2011 Newsletter - University of Cincinnati

Aerospace
Engineering
Student teams win at
National SAE Aero Design Competition
Dr. Francesco Simonetti and
Dr. Jong Guen Lee join faculty
as Ohio Research Scholars
2011 Vol. 81, Issue 1

School of Aerospace Systems
Department News
3 Letter from the School Director
4 Spotlight: Ohio Research Scholars
5 Mark Turner recognized as an ASME Fellow, receives Young Researcher Award
5 Peter Nagy publishes new text
5 Kelly Cohen shares expertise with high school students
6 Russell DiMicco retires
6 Grant Schaffner receives Doc Counsilman Science Award
7 Space Shuttle Symposium — “The End of a Love Affair”
Student News
8 Student Spotlight - SAE Aero East Competition
9 Danielle Grage wins Herman Schneider Award
10 Student Awards
10 Aerospace welcomes National Merit Scholars
Alumni News
10 Thomas Byar recognized as UC Life Benefactor
11 Class of 1961 reunion
11 Alum notes
Contact Us
University of Cincinnati
College of Engineering and Applied Science
School of Aerospace Systems
P.O. Box 210070
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0070
513-556-3548
aerospace.ceas.uc.edu
On the cover — winning student entry in the National
SAE Aero Design East competition, micro class division
College of Engineering
& Applied Science

Letter from the School Director
I am glad to share exciting news of our students, faculty and alumni from the past
academic year. We are very proud of our two Aerocat teams who won first place
in both regular and micro class entries in the SAE Aero Design East competition
in Marietta, Georgia on May 1. In the regular class, the senior Aerospace team
surpassed a 25-year competition record for most payload ever carried. Their ability
to recover from a near disastrous crash and to miraculously rebuild their aircraft in
45 minutes is a reflection of their excellent teamwork skills, sheer determination, and
all the attributes needed to excel in their future careers. For the second time in three
years, one of our seniors, Danielle Grage, won the CEAS Herman Schneider Award
for her exemplary co-op experience. We look forward to continuing our student
successes in the future, with four national merit scholars in our largest ever first-year
class this fall.
The class of ’61 had a very busy 50th anniversary reunion led by Frank Tepe.
Thomas Byar, class of 1959, was recognized by UC President Williams and UC Board of Trustees Chair Sandra Heimann
as a Life Benefactor in recognition of his generous support of the Knowlson and Irene Byar Endowed Scholarship in
Aerospace Engineering.
Our Center for Intelligent Propulsion Systems and Advanced Life Management is now
I mpressed by both student
and faculty achievements,
our Advisory Board would
like to urge all alumni and
friends to help identify co-op
opportunities for our growing
body of outstanding students.
a reality with the two outstanding faculty, Professors J. G. Lee and Francesco Simonetti,
who joined UC as Ohio Research Scholars. Dr. Lee’s research focuses on combustion and
propulsion in air-breathing and rocket propulsion systems. Dr. Simonetti’s research focuses
on both theoretical and experimental aspects of wave mechanics for subsurface sensing and
super-resolution imaging.
Our Advisory Board met in May to review the Aerospace Engineering strategic plans
and accomplishments, evaluate the Senior Design Team presentations and have lunch
with the students. They were very impressed by both student and faculty achievements
and would like to urge all alumni and friends to help identify co-op opportunities for our
growing body of outstanding students.
