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Special college honors for five graduating aerospace seniors

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:40:48 +0000

Special college honors for five graduating aerospace seniors Jeff Zehnder Tue, 04/28/2026 - 15:40

The College of Engineering and Applied Science is recognizing five Aerospace Engineering Sciences seniors with Graduating Student Awards.

Krishna Mehta, Xilor Morin, Namita Nair, Alexander Pfankuch and Erick White are each being honored in four categories for individual accomplishments as students in CU Engineering.

Academic Engagement Award - Recognizes students engaged with academics to an extent that elevates their own and/or others’ learning experiences.
- Honoree: Alexander Pfankuch
Community Impact Award - Recognizes undergraduate students who contribute to improving their department/program, college, university, and/or local community.
- Honoree: Xilor Morin
Perseverance Award - Recognizes undergraduate students who persevere despite adversity – above and beyond the inherent perseverance needed in any engineering major.
- Honoree: Krishna Mehta
Research Award - Recognizes students with demonstrated excellence in research. Research endeavors could be an extension of academic work or formal research appointments.
- Honorees: Namita Nair, Alexander Pfankuch, and Erick White

Students are nominated for these awards by faculty, staff or their peer students. Nominations are reviewed and chosen by special selection committees at the college level.

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2026 Aerospace Graduation Awards

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:06:45 +0000

2026 Aerospace Graduation Awards Jeff Zehnder Tue, 04/28/2026 - 09:06

Jeff Zehnder

Flickr Album: 2026 Senior Design Awards Ceremony

Congratulations to the Smead Aerospace Class of 2026! As part of our graduation week ceremonies, we are recognizing outstanding students and teams at the undergraduate and graduate level for special achievements.

Most Outstanding Senior

Erick White

College Awards

CU Engineering Award for Community Impact

Xilor Morin

CU Engineering Award for Perseverance

Krishna Mehta

CU Engineering Award for Research

Namita Nair
Alex Pfankuch
Erick White

CU Engineering Award for Academic Engagement

Alex Pfankuch

Graduate Student Awards

Graduate Award for Outstanding Service

Zachary Funke

Graduate Award for Outstanding Teaching

Amrita Singh
Gabriel Agostine

Graduate Award for Research

Adam Wilmer
Peter Amorese

Graduate Award for Outstanding Mentorship

J Flores Govea
Jacob Spagnolli

Senior Design Awards

MMO Aviation Team #1

Excellence in Leadership Award - Tom Graeub
Technical Excellence Award - Michael Muehlbradt
‘Above and Beyond’ Award - William Wallingford
Collegiality & Collaboration Award - Aiden Smith

MMO Aviation Team #2

Excellence in Leadership Award - Aiden English
Technical Excellence Award - Raj Bhattaraj
‘Above and Beyond’ Award - Gabriel Burdan
Collegiality & Collaboration Award - Carter Bergman and Abby Moon

Ursa Major Teams

Distinguished Project Excellence Award - Cole Writer
Distinguished Project Excellence Award - Jacob Schleuger
Distinguished Project Excellence Award - Millie Elekovic
Distinguished Project Excellence Award - Nicholas Kieft
Excellence in Leadership Award - Bryce Smith

RTX Team

Excellence in Leadership Award - Alex Pfankuch
Technical Excellence Award - John “Wes” Alford
‘Above and Beyond’ Award - Laurel O’Brien
Collegiality & Collaboration Award - Peter Mortenson

General Atomics Team

Excellence in Leadership Award - Anthony Storm
Technical Excellence Award - YuKang Kong
‘Above and Beyond’ Award - Shawn Patel
Collegiality & Collaboration Award - Ash Tribble and Matthew Siedlecki

Vantor Teams

Excellence in Leadership Award - Namita Nair
Technical Excellence Award - Leya Shaw
‘Above and Beyond’ Award - Barbara De Figueiredo
Collegiality & Collaboration Award - Nicole Reiner

Congratulations to the Smead Aerospace Class of 2026! As part of our graduation week ceremonies, we are recognizing outstanding students and teams at the...

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Spring 2026 Graduation Ceremony Information

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:09:09 +0000

Spring 2026 Graduation Ceremony Information Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/28/2026 - 05:09

Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences will host a commencement ceremony for all graduating aerospace students on May 1, 2026

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Five aerospace grad students earn major NASA fellowships

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 17:23:03 +0000

Five aerospace grad students earn major NASA fellowships Jeff Zehnder Mon, 04/20/2026 - 11:23

Jeff Zehnder

Five �鶹ӰԺ aerospace PhD students have been named 2025-2026 Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST).

James Cannon, Amy Haft, Vidhyarth T.S. Kumar, Rick Marcusen, and Neeti Sonth have each earned the grants, which provide up to $50,000 annually for three years to cover tuition, expenses, and student-designed research projects.

FINESST proposals must address goals relevant to NASA's science mission directorate divisions -- heliophysics, earth science, planetary science, or astrophysics.

