2014 AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Ballot
(please select one for each position)
Officers
Chair:
Ken Philippart
Vice Chair:
Kurt Polzin
Tom Hancock
Secretary:
Tia Ferguson
Adam Kimberlin
Treasurer:
Darby Cooper
Directors
Membership:
Roger Herdy
Matthew Sclafani
Aaron Sumner
Young Professionals & Career Enhancement:
Cody Crawford
Michael Dunning
Technical:
John Lassiter
Naveen Vetcha
Pre-College Outreach:
Megan Beattie
Liaison to Student Branches:
Aloysius “Al” Reisz
Neal Allgood
Supernumerary:
Dr. Keith Koenig
Support Positions:
E-Mail Coordinator: Todd Honeycutt
Webmaster:
Arloe Mayne
Electronic and Regular Mail Voting Ballots must be received by AIAA Greater Huntsville Section before
11:59 pm CST 5/15/2014. Return via email to: distribution@hsv-aiaa.org, with “Ballot” in the Subject line.
Or via regular mail to:
AIAA Greater Huntsville Section
PO Box 7208
Huntsville, AL 35807
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Chair:
Ken Philippart
Ken Philippart is Senior Liquid Engine Systems Engineer with Bevilacqua
Research Corporation supporting the Marshall Space Flight Center. He leads
and performs requirements development/verification, hot-fire engine testing,
data review and analyses for the J-2X and RS 25 engines for the Space Launch
System.
Previously, Ken served 28 years on active duty in the United States Air Force as
a technology development leader, aerospace engineer, and acquisition program
manager along with operational and headquarters staff tours. He led
organizations ranging in size from 10 to 330 engineers, scientists and technical
specialists. Assignments included the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory,
91st Strategic Missile Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion
Directorate, National Air Intelligence Center, the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, NATO Regional
Headquarters Allied Forces North Europe, Air Force Space Command Directorate of Requirements and the
Space Situational Awareness Integration Office. He deployed twice to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring
Freedom and once to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. His technical background includes solid and liquid
rocket performance and testing, combustion stability analyses and hypersonic air-breathing engine development
for ramjets, scramjets, ducted rockets and pulse detonation engines. He is Level 3 acquisition certified by DoD
in Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering.
His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service
Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 Campaign Stars, the Iraq Campaign
Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Combat Readiness Medal with
Oak Leaf Cluster, Army and Air Force Commendation Medals, the NATO Non-Article 5 Medal, the Air Force
Expeditionary Service Ribbon with gold border for combat zone service, and multiple Overseas Service
ribbons.
He has served as the Greater Huntsville Section’s Vice Chair and Director of Honors and Awards. He has been
an AIAA member since 1986 and is an Associate Fellow.
Other professional activities include Executive Council Secretary for the Air Force Association Tennessee
Valley Chapter and founding member of the Huntsville Alumni Chapter of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor
Society.
He holds a Master of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State University, a Master of
Science in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace
Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force Air War
College, Air Command and Staff College and Squadron Officer School.
Vision for AIAA Greater Huntsville Section:
My vision for our section can be summed up in two words: unity and growth.
We face turbulent times and challenges in our industry. These challenges must be met by a united front with
our entire section rallying behind common goals and shared professional values. We are blessed in having a
dynamic, core group of experienced and active leaders in the Greater Huntsville Section. But this dedicated
band cannot go it alone. We need you too. We have had and will continue to have lively debate on the future
direction of our section and our organization. And then we will come together and press on with the business of
bettering our profession and ourselves. In a section of over 1,000 members, there is certainly no shortage of
creativity or great ideas. We are engineers, scientists, technologists and aerospace business professionals after
all. In the year to come, I will ask for your thoughts. I will ask for your talents. I will ask for your time and
energy. If you have ever thought about getting more involved in the section, now is the time. If you were
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
waiting for someone to ask you to step up, I am doing so. As AIAA members, we are elite but we are not
exclusive. Let us come together to help each other. Let us unite.
An organization is a living entity. Life thrives and grows or stagnates and withers. I know which situation I
prefer. Your section’s achievements have been remarkable. We will do even more. We will continue our ongoing activities and grow into new areas. We will provide more opportunities to mentor and groom our Young
Professionals for leadership roles. Our YPs are our future and we must hear their voices and help them succeed.