Aerospace Department Advisory Board (Spring 2011)
From left to right: Dr.Christopher Lorence, GE Aviation; Dr. Baily Vittal, Liberty Works, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies; Dr. Jack
Benek, AFRL/WPAFB; Dr. Mike Heil, Ohio Aerospace Institute; Dr. Ronnie Miller, PAC/MISTRAS; Dr. Carol Russo, NASA Ames Research
Center; Dr. Tom Wakeman, Belcan Corporation; Dr. Ajay Kumar, NASA Langley Research Center; Dr. Joe Shang, Wright State University;
Dr. Eric Baumgartner, Ohio Northern University

D E p A r t m E n t S p o t l i g h t
Ohio Research Scholars join the
School of Aerospace System
“The Ohio Research Scholars Program (ORSP), in partnership with the Ohio Board of Regents, was designed to attract
leading research talent that can contribute to the growth of research centers of excellence within Ohio’s academic
institutions that support economic development priorities of the state. The goal of the ORSP is to strengthen and increase
the number of clusters of research excellence by 1) investing in the attraction of senior research talent and related facilities
and equipment, and 2) promoting unique collaborations with nonprofit and for-profit research and commercialization
partners needed to build and sustain scientifically and commercially promising lines of research.”
The College of Engineering and Applied Science’s School of Aerospace Systems is proud to have Dr. Jong Guen Lee and
Dr. Francesco Simonetti as new Ohio Research Scholars.
Dr. Lee’s research focuses
on combustion and
propulsion problems in
air-breathing and rocket
propulsion systems. He has
many years of experience
in combustion dynamics
in gas turbine, ramjet and
augmentor, development of
various laser-based optical
diagnostic techniques with
applications to propulsion
systems, combustion
control and sensors
monitoring the combustion
process, turbulent flame propagations and multi-phase combustion
processes. He has been collaborating with many major gas turbine/
aircraft industries such as GE Aviation, GE Energy, Pratt and Whitney,
Siemens-Westinghouse, Solar Turbines as well as the NASA-GRC and
DOE NETL (Natural Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, West
Virginia) in those areas. His research interests also include supersonic
combustion, plasma-aided combustion, solid-propellants and
combustion of alternative fuels.
Dr. Lee comes to University of Cincinnati from the Pennsylvania State
University where he has been a senior researcher in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering. His research at UC will continue to be
focused on Combustion/ Propulsion/ Energy Systems. His laboratory
is now being established and equipped with state-of-the-art
optical diagnostic instrumentation enabling Planar Laser Induced
Fluorescence, Time-resolved Spectroscopy, High Speed Imaging,
Spray Characterization, Fuel/air Mixing Measurement, Infrared
Absorption, etc.
4 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science
Dr. Simonetti’s research lies
at the interface between
engineering, physics, and
applied mathematics.
He has made significant
contributions to both
theoretical and experimental
aspects of wave mechanics
for sub-surface sensing,
including pioneering
work on super-resolution
imaging. His research
has been underpinned
by close collaboration
with a wide spectrum
of industries through his active participation in the UK Research
Centre in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). As a Fellow of the UK
Royal Academy of Engineering and a Faculty Affiliate of Los Alamos
National Laboratory, Dr. Simonetti has made significant contributions
to ultrasonic and electromagnetic materials characterization, flaw
detection, diagnostics, and health monitoring applications. Dr.
Simonetti has now established the Ultrasonic Imaging Laboratory at
UC. Covering an area of 1200 sq. ft., the lab is equipped with state-ofthe-art
technology for basic and applied research, including ultrasonic
microscopes, 128-channel programmable array controllers, laser
interferometers, and high-resolution infrared cameras. The mission of
the lab is to develop the next-generation sensing technology that will
lead to novel industrial applications. These encompass life extension
technologies, and life cycle management and prognostics of complex
engineering systems as well as applications in medical diagnostics such
as breast cancer screening.
Dr. Simonetti comes to UC from Imperial College in London where he was
an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Center for intelligent propulsion and Advanced life management

mark turner recognized as an ASmE Fellow and the
CEAS 2011 Young Faculty researcher
Mark G. Turner, P.E., has been elected to the grade of Fellow at ASME, the premier organization for
promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and applied
sciences to diverse communities throughout the world.
Nominated by their peers, a Fellow is one who has attained a membership grade of distinction,
at the time of advancement shall be a corporate member of the Society, shall have been responsible
for significant engineering achievements, and shall have not less than ten years of active practice and
ten years of continuous corporate membership in ASME.
