr Edward F Crawley
  Massachusettes Institute of Technology

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For seminal contributions to aeroelasticity, aeroservoelasticity and controlled space structures, and for pioneering contributions to smart structures that serve as the foundation for this new field

2000

• Dr George S Springer
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering contributions in manufacturing, design, and service life of fiber reinforced composites; successful promotion of composites for industrial use; and exemplary leadership in aerospace education

1998

• Dr Christos C Chamis
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For developing innovative computational simulation methods applicable to structural design of aerospace propulsion systems having assured life-cycle costs, quantifiable reliability and risk

1997

• Dr Chin-Teh Sun
  Purdue University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: In recognition of pioneering work in the area of impact and inelastic behavior of composite structures, including practical methodologies widely adopted by aerospace engineers.

1996

• Prof Peretz P Friedmann
  University of Michigan

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding original contributions to aeroelasticity and structural dynamics, particularly as applied to the analysis and design optimization of helicopters

1994

• Mr Robert S Ryan
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For leadership in understanding the control system-structural interactions of major launch vehicles and the development of structural margins and dynamic design data

1993

• Mr. Thomas D Arthurs
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For leadership of the structural analysis, aeroelastic design and materials development for the unique B-2 airframe which represents a significant advance in applied aeronautical structural, structural dynamics, and materials technology

1992

• Mr. Elbert L Rutan
  Scaled Composites LLC

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For innovative and outstanding contributions to the advancement of aerospace technologies, including the design, development and testing of light-weight, high performance composite structures materials

1991

• Dr H. Norm Abramson
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding research contributions to structural dynamics and aeroelasticity, visionary leadership of major research programs and extraordinary service to the profession

1990

• Dr Richard H Gallagher
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering contributions to the development of finite element methods with early emphasis on its use in aerospace structural design, and for his works in solid and fluid mechanics, structural dynamics and optimization

1989

• Mr. Mike J Dubberly
  6250 Terrapin Dr

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For contributions toward the structural development of current naval aircraft and his technical insight and leadership toward aircraft structures technology development

1988

• Prof Satya N Atluri
  Texas Tech University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering and sustained contributions to fracture mechanics, materials evaluation, finite element and boundary element methods for linear and nonlinear analysis of aerospace structures, and his work on control of large space structures.

1987

• Dr James W Mar
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For extraordinary contributions in research on structures, structural dynamics and structural materials; outstanding leadership in research and development in the Air Force, NASA and the aerospace industry; and notable accomplishment in engineering education

1986

• Mr. Bryan R Noton
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For vital contributions to accelerating transfer of emerging technologies to cost-effective design and manufacture and for developing airframe cost-analysis methodologies responsible for significant savings throughout the defense industry

1985

• Chintsun Hwang
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: In recognition of broad and in-depth research work in many phases of aircraft and space structural dynamics and for his outstanding analytical and experimental work on aircraft active flutter suppression using adaptive algorithms

1984

• Eric Reissner
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: In recognition of fifty years of fundamental contributions to the aerospace community as a teacher and researcher in applied mathematics and mechanics of aircraft structures, and for the establishment of the Reissner variational principle

1983

• Dr Leonard Meirovitch
  VPISU

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding contributions to the literature of structural dynamics in both book and archival journal form--his influence on present and future generations of structural dynamicists has been pervasive and profound.

1982

• John H Wykes
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For significant contributions to the investigation, design and development of active control technology to suppress or alleviate the deletreous effects of aeroelastic or dynamic response of large flexible aircraft

1981

• Richard R Heldenfels
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For outstanding contributions to understanding of the behavior of structures and materials in the environment of high-speed flight, the development of facilities for elevated temperature testing, and for leading research and development of advanced composites for commercial aircraft application

1980

• Prof Earl H Dowell
  Duke University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For increasing outstanding scientific contributions in aeroelasticity and structural dynamics which provide constant insights into the behavior of complex structural systems - a “universal man” in this field and an extraordinarily skillful teacher

1979

• Prof Lucien A Schmit
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: In recognition of pioneering contributions to the field of optimum structural design, and for making numerous and highly original contributions which have advanced the field of structural synthesis for an abstract concept to a practical tool

1978

• Mr. Warren A Stauffer
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For effective resolution of issues affecting requirements for structural fatigue evaluation of aircraft at the 1977 FAA Regulatory Review Conference

1977

• Walter J Mykytow
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For contributions to safety of flight by dedicated technical leadership in prediction and prevention of aeroelastic problems in military aircraft.

1976

• Mr. Charles F Tiffany
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original, definitive, and continuous research leading to the application of fracture mechanics in the design of military aircraft

1975

• Prof Theodore H Pian
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For fundamental contributions to the general field of structural dynamics and to the innovative development of the assumed-stress hybrid model for the finite-element method of structural analysis

1974

• William D Cowie
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For creation and implementation of design and verification requirements to ensure structural integrity of high performance turbine aircraft engines, and for development of highly successful solutions to structural problems on in-service engines

1973

• George P Peterson
  Awarded-CoRecipients

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering effort to the discovery, development, and deployment of advanced composites in aerospace structures.
• Robert T Schwartz
  Awarded-CoRecipients

  AIAA Citation: For pioneering effort to the discovery, development, and deployment of advanced composites in aerospace structures.

1972

• M Jonathan Turner
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original, definitive and continuous research and development leading to successful design application of displacement methods of structural analysis and to improve techniques for aeroelastic analysis, testing and optimization

1971

• Prof Nicholas J Hoff
  Stanford University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For significant pioneering contributions to the basic understanding of the behavior of aircraft and aerospace structure

1970

• Joseph D Van Dyke Jr.
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original, definitive and continuous research and development leading to design practices which ensure structural integrity and reduced interior noise for high intensity random and sinusoidal noise environments

1969

• Dr Holt Ashley
  Stanford University

  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original, definitive, and continuous research and testing leading to better and more widespread understanding of the principles and techniques of aeroelasticity in aerospace vehicle design

1968

• Dr John C Houbolt
  Awarded

  AIAA Citation: For original, definitive, and continuous research leading to the use of random processes in aircraft gust loads design