We will also assist members of all ages who seek employment for there is no greater duty of a professional
organization than to help members stay in that profession. We will facilitate cross-talk between DoD, NASA
and commercial sector constituencies. We will improve dialog and interaction with other professional societies
and band together to address common challenges. We will conduct technical competitions and design activities
in fields like UAVs and cyber security. We can offer short courses on emerging technologies and hands-on
skills to prepare our membership for new challenges. In short, we will improve the value proposition of AIAA
membership to our entire demographic. Each of you probably has ideas on how the section can serve our
membership; we welcome your thoughts. But we will only translate ideas into reality with your help. Money is
always limited but people are our lifeblood, especially as a volunteer organization. Let’s cultivate and harness
this potential. Let us grow.
Over my career, I’ve been blessed and humbled to have led some of the finest men and women our great
country has to offer, often under very stressful conditions. I am excited, grateful and respectful of the
opportunity to lead our finest once again. I am honored to be a candidate for your section Chair.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Vice-Chair Candidate:
Dr. Kurt Polzin
Bio for Kurt Polzin: Dr. Kurt Polzin is the Technical Lead for In-Space
Electric Propulsion Research and Development in the Propulsion Research
and Development Laboratory at NASA's George C. Marshall Space Flight
Center (MSFC). He joined MSFC in 2004 after completing his Ph.D. in
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University as a National
Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow. In addition to his Ph.D.,
Dr. Polzin also holds an M.A. in in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
from Princeton University and a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical
Engineering from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Polzin is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, having been a member since
1998. He currently serves as the Director of Honors and Awards for the
Greater Huntsville Section, where he developed and implemented a new
section achievement award to recognize outstanding service by chapter members. Nationally, he has been a
member of the AIAA Electric Propulsion Technical Committee (EPTC) since approximately 2006, where he
has served as a subcommittee member and chair for the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference best paper in
Electric Propulsion and was the chair of the inaugural subcommittee for the Outstanding Achievement in
Electric Propulsion award. He was the author of the EPTC’s Year in Review article for the Dec. 2008 issue of
Aerospace America and was the technical chair for the electric propulsion section of the 46th AIAA Joint
Propulsion Conference in Nashville, TN in 2010. In addition, he was part of the Greater Huntsville Section’s
Young Professionals core group from 2008-2010.
Dr. Polzin has co-authored almost 100 technical publications on in-space propulsion. In the fall of 2007 he was
an adjunct professor/lecturer of Physics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, teaching a graduate course
in plasma physics. While at NASA, he serves yearly as an advisor and mentor to multiple student co-ops,
interns, and graduate students in engineering and physics, including two that have completed their Ph.D.’s and
one that has completed a Master’s degree.
Dr. Polzin’s other professional affiliations include Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE), mission area co-chair for the Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) Spacecraft
Propulsion Subcommittee, and technical chair for the International Electric Propulsion Conference (IEPC) that
was held in Washington, DC in 2013. He is presently a guest editor for a special issue on electric propulsion to
appear in IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science and is a technical committee member for the upcoming 2015
IEPC in Kobe-Hyogo, Japan.
Vision for the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section: I believe that the Section is presently doing some great
things to promote aerospace at all levels, and that these things should definitely continue. This includes the
Section’s involvement with NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge (formerly Great Moonbuggy Race),
the planning and sponsoring of Engineer Week events at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the financial
aid provided through scholarships and travel sponsorship for students to attend AIAA Regional Student
Conferences, and the organization and hosting of the Civil Space Symposium, which is quickly becoming one
of the premier Section-organized events in the nation.
The Greater Huntsville Section is unique in that it has a rich history, it resides at a major congregating point for
the military and civilian aerospace industries, and the area attracts a vibrant mix of new, young engineering
talent every year. If there is an area of the country where AIAA should thrive, it is Huntsville. However, all
professional organizations, AIAA included, are struggling to retain current members and attract new members.
