Christopher T. Lyne Wins Graduate Division of Student Paper Competition at the 67th International Astronautical Congress Written 12 October 2016

October 12, 2016 – Reston, Va. – Christopher T. Lyne, a student member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, has won first place in the Graduate Student Paper Competition of the 67th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), held September 26 – 30, in Guadalajara, Mexico. The IAC invited Lyne to take part in the competition after the AIAA Foundation awarded him its 2016 Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics. Lyne’s paper was entitled “Design and Test of a 10N Hydrogen-Peroxide Monopropellant Thruster.” The IAC awarded Lyne its Pierre Contensou Medal for his achievement.

“Student paper competitions play a key role in providing students a chance to do the type of technical writing, presentations, and evaluations that our community requires of practicing engineers and scientists on a daily basis,” said Sandy Magnus, AIAA executive director. “Additionally, international competitions remind us of the global nature of our community and that tomorrow’s solution to today’s pressing challenges may come from anywhere. AIAA congratulates Lyne for his success and we look forward to seeing how his work will shape the future of aerospace.”

Lyne is pursuing a master’s degree at Vanderbilt, and works in the Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory.

“Our project focused on the design of a ten newton hydrogen-peroxide reaction control thruster, which was developed for attitude control in low altitude rocket flights from the 2016 NASA Student Launch,” said Lyne. “I’m excited and humbled to receive the Pierre Contensou Medal for first place in this year’s IAC student paper competition, as well as the Abe M. Zarem Award from AIAA earlier this year. I’m happy that a green thruster is coming back to prominence in today’s world where renewability and sustainability are so important.”

For more information on the IAC Graduate Student Paper Competition, or the Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in Astronautics, please contact Felicia Livingston at felicial@aiaa.org or 703.264.7502.

The AIAA Foundation seeks to “make it exciting, make it empowering, and make it fun.” That simple, compelling philosophy drives the Foundation’s commitment to math, science, and technology education. The AIAA Foundation offers a wealth of resources to support educators from K – 12 through university: scholarships, classroom grants, design competitions, and student conferences, improving scientific literacy and advancing the arts and sciences of aerospace. For more information on the AIAA Foundation and its programs for students, teachers, and professionals, please visit www.aiaafoundation.org. 

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