2019 AIAA Region IV Student Conference Winners Written 29 April 2019

CONTACT: John Blacksten  
703.264.7532  
johnb@aiaa.org

April 29, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region IV Student Conference winners.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students present their research and are judged on technical content and clarity of communication by professional members from industry.

From 29 to 31 March, the 2019 Region IV Student Conference was hosted by the AIAA University of Texas at Austin Student Branch, and there were 34 student members representing 8 universities within Region IV. Students presented 15 research papers related to the field of aeronautics and astronautics over the three-day event.

In addition to the competition, the conference provides a venue for students to share AIAA experiences, participate in social activities, connect with industry professionals, and exchange ideas about current topics in aerospace engineering.

Since 2018, Lockheed Martin Corporation’s generous donation to the AIAA Foundation has supported the Regional Student Conferences and the International Student Conference. Funding was provided to the student conference in each region to organize the conference as well as provide prize money for the three categories supported by the AIAA Foundation.

Undergraduate Category

• 1st place – Thermodynamic Calculations of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVE), Joshua R. McElrath and Adonios N. Karpetis, Texas A&M University
• 2nd place – Analysis of the Fractal Dimension of a Dense Particle Curtain for Multi-Phase Flow Analysis, Josh Ludwigsen, University of New Mexico
• 3rd place – Computationally Efficient Mission Design and State Propagation, Zachary R. McLaughlin and Brandon A. Jones, University of Texas at Austin

Masters Category

• 1st place – Spectral Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Analysis of Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions, Stephanie M. Cottier and Christopher S. Combs, University of Texas at San Antonio
• 2nd place – Active Throttle Control Model for a Small Unmanned Aircraft Turboelectric Power System, Kylar J. Moody, Oklahoma State University
• 3rd place – Reflections of a Shock Wave Off a Sparse Curtain of Particles, Daniel Freelong, University of New Mexico

Please visit the AIAA Regional Student Conferences website (aiaa.org/studentconferences) to learn more about the conferences or contact Rachel Dowdy at racheld@aiaa.org or 703.264.7577.

About AIAA 
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 88 countries, and 95 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, www.aiaa.org, or follow us on Twitter @AIAA.

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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 
12700 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20191-5807  
Phone: 703.264.7558 Fax: 703.264.7551  www.aiaa.org