Simply put, members need to see that their membership has real, tangible, personal benefits to them. As Vice
Chair I would work with our board members to have the Section try and provide the following for our members,
as a way to give real, local value to an AIAA membership. For our Young Professionals, as well as members
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
that are new to Huntsville, the Section could regularly conduct an ‘Orientation to the Area,’ consisting of a
series of professional site visits and tours of various local government and commercial facilities to acquaint
people with the range of activities and capabilities present in Huntsville. For all our members, from student
member to Fellow, the Section should begin to establish professional development ‘short courses’ similar to
those conducted at national AIAA meetings but at the local level, focusing on the development of skills and
capabilities that might be useful but that wouldn’t otherwise be offered through a member’s employer. And
finally, the Section should be identifying work by members in the area worthy of public recognition, and then
pushing for that recognition at the Regional and National levels of AIAA and through publications like the
AIAA Daily Launch and Aerospace America. These are some of the things that are sorely needed in the
aerospace industry, and I believe the Greater Huntsville Section would be well-served by leading the way to
provide them to our members.
Vice Chair Candidate:
Tom Hancock
Mr. Hancock is an engineering manager with SAIC supporting the US Army
Software Engineering Directorate. Tom has over 34 years of experience in
aerospace. Past projects include engineering and management roles on
CH-47 & OH-58 helicopters, UAVs, Ares I, Space Shuttle, International
Space Station, James Webb Space Telescope, Galileo Jupiter Orbiter,
Magellan Venus Orbiter, The Deep Space Network, B-1B and XF-23
aircraft, X-43C, several classified missions/programs and developing
experiments flown twice on the Space Shuttle Columbia. He co-authored a
book on artificial intelligence and many papers on space science, software
development, space history, spacecraft development and design. Tom has
taught classes on spacecraft design and spacecraft and launch vehicle failure.
He has lectured on space policy and space history. Over the years Tom has
supported the NRO, NSA, CIA, NASA, JPL and DoD. Tom was Chair of the AIAA 2008 American in Space
Symposium and the AIAA 2013 Civil Space Conference. He is twice chair, 3 times vice chair, 4 times technical
director and 3 times public policy officer of the Greater Huntsville Section of AIAA. Tom is a 30-year member
of AIAA.
Tom created the sections great paper airplane contest in 1994 and led it for 8 years. He created the Great
Moonbuggy Race Best Design award and has been the lead design judge for 21 years. Tom has helped with
congressional visits day over several years. He created the sections Civil Space Conference. The 1st of its kind
in the nation. Recently he started the section Kids in Space Program. A hands on STEM effort designed to fly
experiments from school children on high altitude balloons. The 1st pathfinder flight takes place on May 3rd,
2014!
Over the years Tom has won the Greater Huntsville sections Martin Schilling, Toftoy, Herman Oberth,
Software Engineer of the Year and Professional the Year Awards.
Vision for the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section: I believe we have an obligation to encourage and grow
future leaders in aerospace. One of the best ways to do this is thru AIAA. I have found AIAA provides unique
opportunities to give back; to share, mentor and encourage members of all ages. The Greater Huntsville Section
is one of the most active in the nation. I have been proud to be a part of that success. The key to continuing
growth and outreach is recruiting and mentoring young professional members. Having been asked, I'm running
for Vice-Chair to help bring in new young professional members with a long term commitment to service. My
goal is to pass on skills, insights, experience and actively mentor people to one day lead the section. I will bring
programs forward that serve the membership and strive to meet the needs of council. I ask for your vote.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Secretary Candidate:
Tia Ferguson
Cynthia "Tia" Kaiser Ferguson was born and raised in Natchez, MS. She
graduated from Tulane University in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering, and from University of Alabama in Huntsville
with a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2003. She has been a
Professional Engineer since 1998. Ms. Ferguson worked at NASA Kennedy
Space Center from 1990 - 1995 as an integration and test engineer for
various space shuttle payloads before moving to Huntsville, AL to work at
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center where she has worked for the past 19
years in mechanical design, project management and management positions.
She is currently serving as the Project Manager for SERVIR, and she lives
in Huntsville with her husband, Jim, and two children, Kate and Riggs.
Secretary Candidate:
Adam Kimberlin
Adam Kimberlin received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from
Tennessee Technological University in May of 2011. In 2008, he joined
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as a co-op student where he
supported many small R&D projects as well as the International Space
Station, Space Shuttle, and Constellation programs. In 2011, he joined the
Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory at NASA MSFC.