Dr. Turner has the privilege of being one of only 3,150 Fellows out of 111,473 ASME members,
and was recognized for his admirable engineering achievements.
The CEAS Research Award for Young Faculty is awarded to faculty with ten years or less service to the College and who are at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor.
In recognition of his remarkable initiative and research achievements, Dr. Mark Turner received this year’s Research Award for Young Faculty. Dr. Turner’s area
of expertise is in Jet Engine and Turbomachinery Simulation. He is the co-director of the Gas Turbine Simulation Laboratory (GTSL) for solving complex flows in
turbomachinery and engine inlets. Turner is also the vice chair of the Education Committee for the International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI) of ASME. Since joining
UC, Dr. Turner has been responsible for bringing in over two million dollars of external research funding and as PI, he has brought in $1.5 million. In addition to his
work on turbomachinery applications, he has been exploring areas of sustainable energy with wind turbine research.
Kelly Cohen shares expertise
Peter Nagy publishes new text
“Physical Ultrasonics of Composites” presents a rigorous treatment of both theoretical
and experimental aspects of ultrasonic materials characterization as it is applied to
composite materials, components, and structures that present unique challenges and great
opportunities in aerospace and other high-tech industries.
This text is co-authored by three university professors who have been collaborating
for over twenty years. One of those authors is CEAS Professor Peter Nagy. Their book
provides a synergistic description of both modeling and experimental methods in
addressing wave propagation phenomena and composite property measurements and is
expected to be used by students both nationally and internationally.
In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Japan, Seton High School students, pictured, got a firsthand look at the sheer power of earthquakes and how to
design buildings to withstand their force.
The experience began with a Skype conversation with UC aerospace professor
Kelly Cohen. The students were able to interact with Cohen using Seton’s state-of-the-art
wireless campus and Tablet PCs.
After discussion with Cohen about what causes quakes and how their energy is released
into buildings, the students were challenged to create a building that would best handle an
earthquake.
Students built their structures and tested them on a shake table. Using a motion detector,
their math teacher was able to determine how much the buildings shook. Students then had
to rework their designs and solve any problems that contributed to the shaking.
Grady, E. (2011, April 20). Seton students studying earthquakes,
buildings. Delhi-Price Hill Community Press, p. A6.
D E p A r t m E n t n E w S
aerospace.ceas.uc.edu | 5

D E p A r t m E n t n E w S
Russ DiMicco retires from
UC Aerospace Research
For 21 years, Senior Research Associate, Russell DiMicco greatly
contributed to our undergraduate laboratories, graduate
research, and was instrumental in the day-to-day operations
of the Gas Dynamics and Propulsion Laboratory. In October,
2010, Russ accepted a new career opportunity with Belcan in
Cincinnati. During Russ’s time here at UC, the undergraduate
and graduate students’ educational experience was significantly
enhanced by having had the opportunity to interact with
him. DiMicco prepared and ran classes for the Aerodynamics
Measurement laboratory and Gas Dynamics Laboratory for fifthyear
undergraduate students, and was instrumental in assisting
more than 50 graduate students toward achieving their graduate
degrees.
Russ’s work as a senior research engineer involved many
projects in diverse areas and his contribution to all of them
was crucial for our success. Among his important contributions
were the design, fabrication, and assembly of multiple highpressure
air supply systems and complex test facilities. The
facilities include a high-pressure combustion system and an
afterburner simulator at Center Hill. While on the UC campus
he was instrumental in building a turbocharger research facility,
aeroacoustics research facility, oil-well drilling simulator, Pulse
Detonation Engine Research Lab, and an Acoustic Liners facility.
These state-of-the-art facilities were meticulously constructed,
had sophisticated controls, were ideal for developing advanced
diagnostics, and allowed us to provide the highest caliber results
to our sponsors. The sponsors Russ worked with included GE
Aviation, the U.S. Navy, NASA, Air Force, BF Goodrich, Boeing,
Honeywell, Halliburton, GE Global Research, and GE Energy.
