Team from Wichita State University and NASA Receive the 2003 Wright Brothers Medal

Warrendale, PA (November 17, 2004) - The technical paper, "An Experimental Investigation of SLD Impingement on Airfoils and Simulated Ice Shapes (2003-01-2129)," has been recognized by the Society of Automotive Engineers with the 2003 Wright Brothers Medal. The award was presented to the authors at a luncheon on Wednesday, November 3, 2004 during the World Aviation Congress in Reno, Nevada.

This award, established in 1927, annually recognizes the author(s) of the best paper(s) relating to the invention, development, design, construction, or operation of an aircraft and/or spacecraft presented at a meeting of the Society or any of its sections. Consideration is given to the value of the author's contribution to the state of the art in furthering flight technology, whether it pertains to aircraft or spacecraft systems or their parts, components, subsystems, or accessories. The award honors Orville (an early SAE member) and Wilbur Wright, the first successful builders and operators of heavier-than-air flying equipment.

This year's award-winning authors include:

Dr. Michael Papadakis, Wichita State University (WSU)
Papadakis, the lead author, is a professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at WSU in Wichita, Kansas. He is also the director of the aircraft icing laboratory of the school's National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR). His main research interests are in aircraft icing, theoretical and experimental aerodynamics, and computational fluid dynamics. In addition, he has conducted research in computational aeroacoustics and computational electromagnetics. Since 1986 he has directed or co-directed over 80 research projects. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical engineering from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and his doctorate in aeronautical engineering from Wichita State University.

Arief Rachman, CCH Incorporated
Rachman is currently a software tester with CCH Incorporated, a WoltersKluwer Company. Previously, he served on the research team at Wichita State University (WSU) and was heavily involved in several water droplet impingement projects, including two tests in Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center. His experience includes several icing research projects funded by NASA and FAA. Rachman holds bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from WSU.

Dr. See-Cheuk Wong, Wichita State University (WSU)
Wong is a research scientist at WSU. He works in aircraft icing research and has been involved in projects related to water impingement on airfoils and simulated ice shapes. Wong received his doctoral degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State University in 2004. He also holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Science from WSU.

 

Colin S. Bidwell, NASA Glenn Research Center
Bidwell is a research engineer with over 22 years experience in the Icing Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center. He has been involved with the development of wind-tunnel- and flight-based experimental icing databases, and with the development of analytical tools for the design and certification of aircraft ice protection systems. Bidwell received his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan in 1985.

 

Timothy J. Bencic, NASA Glenn Research Center
Bencic is a research engineer in the Optical Instrumentation and NDE Branch at the NASA Glenn Research Center with 21 years of experience in aerospace testing. He has worked in the area of imaging measurement techniques for use in wind-tunnel-based aircraft icing and luminescent coatings for global pressure and temperature applications for the last 12 years. Bencic received a master's degree in electrical engineering from Cleveland State University in 1989.

For more information, contact SAE Awards and Scholarships Program Manager Lori Pail at (724) 772-8534 or at lorile@sae.org.