Currently, he supports NASA’s Space Launch System, nuclear thermal
propulsion, Nanolaunch vehicle development, and other smaller R&D
efforts. He was also the lead of the 2013 MSFC Unmanned Aerial System
team that won an inter-NASA competition between MSFC, JSC, and KSC
which focused on autonomous flight and object detection. His work
experiences largely pertain to electric, solid, and bi-propellant propulsion,
unmanned systems, simulation, data acquisition, and controls. Mr.
Kimberlin has been a Member of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for
six years. While in school, he served as an officer in both organizations and won multiple student awards for his
research in the area of computational methods, some of which were at the international level. Now that he is
involved on a professional level, he wants to help see the Huntsville AIAA chapter grow into the strong and
active organization that it should be.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Treasurer Candidate:
Darby Cooper
Darby Cooper is currently the Boeing manager for integrated analysis for the
Space Launch System Core Stage. This includes analysis disciplines ranging
from trajectory and flight performance, aerodynamics, acoustics, loads,
vibration, shock, and thermal.
Prior to this assignment, Darby served as the SEIT analysis manager and
Houston site lead for Boeing’s Exploration Launch Systems. Darby joined
the Exploration Launch Systems team from the Space Shuttle program, where
he served as the Chief Team Engineer for Space Shuttle System Integration.
Prior to joining The Boeing Company, Darby was involved in a variety of
engineering assignments that included work on science payloads for the
International Space Station, spacecraft design, test, & operation, and off-shore
oil & gas platform structural monitoring.
Darby is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) and has held
several leadership positions in the Houston AIAA section including Chair, Vice-Chair, Membership Chair,
Programs Chair, and Student Paper Conference Chair. Darby holds a Master of Science in Aerospace
Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, both from Iowa State University, Ames,
Iowa.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Membership Director Candidate:
Roger Herdy
Roger Herdy started his career at the Air Force’s Arnold Engineering
Development Center, where he worked in the Special Projects group testing
emerging aerospace technologies. He then joined the contractor community at
NASA MSFC, where he managed the design and development of test
facilities and served as a test engineer. He has managed diverse programs for
both Commercial and Government customers. He holds two patents in
propulsion, and multiple patents for advanced oxidizers pending. He holds a
BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky and a MS in
Engineering Management from the University of Tennessee. He currently is
the Senior Director for Technology Development for Qualis Corporation, and a Senior Member of AIAA.
Membership Director Candidate:
Matt Sclafani
I will be moving to Huntsville mid-May 2014 after graduating from Virginia
Tech with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. I have been a member of AIAA
since 2010 and I am also one of the original members of the VT SEDS chapter
formed earlier this year (Students for the Exploration and Development of
Space). I have already committed to a professional membership with AIAA
after graduation, and I look forward to joining the Huntsville chapter.
To me, the most beneficial aspects of being a member of my school’s AIAA
branch have been attending guest lectures and the networking opportunities
with other students. These events have given me a sense of inclusion in the
organization and the industry, and shown me the benefits of future membership
and involvement.
AIAA excels at providing professional benefits to its members through its
conferences, publications, and regional branch activities. However in my
experience, students generally perceive the organization to have an exclusive
culture and hesitate to get involved unless they know an active member well, and I expect that this image
persists into the professional careers of many. As Publicity Chair of my professional engineering fraternity, I
focused my efforts on creating a variety of social and professional activities to increase the ease and quality of
interactions between current and prospective members. As Membership Officer, I would use my recruiting
experiences to communicate the benefits of AIAA involvement to potential members.
Membership Director Candidate:
Aaron Sumner
 AIAA Young Professional and Career Enhancement Director 2011-2013
 Currently employed by Watring Technologies supporting Boeing and
NASA as the Lead Systems Engineering, Integration and Test Project
Strategist/Customer Interface for the Core Stage of SLS
 Previous Lead Systems Engineer for the Battle Operations Software Suite
(BOSS) Project Office (SAIC)
 Previous Systems Engineer/ Management Support Strategic Targets and
Countermeasures (SAI C)
 Previous Ares I-X First Stage Systems Requirements Lead (MTS)
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Young Professionals & Career Enhancement Director Candidate:
Michael Dunning
B.S. (2010) aerospace engineering graduate from Parks College at St. Louis
University. pursuing a Master's degree in Modeling & Simulation at UAH.