His experience and insight was invaluable to the success of our
research.
DiMicco remains in contact with many of us here at UC to
ensure the great things he built during his time at UC continue
to operate at a high standard.
6 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science
Grant Schaffner receives
Doc Counsilman Science Award
Professor Grant Schaffner was honored recently by the U.S.
Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) for his creative
use of innovation in sport science. He was named the Doc
Counsilman Science Award winner for his work designing
the new X2 skeleton sled.
Schaffner joined UC’s Aerospace Engineering
Department as an assistant professor in 2009. His research
at UC is in the area of human health, survivability and
performance in extreme environments. Schaffner describes
his usual work, “Mainly I deal with astronauts in the space
environment, soldiers in combat and athletes.”
More recently, Schaffner helped the U.S. skeleton
program to create a new revolutionary skeleton sled. He
worked in partnership with the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton
Federation (USBSF), ProtoStar Engineering and Machintek
Corporation to create a sled technology program. After
collaborating on theories, design, construction and on-ice
testing, the X2 sled was created.
Schaffner has credited a significant part of design to
“bodystorming.” Bodystorming is a term used by ProtoStar
Engineering to describe the philosophy of physically
interacting with the product. “The ‘bodystorming’ term is a
play on ‘brainstorming,’ except that you physically involve
your body, too,” says Schaffner.
The project was targeted for 2014, but significant
progress was made and the X2 was tested and raced at the
second half of the 2009-10 World Cup and made its official
debut in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.
For more information on the U.S. Bobsled & Skeleton
Federation or to see the official news release you can go to
the USBSF website at http://bobsled.teamusa.org.
Grant Schraffner, third from right, pictured with bobsled skeleton team

Shuttle Symposium attendees pose for photo.
First row, second from right, Victoria Krall,
UC student representative, immediately to her left,
General Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator
Space Shuttle Symposium
The End of a Love Affair
by Victoria Krall, Class of 2011
On June 8, 2011, I was privileged to represent the University of
Cincinnati at the Space Shuttle Symposium at Georgia Tech in
Atlanta, Georgia. There were 39 different universities represented from
all over the country and every student there had the same dream and
passion as me. We all wanted to be a part of the U.S. space program
and we all are self-proclaimed “shuttle huggers.”
The symposium started with a reception for the students on
Monday night. We got to mingle amongst ourselves and get to know
the people with whom we would be spending the next day and half.
Along with the students, the various speakers were also there. They
included managers from NASA, United Space Alliance, and Boeing.
There were other industry leaders who attended just to take part in the
celebration of the space shuttle. The entire symposium was a great time
to rub elbows and make new networking connections.
The next day the symposium was kicked off with opening
remarks from General Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator. Being
a past shuttle astronaut and having flown four shuttle missions, he
gave a wonderful speech on the space shuttle. He described NASA’s
relationship with the space shuttle as a love affair. Then there were
several lectures on the different aspects of the shuttle program. The
following are just a few of the lectures presented at the symposium; “A
Brief History of Orbiter Evolution,” “Space Shuttle Propulsion System,”
“Ground Operations,” “Flight Systems and Mission Operations,” and
a Lessons Learned panel. There were also three keynote speakers
during the meals. My favorite was Robert Thompson who was the
Space Shuttle Program Manager from 1970-1981. His lecture was titled
“Why We Built the Space Shuttle.” He discussed the thought processes
behind it and why certain decisions were made.
Being able to participate in the Space Shuttle Symposium at
Georgia Tech has been an eye opening experience. I have learned so
much more about these wonderful vehicles and have fully embraced
the term “shuttle hugger.” I also took away many important points
during the lessons learned panel, including the importance of healthy
tension in the workplace and not being afraid to make sure your
opinion is heard. I will remember these things as I begin my career.
The space shuttle program, in my opinion, has had a huge impact
on our nation. It has led to new discoveries and inspired generations
of our nation’s youth. Even though the technology on the Shuttle is
considered obsolete, NASA has learned something new from every
single flight. I believe we are making a mistake by ending the Shuttle
Program before we have a vehicle to replace it, thus giving up our
transport to space and the International Space Station.