NASA received nearly 1,500 submissions for the program. Less than 9 percent of applicants were awarded.

Find out more about each of our awardees and their research below:

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Professor Ali recognized as exceptional mentor

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:08:22 +0000

Professor Ali recognized as exceptional mentor Jeff Zehnder Fri, 03/27/2026 - 16:08

Hisham Ali is one of twenty-two faculty being recognized with this year’s Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award, the Graduate School announced this week.

The Exceptional Graduate Faculty Mentor Award recognizes the work that faculty mentors do to improve the graduate student experience

These faculty were nominated by students, department or program administrators, faculty or staff for their outstanding contributions either to mentoring individual graduate students, improving the overall climate of graduate education within their program, or improving the graduate program itself.

“The support and enhancement of mentoring is a priority initiative of the Graduate School and that work couldn’t be done without faculty support,” said Scott Adler, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate affairs. “The faculty members recognized by this award have demonstrated their willingness to go above and beyond as a trusted mentor for their students and we’re excited to be able to honor these excellent leaders.”

This year’s recipients include:

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How far can Iran’s ballistic missiles reach? A defense expert explains how the missiles work, and what Iran can and can’t hit

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:34:12 +0000

How far can Iran’s ballistic missiles reach? A defense expert explains how the missiles work, and what Iran can and can’t hit Jeff Zehnder Thu, 03/26/2026 - 09:34

Recent missiles launches from Iran have flown 2,500 miles. Iain Boyd, a national security expert and professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences answers questions about the deployment, ballistic missile technology generally, and what this new action does, and doesn't mean for the ongoing war, in a new column in The Conversation.

Read the full article at The Conversation...

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Not just Patriot interceptors: The weapons US and allies use to defend against missiles, drones

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 17:45:35 +0000

Not just Patriot interceptors: The weapons US and allies use to defend against missiles, drones Jeff Zehnder Fri, 03/13/2026 - 11:45

Concerns about shortages of interceptor missiles in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran highlight the challenges of defending against missiles and drones. Read from CU expert Iain Boyd on The Conversation.

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Aerospace professor discusses laser weapons with The Atlantic

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:37:34 +0000

Aerospace professor discusses laser weapons with The Atlantic Jeff Zehnder Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:37

Iain Boyd was interviewed by The Atlantic for an article on laser based-weapons, which until recently were largely the realm of science fiction.

Boyd, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is a national security expert and also the director of the CU �鶹ӰԺ Center for National Security Initiatives.

“This is a technology that has been under development for decades and it’s only really now just really starting to enter the public view," Boyd said.

The article focuses on advances made in both by the United States and Ukraine, as well as the pluses and minuses of military lasers.

Read the full article at The Atlantic...

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Libera space instrument will continue 26-year unbroken record of Earth’s ‘energy budget’

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 23:17:34 +0000

Libera space instrument will continue 26-year unbroken record of Earth’s ‘energy budget’ Jeff Zehnder Wed, 02/25/2026 - 16:17

Sometime next year, a new NASA instrument designed and built in Colorado will get an eagle-eye view of Earth. The instrument, known as Libera, will circle the planet from high above, scanning every inch of the globe daily to track how much radiative energy, or light at all wavelengths, is leaving Earth.

The measurements are a crucial piece of understanding of what scientists call the �鶹ӰԺ “energy budget.” That’s the name for the constant churn of radiation to Earth from the sun and back into space. Radiation is reflected off clouds and from surfaces like the �鶹ӰԺ vast ice sheets. Thermal radiation also flows from Earth into space on an ongoing basis.

“The flow of that energy is very important for all processes on Earth, including the atmospheric motions and winds that circulate weather systems and drive the ocean currents,” said Peter Pilewskie, a scientist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the �鶹ӰԺ. “This energy is behind everything that sustains life on Earth.”

For six years, Pilewskie has led the team that developed Libera, which is about the size of a baby buffalo.

In February, the group boxed up Libera and shipped it to a facility in Arizona run by the aerospace company Northrop Grumman. There, engineers will install Libera onto a satellite called the Joint Polar Satellite System-4 (JPSS-4)—a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

JPSS-4 is slated to launch for orbit in 2027 when it will be renamed NOAA-22.

Libera is a technical marvel: The instrument will use a suite of detectors no bigger than shirt buttons to record the full wavelength range of radiative energy leaving Earth—including ultraviolet and visible light and infrared radiation. Think of it like measuring how bright our planet is when seen from space continuously and at the full spectrum of wavelengths.

The effort is part of a nearly three-decade-long chain of unbroken measurements of Earth’s energy budget. Libera will follow a NASA mission called the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES). The first CERES instrument launched in 1997, and the mission has maintained a continuous record of the Earth’s energy budget from space since 2000. In Roman mythology, Libera is the daughter of the goddess Ceres.