Working as an Avionics Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Intrepid, serving
the U.S. Army Non-Standard Rotary Wing Project Management Office on
pre- and post-production modification of Mi-17 helicopters and derivative
platforms. Previously employed as an Avionics Engineer doing conceptual
design through production drawings on green-completion Bombardier
business jets. Private pilot and A&P mechanic serving on the Board of
Directors for EAA Chapter 190. Acting AIAA HSV section YP/CE Director
since March 2014 having coordinated 2 ULA tours for YP and Section
members.
Young Professionals & Career Enhancement Director Candidate:
Cody Crawford
 Currently a senior Aerospace Engineer at Virginia Tech.
 Graduating in May of this year
 Currently plan to move to the Huntsville, AL area to purse my career
after graduation.
 Member of the National AIAA since 2010. I am currently more
involved in local SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development
of Space) chapter that has been revitalized by AIAA.
 Serve as the recruitment officer for SEDs to bring the chapter back to
live with new enthusiasm. We have built the chapter up to 100 members
in the 2013-2014 school year alone.
 Member of Theta Tau a Professional Engineering Fraternity. Through
my involvement I have served as pledge director and Vice regent. The
Virginia Tech Chapter has won several rewards for fastest growth since
it’s colonization in 2007. I have been involved in getting students
interested and excited about joining the organization each semester through different recruitment activities.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Technical Director Candidate:
John Lassiter
John Lassiter is a test engineer in Marshall Space Flight Center’s Test
Laboratory. He has over 35 years of experience in the areas of experimental
and analytical structural dynamics (specializing in passive damping systems
and modal testing of ultra-lightweight structures), sensors and systems for
structural health monitoring, and applications of Integrated Systems Health
Management (ISHM). Lassiter also has experience in vehicle management
(fault management), system verification and validation, and management of
research solicitations at both the center and agency level. Presently he is in
the Experimental Fluids Branch’s Cold Flow Facility where he conducts
tests of propulsion subsystems. Lassiter has a BSAE from the University of
Alabama and a MSAE from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He is an
Associate Fellow of the AIAA (member since 1975), has previously held all
four officer positions in the Greater Huntsville Section, has been a member
of the Structural Dynamics Technical Committee, has been a founding member of the Gossamer Systems
Program Committee (now a technical committee), and he has served as an instructor for an AIAA Professional
Development course. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve; his last assignment was in the
Air Vehicles Directorate’s Structures Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB,
OH.
Technical Director Candidate:
Naveen Vetcha
Dr. Naveen Vetcha is currently working as an Application Engineer at ESI
R&D and as a lecturer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He serves
as the current vice president of the Von Braun Astronomical Society
(VBAS) of Huntsville. Prior to joining in his current job, he worked as a
postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles Fusion
Science and Technology Center. He received a Masters’ degree in
Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur
and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of California, Los Angeles. He is a member of AIAA and ASME. As Vice
president of VBAS, his responsibilities include serving as chair of the
program committee; coordinate programs for all regular and annual meetings
including contacting and arranging speakers, providing information for
members and publish information about activities.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Pre-College Outreach Director Candidate:
Megan Beattie
Megan Beattie is a Systems Engineer with ERC, Inc., supporting the
development of requirements for the human rating of NASA’s Space Launch
System (SLS), as a part of the Jacobs ESSSA Group. She holds a B.S. in
Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH)
and plans to begin graduate work in the near future. While pursuing her
undergraduate degree, she completed a co-operative education program with
Teledyne Brown Engineering, spending three years working in Manufactured
Products, primarily developing hardware for spaceflight. During undergrad,
she was also a Research Assistant at UAH, focusing on game changing
propulsion technology. Upon getting her degree, Megan worked as a Jr.
