Students compete in 7th poster contest at Von Braun Memorial Symposium

For the seventh consecutive year, graduate and undergraduate students presented their research to compete for prizes at a student poster competition during the ninth Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Oct. 25-27.

"With most of the symposium being hosted on our campus, the poster competition is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the capabilities of UAH's undergraduate and graduate students," says Dave Cook, coordinator of student research programs for UAH's Office of Academic Affairs.

Students present research projects relevant to the aerospace industry, such as atmospheric science, earth observation, space life sciences, space health, aerospace systems engineering and design, astrophysics, space weather, optics, economics, business, policy, sustainability, history, international relations, education, STEM outreach initiatives and related areas. This year, 35 students participated in the competition.

"It’s really interesting to see the exciting ways in which students are able to convey their research in poster presentations," Cook says. "Likewise, the students have an opportunity to explain their research to a team of judges, and other American Astronautical Society (AAS) members during the networking events, so it’s really a valuable opportunity for students to improve their communication skills and interact with AAS members during the symposium."

Cook says several AAS members mentioned how impressed they were with the level of student involvement in the proceedings, and the quality of research in which the students are involved.

"I’d really like to thank the faculty and research staff who work with these students and encourage them to participate in events like this," Cook says.

The conference featured a Millennial Spotlight each day to highlight activities of up-and-coming aerospace leaders, and UAH aerospace engineering junior Adam Bower was one of the featured speakers.

This year’s poster winners are:

Category 1: Physical & Liberal Sciences

Atmospheric science, earth observation, space life sciences, space health, astrophysics, space weather, optics, economics, business, policy, sustainability, history, international relations, education, STEM outreach initiatives.

Graduate

1st Place
"Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Identify and Protect Ancient Chaco Sites Throughout the San Juan Basin, New Mexico"
Kelsey Herndon, Sydney Neeley, Dashielle Cruz, Ryan Schick
College of Science – Atmospheric Science
Mentor: Dr. Robert Griffin

2nd Place
"Enhancing the Science Return of Lunar Surface Studies: Analysis of Rediscovered Data from Apollo 17’s Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment"
Deanna Phillips
College of Science – Physics
Mentor: Dr. Richard Miller

Undergraduate

1st Place
"Urban Heating and its Effects on Health, Ozone, and Weather"
Dawn White, Sabrina Hodge, Arianna Jordan, Allison Daniel
College of Science – Earth System Science
Mentor: Dr. Maury Estes

2nd Place
"Developing an Automated, Near Real-Time System to Monitor Eichhornia Crassipes on the Winam Gulf in Lake Victoria"
Daryl Ann Winstead, Jeanné le Roux, Sara Amirizodi, Christina Fischer, Dwight Tigner College of Science – Earth System Science
Mentor: Dr. Robert Griffin

Category 2: Engineering

Aerospace systems engineering and design, and propulsion.

Graduate

1st Place
"Model Based Systems Engineering for CubeSats"
Lloyd Walker
College of Engineering – Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Dale Thomas

2nd Place
"Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Launch Vehicles Using Energy Efficiency as an Objective"
Andrew Gilbert
College of Engineering – Industrial and Systems Engineering & Engineering Management
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Mesmer

Undergraduate

1st Place
"Balloon Assisted Sounding Rocket Vehicle Concept Study"
Jared Fuchs, Tate Harriman, Matt Haskell, Benjamin Thompson, Christopher Helmerich College of Science – Physics
Mentor: Dr. Francis Wessling

2nd Place
"Electromagnetic Forcing as a Damping Method for Combustion Instabilities"
Bradley Henderson
College of Engineering – Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Mentor: Dr. Gabe Xu

---