As NASA’s love affair with the Space Shuttle comes to an end I
look forward to the future of America’s Human Spaceflight program
and all the new discoveries it may bring. The students that attended
this symposium are the future of the U.S. Space Program and I look
forward to working with every one of them in the future!
aerospace.ceas.uc.edu | 7

S t u D E n t S p o t l i g h t
Aerospace teams win big
Two teams of aerospace engineering students from the University of Cincinnati each won in their respective divisions at
the 2011 National SAE Aero Design East competition held in Marietta, Georgia, April 29 – May 1.
More than 70 teams were present from across the globe including Canada, Poland, Venezuela, India, Mexico, Egypt,
and the reigning competition champions from Brazil.
The competition requires teams to design, build, and fly a radio-controlled aircraft over a closed course from takeoff
to landing. Points are earned based on satisfying
specified design requirements, a written report, an
oral presentation, and carrying the most payload for a
complete circuit of the course.
A team of three aerospace engineering graduate
students won the Micro Class competition. Team
members included Marshall Galbraith, Philip Italiano,
and Cody Lafountain.
One key criterion for judging the Micro Class
competition was the ratio of the fully loaded aircraft
weight to its empty weight. The UC aircraft weighed
a mere 0.7 pounds when empty, so the team had
the highest score for this critical ratio, as well as the
highest score for their presentation.
“Due to the poor flying conditions, we
continuously experienced ‘hard’ landings that damaged our nose gear. We spent every minute between flight rounds
repairing the damage,” explained Galbraith.
The second team was a group of aerospace engineering seniors who won the Regular Class division. Student
competitors included Timothy Britt, Daniel Brunck, Nicholas Ernest, Robert Fellows, Lisa Kain, Christopher Lightfield,
Dustin Muller, Dominic Pompeo, Christopher Porter, Tyler Relf, Nathan Rooy and Michael Whitsel.
The Regular Class team surpassed a 25-year competition record for the most payload ever carried around the closed
course. The story of this victory can be classified as a true tale of “triumph from disaster.”
The undergraduate team completed all flights the first day of the competition, landing them in first place with a
14-point lead. The following day, the team attempted a 37-pound payload flight to assure victory. Although conditions were
perfect, the aircraft lost control for unknown reasons and crashed into the ground.
The crash set the team back to second place and the plane appeared to be beyond repair. The team had only 45 minutes
to rebuild their aircraft and carry on in the competition. It was
required that the aircraft must be 50 percent original to be
considered the same. If the rebuild were over 50 percent, the
scores would be wiped from the day before.
“Those 45 minutes were very intense. I personally thought
that we had worked on it for at least 1.5 hours for the amount of
work that we had done. There was a lot of teamwork as we only
had a few blades and only one bottle of glue. Everybody was
being productive and helping out,” said Fellows.
With slight winds and unfavorable density altitude, the
plane began its last flight of the competition; it rolled down the
runway and lifted off within the required 200-foot ground roll.
While in the air the tail started to shift because of the quick
repair but held firm. The aircraft made it to a successful landing
largely because of the skill and control of Santiago Panzardi, the
team’s AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) licensed pilot.
After the landing the payload weight was determined to be
35.27 pounds — a new record for a Regular Class aircraft.
The Brazilian teams in first and third place also completed
flights in the final round making it unsure if the 35-pound
payload would yield enough points. Once the scores were
tabulated, teams were notified and the University of Cincinnati
team had won the Regular Class competition with an
11.82-point lead over both Brazilian teams.
8 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science
Observations from the Pilot
The air currents in the airfield were a nightmare to fly through as the topography
falls away from the runway (wind blowing in that direction) and the airplanes
were flying the 1st turn, downwind, and base legs of the course in swirling
downdrafts.