Systems Engineer at Zero Point Frontiers (ZPFC) providing systems
engineering for primarily aerospace projects. At ZPFC, she also helped to 3d
print a pediatric prosthetic specifically designed for a local 2-year-old born with a congenital abnormality that
left her without fingers. Currently, Megan is currently a board member for the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section
as the Director of K-12 STEM Outreach. In her past year and a half as K-12 STEM Outreach Director, she has
held two successful paper airplane contests, began an E-Week effort within AIAA, assisted in judging for the
AIAA awards at the State Science Fair, taught at three different locations for the Madison Public Library’s
Discover Tech summer program, assisted with the awarding of four AIAA scholarships to local graduating
seniors, began a tradition of setting up an AIAA hands on display for children at Yuri’s Night, and assisted
with judging for the AIAA awards at NASA’s Great Moonbuggy Race & Human Exploration Rover
Challenge. Megan leverages her experience from the STEM work she’s done for AIAA to assist her in the
current development of the Alabama Collaborative of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), a statewide effort to bring STEM to more girls. In addition to her current position as K-12 STEM Outreach Director,
Megan is also very active within other parts of the Greater Huntsville Section.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Liaison to Student Branches Candidate:
Neal Allgood
Neal has been interested in flying things from an early age. In high school he
completed NASA's extensive High School Aerospace Scholars Program and
tested homemade airfoils in an instrumented wind tunnel of his own creation.
Neal earned a Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering at Auburn University and
a Master's in Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University. During his
college years, he was active on both the Auburn Solar Car Team and the
Auburn and Purdue AIAA Design Build Fly Teams. Neal was also an active
student member of the Auburn Student Branch of AIAA, serving as branch
treasurer and presenting at the Region II student conferences. It was at the
student conference that Neal made professional connections that led to an
internship then full time employment with Dynetics, Inc., in Huntsville, AL.
For the past three years, Neal has worked at Dynetics as a flight test engineer
for unmanned aerial systems. This position has entailed work in modeling and
simulation, hardware design and fabrication, payload integration, flight test
coordination, and aircraft performance analysis.
Liaison to Student Branches Candidate
Aloysius “Al” Reisz
President, CEO Reisz Engineers, involved with R&D of advanced in-space
propulsion systems. Propulsion engineer with Boeing during development and
flights of the Saturn V of Apollo program. Engineer with Skylab program.
Provides engineering services to industry and aerospace. Developed early
large scale solar energy system used in processing soybeans into meal and oil
during OPEC oil embargo of mid 70s. Reisz Engineers TVA project at Browns
Ferry nuclear power plant that processes waste water for large greenhouse
facility winter heating and summer cooling recognized as 1 of 10 outstanding
engineering projects in the US in 1978 by NSPE. Working with NASA MSFC
and University of Michigan 2005 – 2008 his firm developed high-density
electron cyclotron resonance advanced in-space propulsion system. A
University of Kentucky mechanical engineering graduate. He has authored and
co-authored numerous technical papers and magazine articles pertaining to
space exploration and propulsion. Licensed professional engineer in Kentucky
and Alabama. Alabama Engineering Board 2005 – 2010. Guest Lecturer University of Kentucky. 2011
Hermann Oberth award recipient from Greater Huntsville Section AIAA. AIAA member. ASME Fellow.
SAME Fellow. Emeritus Member NCEES. Seminar Lecturer, Engineering Law. Guest Lecturer, University of
Kentucky College of Engineering.
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AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Candidate Information
Supernumerary Candidate
Dr. Keith Koenig
Dr. Keith Koenig is a Professor in Aerospace Engineering at Mississippi State
University. Dr. Koenig received the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Konrad
Dannenberg Educator of the Year Award in 2012. Dr. Koenig is an
accomplished educator and was selected for the John Grisham Master Teacher
Award at MSU in 2006. He serves as the faculty advisor for the “Space
Cowboys,” the student design team that participates in the University Student
Launch Initiative (USLI) competitions every year, with distinction. Dr.
Koenig provided advice to the student group to accomplish outreach efforts
that have been recognized numerous times, most notably at a recent AIAA
Region II student conference, where they took first prize in the Outreach
competition, "Mississippi State University Space Cowboys Community
Outreach." Many past students have shared how Dr. Koenig is a professor who
cares about students and their learning.
Dr. Koening has served as Supernumerary Director on the AIAA Greater Huntsville Section Council over the
past two years.
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