Aerospace students present research at international conferences

LAWRENCE — Research conducted by three teams of University of Kansas aerospace engineering students gets a spot on the national stage alongside some of the international leaders in the field.

Two teams of aerospace engineering students will travel to National Harbor, Md., in January to present research papers accepted into the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Science and Technology Forum and Exposition. A third team presented its research in August at the AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control conference in Boston. The conferences draw thousands of undergraduate and graduate students and industry leaders from around the globe to present the latest research and learn more about the newest trends.

“It’s an experience that really opens your eyes to what’s out there, and it’s a great way to learn about other research,” said Julian McCafferty, a senior in aerospace engineering from Lawrence, who will present his team’s paper in January.

The KU teams spend a semester researching their topics and then submit their work to AIAA, which decides whether to accept it for presentation at a conference.

“It’s awesome to see KU at the table with all these other aerospace engineering research leaders.  It’s a testament to the quality of the work we do here,” said Emily Thompson, a senior in aerospace engineering from Sagle, Idaho, who presented a paper at the AIAA conference in August.

Presenting at AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition in January:

Session: Flight Dynamics and Handling Qualities II

Team: Amir Bachelani, Olathe; Bella Kim, South Korea; Julian McCafferty, Lawrence; Graham Ray, Hutchinson, and Davis Woodward, Olathe

Project Name: “Investigation of an Autonomous Landing Sensor for Unmanned Aerial Systems.” The paper examines methods for improving automated landing procedures for unmanned aerial vehicles.

Session: Flight Dynamics and Handling Qualities II

Team: Dan Kennedy, Olathe; Alex Sizemore, Douglass; Nathan Smith, Garnett, and Luiz Toledo, Wichita

Project Name: “Dynamic Analysis of the Meridian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.”

The paper examines discrepancies in the computer models and real-world flight patterns for the Meridian aircraft.

Presented at the AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference in August:

Session: Modeling for Flight Control Analysis

Team: Julian McCafferty, Lawrence; James Sellers, Benton; Emily Thompson, Sagle, Idaho

Project Name: “Advanced Aircraft Analysis of the Yak-54 40%”

The paper examines the accuracy of computer models compared with real-world flight data from the Yak-54 aircraft.