Indeed one of the most enduring moments was the awards mistake in
Micro class as we were called in 2 nd place. We all walked forward in incredulity
knowing there was a mistake. We tried to look gracious but our faces had been
plastered with disbelief. Brazil was awarded first, and then came straight over
to us with the 1 st place trophy and said “this is yours.” All stood and applauded.
The SAE officials were perplexed, however, the matter was resolved quickly
when they realized the scores were transposed. It was very nice to speak to
the Brazilians and hear them talk about UC being a formidable school in
aeronautics.
The weekend was a blur, the Micro team worked almost every minute.
The regular team had it just slightly smoother until the 5th round crash which
carried the winning payload. Then I witnessed what I thought only professional
UAV technicians could accomplish in at least 60 minutes, the team did in
45minutes — rebuild the entire aircraft to good airworthy conditions AND fly
the winning payload. I inspected the aircraft and although it was not perfect,
it was structurally sound. The fact that it carried 35 lbs in less than optimal
conditions and in higher density altitude speaks volumes about their initial
prediction of 39 lbs at standard day, sea level.
Both teams, technically and functionally, were your dream teams.
Santiago Panzardi, AMA Licensed Pilot

Danielle Grage wins Herman Schneider Award
The annual Herman Schneider Medal is awarded to a senior for
“distinction as an exemplary co-op student — one who has taken fullest
advantage of the unique opportunities of a cooperative education.”
Danielle Grage is this year’s Herman Schneider Award recipient. Danielle
graduated second in the Aerospace Engineering class of 2011 at UC. A
self-described ‘road less travelled person,’ “I always knew I wanted to
do engineering, from a young age I was fascinated with math, science,
and solving problems. I chose UC because I was very interested in the
opportunities presented by the co-op experience and the engineering
program the University offered.” She is the first ACCEND student to
graduate with a BS and MS in Aerospace Engineering after just five years.
She is an Honors Scholar who has completed all of her co-op assignments
at GE Aviation.
One of her nominators wrote, “Danielle exemplifies the very qualities
that Dr. Herman Schneider was hoping to engender when he started the
co-op program at UC. At her co-op placements, she frequently took on
engineering project leadership roles beyond what would be expected of a
co-op student, and accomplished tasks at a level normally associated with
veteran employees.”
Danielle holds a tremendous ability to balance her studies with volunteer work. She has been active in many community activities
including the Crosstown Helpout, Green-Up Day, fund raising for the Just Community 5K walk, and organizing the first annual Aruna 5K to
benefit women in India.
When reflecting back on a co-op placement one of her supervisors stated, “One of Danielle’s strongest traits is her ability to ask
questions about something in order to get a better understanding and concept of the process. She consistently displays leadership skills
with clear thinking while delving into complex problems. She is able to identify critical parameters and recommend courses of action, far
beyond her limited experience.”
Danielle has fully taken advantage of the co-op program and applied her experiences from her academic studies and co-op to her
research pursuits. Her MS thesis focused on cooperation with GE Aviation to investigate correlating jet acoustics with the respective exhaust
flow field. She has been offered a full time position at GE Aviation and will continue to pursue her education through the Edison Leadership
Program at GE.
