2/12/2014 Susan Mumm, Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Media Specialist
Written by Susan Mumm, Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Media Specialist
The award is presented for meritorious achievement in the field of applied aerodynamics, recognizing notable contributions in the development, application, and evaluation of aerodynamic concepts and methods. Selig was chosen “in recognition of outstanding contributions to applied aerodynamics research, design, and education, including leadership in the development and public dissemination of airfoil and propeller data.”
The award will be presented on June 17, 2014 in conjunction with the AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition (AVIATION 2014) at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. As part of the honor, Selig will present the 2014 Aerodynamics Lecture on June 19 during the conference.
For 22 years as a faculty member in Aerospace Engineering at Illinois, Selig has led the UIUC Applied Aerodynamics Group and has published widely in the areas of low-speed aerodynamics, low Reynolds number aerodynamics, airfoil design, wind energy, wind tunnel testing and real-time flight simulation, including aircraft icing upset simulation and modeling. His aerodynamics research and design expertise has been applied to unmanned aerial vehicles/systems, kilowatt thru multi-megawatt scale wind turbines, record breaking solar powered aircraft, appendage design and wing-sail design for the America's Cup, front and rear wing designs in motorsports (CART and Formula 1), and many other areas. His codes and methods for airfoil design and wind turbine blade design are used in both the aerospace and wind turbine industries. His airfoil designs and data are available in the open/online literature and used worldwide in the RC and UAV/UAS arenas.
He and his collaborators have published over 120 articles, books, and conference papers, and over 40 technical reports. Selig holds four patents and has one patent pending.
He teaches courses in Applied Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design, and Aircraft Flight Mechanics. His teaching honors include Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Advising (2010) and the UIUC List of Teachers Ranked Excellent by their Students (for AE 416 Applied Aerodynamics, 2005).
Research honors include the AIAA Co-Founder Award for the AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition (2007), LSF Le Gray Award for “For Outstanding Service to Soaring” – for his continuing experiments in low Reynolds number airfoil designs (2005), American Wind Energy Association, Wind Energy Academic Award given in recognition of exceptional contributions to the advancement of wind energy technology (2002), NASA TGIR Award “Revolutionize Aviation” to Aircraft Icing Project Team (2001), Sigma Gamma Tau Aerospace Engineering National Honor Society (inducted 1999), UIUC Campus Research Board Award (1994), Department of Energy Summer Faculty Fellowship Award (1993).
Selig is an Associate Fellow of AIAA.
Selig earned a B.S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois (1984), a M.S.E. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (1988), and a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State (1992).
As the latest winner of the AIAA Aerodynamics Award, Selig is in prestigious company. Past winners have included AE at Illinois alumni Robert H. Liebeck, BS 61, MS 62, PhD 68 (1987); Michael B. Bragg, BS 76, MS 77 (2007); and Preston A. Henne, BS 69, (2011).