News

Prosthetic arms can provide controlled sensory feedback

Thu, 04/26/2018 - 16:15 Losing an arm doesn’t have to mean losing all sense of touch, thanks to prosthetic arms that stimulate nerves with mild electrical feedback.

Grace Gao receives NSF CAREER award for UAV research

Wed, 04/25/2018 - 10:30 Grace Gao, assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, was recently funded through the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program to conduct research on the subject.

Annual recognition of student excellence

Wed, 04/25/2018 - 09:45 At the annual awards banquet, the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois recognized undergraduate and graduate students for their scholastic achievement and other contributions.

AE graduate students receive Mavis Memorial Fund Scholarship awards

Mon, 04/23/2018 - 14:15 This year, three graduate students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering have been awarded Mavis Future Faculty Fellowships.

Hang Woon Lee receives NSF fellowship

Wed, 04/18/2018 - 13:00 This year’s National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program received over 12,000 applicants. From them, 2,000 award offers were made, including one to Hang Woon Lee, a graduate student in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois.

New research seeks to optimize space travel efficiency

Wed, 04/18/2018 - 10:30 Sending a human into space and doing it efficiently presents a galaxy of challenges. Koki Ho, University of Illinois assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, and his graduate students, Hao Chen and Bindu Jagannatha, explored ways to integrate the logistics of space travel by looking at a campaign of lunar missions, spacecraft design, and creating a framework to optimize fuel and other resources.

July 26, 1977 Space Shuttle and Crew, courtesy NASA

1977 was a good year

Fri, 04/13/2018 - 13:15 The year 1977 was a big one for aeronautics and aerospace—both real and fictional. The Concord made its first commercial flight, the NASA space shuttle had its first test flight, and the first Star Wars film opened in cinemas. In hindsight, it was also a year that a generous class of aerospace engineers graduated from the University of Illinois.

Meet Gabrielle “Elle” Wroblewski: Ph.D. candidate, K-12 science instructor, academically competitive

Thu, 03/29/2018 - 10:45 Wearing last year’s engineering open house t-shirt and a cap featuring a colorful techie cartoon character above the brim, Elle Wroblewski is obviously in her element. She is teaching a group of eight high school boys on a Saturday afternoon about rocketry through Illini Aerospace Outreach on the College of Engineering campus at the University of Illinois. She’s not a bouncy, entertaining type of instructor. Her delivery is calm and matter-of-fact. She might as well have been teaching adults. “I find that with middle school and high school students, if you just treat them like they can do it, they do it,” Elle says. Elle received a B.S. in 2014 and an M.S. in 2016 in aerospace engineering and is currently working on a doctorate in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. With her demanding academic schedule, she still makes time to give back through a variety of K-12 workshops and summer camps.

Yee Fellowship recipient works in structural mechanics and materials

Tue, 03/20/2018 - 10:00 Troy Ziliang Kang was recently named the Yee Fellow by the University of Illinois in the College of Engineering for 2018-2019.

Patrick Drew at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Patrick Drew’s “crazy engineering experience”

Wed, 03/14/2018 - 13:00 Aerospace senior Patrick Drew took the fall 2017 semester off to have an amazing experience with a co-op internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He calls it his “crazy engineering experience.”

Kai James gains NSF CAREER Award to study advanced computational design

Tue, 03/13/2018 - 10:30 Kai James’ project was recently funded through the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program.

Scott White to receive campus award for guiding undergraduate research

Thu, 03/08/2018 - 09:00 Scott White will be recognized for his stellar mentoring this spring when he receives the University of Illinois award for Excellence in Guiding Undergraduate Research.

Illinois in Texas

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 10:00 Philippe Geubelle, head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, was invited to give four seminars for the Southwest Mechanics Lecture Series.

Phil Ansell, right, with graduate student

Taking a step closer to electric propulsion

Thu, 03/01/2018 - 13:45 University of Illinois aerospace engineer Phil Ansell says “There has been a growing desire to pursue aircraft propulsion electrification, either through an all-electric system with battery or fuel-cell systems with electrically-driven motors, or through hybrid architectures where these electrical propulsion systems are coupled with more traditional combustion engines and turbines. It’ll happen. It’s just a matter of when.”

Tim Bretl to receive college and campus teaching awards

Wed, 02/28/2018 - 09:00 Teaching is hard. If you don’t believe it, just ask Tim Bretl. He has obviously learned from his early teaching experience as this spring he will receive both the College of Engineering Teaching Excellence award and the award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at the U of I campus level.

Laura Gerhold to receive campus award for advising

Mon, 02/26/2018 - 12:45 In 2002, Laura Gerhold was on an educational flightpath to a career as a commercial pilot. Ultimately, she went a different direction. This spring, she will receive the University of Illinois award for Excellence in Undergraduate Advising.