“This name symbolizes the handover of this important data record from mother to daughter,” said Pilewskie, professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at CU �鶹ӰԺ.

It’s also a testament to LASP’s long legacy of traveling to space to help humans on Earth.

“Libera is the next step in LASP’s long legacy of building customized, high-performance instrumentation for space science research,” said Bethany Ehlmann, director of LASP. “This mission reflects LASP’s commitment to creating instruments that advance scientific discovery and empower decision-making for the future.”

Energy balance

Every day, the sun emits huge amounts of radiative energy. Earth intercepts a small amount of that energy nearly 93 million miles away. Roughly 30% of that radiation doesn’t stay on Earth but, rather, returns to space.

The amount of energy coming to Earth from the sun versus the energy that exits the planet into space makes up Earth’s energy budget. Even small changes in those numbers can have profound impacts for the ocean and weather systems that affect life on Earth, Pilewskie said.

To monitor that balance, Libera will adopt a polar orbit and will cover all latitudes of the planet. Its sensor head will swivel back and forth constantly, allowing the instrument to survey the entire planet every day.

Peter Pilewskie, principal investigator for Libera

Brian Boyle, program manager for Libera

Kate Barone, performance testing director for Libera

Pilewskie added that scientists can learn a lot by following Earth’s energy budget. Scientists have long known that an imbalance in energy exists between the �鶹ӰԺ equator and poles—with more energy building up at the equator.

Observations from the 1960s, however, revealed that the imbalance of radiative energy between the equator and poles was much greater than predicted. That imbalance is responsible for driving large-scale circulation patterns around the planet, including the jet streams, trade winds, and the Gulf Stream current in the Atlantic Ocean. Those circulation patterns regulate weather on Earth.

“Libera’s fundamental measurements of Earth’s energy flows improve our understanding of how the Earth system works and how it is changing, with practical benefits across a myriad of applications,” Pilewskie said. “There’s a lot of fulfillment in knowing that our important measurements can impact society.”

Shag carpet

The key to Libera lies in its innovative sensors, which have never flown into space on a mission of this size.

These sensors include countless incredibly small carbon “nanotubes” and are among the blackest materials ever invented. Scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed the initial design for those nanotubes.

Kate Barone, the performance testing director for Libera at LASP compared the sensors to “a super shaggy piece of carpet made out of carbon.”

When radiation streaming from Earth encounters Libera, those black sensors will absorb the rays and heat up ever so slightly. The instrument records those small changes in temperature to calculate how much radiative energy is leaving the planet.

Barone graduated from CU �鶹ӰԺ with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering sciences in 2023. She designed tests to make sure that Libera will work as promised, and her experiences gave her invaluable insights into just how complex spacecraft can be.

“It's given me an awesome opportunity to know some of the intricate details of how Libera works, down to its smallest components,” she said.

More than 100 people, including numerous early-career engineers like Barone, have worked on Libera over the years. They’ve solved a lot of tough problems, said Brian Boyle, program manager for the instrument.

Libera, for example, will scan across the Earth about 30 million times during its 5-year mission. Engineers on the project had to design a motor that could last that long in space without breaking down.

“The Libera team members have incredible passion for what they're doing,” said Brian Boyle, program manager for Libera at LASP. “They’ve invented this new world class instrument, and it works exactly as designed.”

Bon voyage

Saying goodbye to Libera has been bittersweet for Pilewskie, who began working on the instrument in February 2020.

“I remember at the time thinking, ‘Six years, that’s a lot of time,’” he said. “Now, looking back, I can’t believe we did all that in six years.”

Barone can’t wait to see some of her own handiwork make it to space:

“It feels awesome that I had a part to play in getting to create an instrument that will give us so much amazing information about Earth.”

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Congratulations 2026 Skyward Showcase honorees

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:08:36 +0000

Congratulations 2026 Skyward Showcase honorees Jeff Zehnder Mon, 02/23/2026 - 10:08

Jeff Zehnder

The six honorees.

Flickr Album of the 2026 Skyward Showcase

Students and researchers shared their work at the 2026 Skyward Showcase last week.

The annual aerospace event features 10-minute talks highlighting current research in a friendly, informal environment.

Hosted by the Smead Scholars, the event offered more than two dozen undegraduate, masters, and PhD students a chance to present their research.

Congratulations to six students for receiving top honors at the event:

Best Overall: James Monaco
Best 1st year: Owen Kranz
Best Undergrad: Jorie Myers
Most Entertaining: Asa O'Neal
Most Feedback: Tomaz Remec
Best graphics: Robyn Natherson

The event also featured a keynote presentation by Ulubilge Ulusoy, the inaugural Smead Distinguished Postdoctoral Associate, and a special closing talk from Lizy-Destrez, professor at l'ISAE-SUPAERO and 2026 Byram Distinguished Visiting Professor.

Students and researchers shared their work at The 2026 Skyward Showcase. The annual aerospace event features 10-minute talks highlighting current...

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