Contact: Phil Hearn
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Nearly a dozen Mississippi State engineering students are 2006 award winners in a Southeast regional competition of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The aerospace engineering majors were among more than 180 students from 112 universities participating in the AIAA's recent 57th annual Southeastern Regional Student Conference held on the MSU campus.
"The people from AIAA were impressed and the standard for future conferences has been raised," said Tony Vizzini, head of the university's A.E. department, a part of the Bagley College of Engineering.
Led by faculty adviser Greg Olsen, MSU's nine-member Society for Automotive Engineering aero-design team won the design team division for its entry titled, "When Pigs Fly." Olsen is an assistant professor of aerospace engineering.
Student members of the team included Christopher Eigenheer and Christine Schudrowitz, both of Ocean Springs; Lee Dearing of Holly Grove, Ark.; Joshua Fanning of Gurley, Ala.;
Cedric Gould of Slidell, La.; Christopher Hollomon of Jackson; Nathan King of Mobile, Ala.; Joseph Morgan of Baton Rouge, La.; and Justin Ratcliff of Wesson.
Other MSU winners included:
--Nathan Alday of Jackson, who won $300 for second place in the graduate division for his entry, "Design and Limited Validation of a Wiffle Tree"; and
--Mark VanZwoll of Oscoda, Mich., who won $250 for third place in the undergraduate division for his project, "Portable Dynamic Thrust Test Stand for Small UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) Propulsion Systems."
The conference, hosted by the MSU chapter of AIAA, included tours of the university's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory and Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. The event at the Raspet hangar also included music and a hog-cooking social.
"The support we received from the college and aerospace engineering department--coupled with the hard work and dedication of the students involved--made every aspect of the conference impressive to students, professionals and faculty attendees alike," said Thomas Hannigan, the AE instructor who serves as faculty adviser for the AIAA chapter.
With 31,000 members, AIAA has been the principal voice and technical society devoted to global leadership in the aerospace community for 75 years. The MSU chapter is named after pioneer aeronautical researcher August Raspet, namesake of the flight lab.
For more information, contact Courtney Thompson at (662) 325-0151 or cthompson@engr.msstate.edu.
LOCAL EDITORS:
Nathan C. Alday, a graduate student, is the son of Kent and April Alday.
Donald L. Dearing, a graduate student, is the son of Donald and Martha Dearing.
Senior Christopher J. Eigenheer is the son of Richard and Peggy Eigenheer.
Sophomore Joshua A. Fanning is the son of Talley and Annita [cq] Fanning.
Cedric O. Gould, a graduate student, is the son of Thomas and Nanay [cq] Gould.
Senior Christopher F. Hollomon is the son of Farrol and Debra Hollomon.
Nathan M. King, a graduate student, is the son of Nickey and Bettye King.
Junior Joseph E. Morgan is the son of Catherine Childers of Baton Rouge and Daniel Morgan of Denham Springs, La.
Senior Clinton J. Ratcliff is the son of Clinton and Debbie Ratcliff.
Senior Christine M. Schudrowitz is the daughter of James and Mary Schudrowitz.
Mark VanZwoll, a graduate student, is the son of Dean and Susan VanZwoll.