Student Awards 2011-12
AiAA Foundation graduate Student
research Award ($5,000)
Chelsea Sabo (2nd year, back-to-back)
AiAA Foundation Cary Spitzer Digital
Avionics Scholarship ($2,000)
Nathan Wukie
AFrl/DAgSi Award ($25,000 + tuition)
Steven Etheridge
Chelsea Sabo
Choose ohio First Scholars Award ($4,500 per year)
Patrick Rachow
Alicia Zwiebel
nSF/StEp Award ($30,000 per year + tuition)
Nicholas Ernest
Phillip Italiano
Cody Lafountain
nASA/gSrp Award ($30,0000 + tuition)
Michael Knadler
nASA Space grant Awards
Undergraduate Scholars
Senior awards ($4,000 total– $3,500 NASA + $500 UC)
Sydney Barker (ASE, continuing)
Krista Kirievich (ASE, new)
Nathan Wukie (ASE, continuing)
Junior Awards ($3,000 total – $2,500 NASA + $500 UC)
Tyler Vick (ASE, new)
Alex Walker (ASE, new)
PhD Fellowships (three year award: per year $20,000 total –
$15,000 NASA + $5000 UC + tuition)
Adam Gerlach (ASE, 2nd year, continuing)
Robert Knapke (ASE, 1st year, new)
MS Fellowships (1.5 year award: per calendar year: $16,000 total –
$13,000 NASA + $3,000 UC + tuition)
Rob Charvat (ASE) (2nd year)
Charles Williams (ASE) (1st year)
(all pending final NASA approval)
aerospace.ceas.uc.edu | 9

S t u D E n t n E w S
Aerospace Engineering welcomes four National Merit Scholars this fall
Thomas Caley, Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, ACCEND student, BS AE/MS AEEM
“That sense of joy and wonder everytime I see an airplane led me to the field of aerospace. The co-ops, and the professors
that took the time to talk to me attracted me to the program at UC. Some of my accomplishments include backpacking 83
miles in New Mexico and getting the Cincinnatus Excellence Scholarship. I look forward to doing well in school and while
on co-op, ... and maybe play some intramural sports.”
Carolyn Coutre, Grand Haven High School, Grand Haven, Michigan, BS AE
“One of the things I feel most proud of from high school is the seven years I spent on my school’s
Science Olympiad team. This program really forced me to challenge myself. When looking at colleges, I was really excited
about the prospect of co-oping. I was also looking for a bigger school and Cincinnati seemed like a good fit for me. I’m really
looking forward to all of the opportunities a big school will give me. I hope to get involved in many things around campus.”
Michael Ferguson, Wayne High School, Huber Heights, Ohio, BS AE
“I’ve always loved learning about how planes and spaceships fly and what works aerodynamically and what doesn’t.
Combine that with a love of making and fixing things and very quickly you discover that aero is the ideal field of study. I
looked at (and applied to) many schools. But what sets UC apart is the balance it has between flexible and defined degree
programs.”
Eric Wesseling, Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, ACCEND student,
BS AE/MBA
“I’ve wanted to go into Aerospace for a few years now. Math and science have always been my strongest subjects, and I’m
interested in physics and space technology. Aerospace seems like the best way for me to get involved and really make a
difference in the fields that interest me. UC has a great engineering school, and they offered me a generous scholarship.
I’m very happy and excited to be a Bearcat!”
A l u m n i S p o t l i g h t
Left to right, Steven Wilson, Chair, UCF Board of Trustees,
UC President Gregory Williams, Thomas Byar,
Sandra Heimann, Chair, UC Board of Trustees
10 | University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering and Applied Science
Thomas Byar recognized as a
University of Cincinnati
Life Benefactor
Thomas R.Byar was honored at the 2011 Benefactor
Award Celebration as a Life Benefactor which
recognizes cumulative giving of $250,000-$999,000.
Byar earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and
has generously given back to the College through
his establishment and support of the Knowlson
and Irene Byar Endowed Scholarship in Aerospace
Engineering. He supports the Engineering and
Applied Science All-College Awards Banquet and
other university-wide priorities.

Class of 1961 Reunion
L-R, Jim Snyder, ‘61, Prof. Widen Tabakoff, Frank Tepe, ‘61, UCAA President Myron Hughes,
Prof. Awatef Hamed, UC President Gregory Williams, Judy Tepe
The College of Engineering’s class of 1961 celebrated their 50 year reunion
during the weekend of May 13-15, 2011. The college’s graduates from
that year were by far the most numerous participants in the festivities
arranged by the University for the Alumni Association’s Alumni Weekend
for graduates from all the UC’s colleges. The three events scheduled by the
Alumni Association for the 1961 graduates included a “Taste of Cincinnati
Lunch Buffet” on Saturday (with Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream),
a reception with the University President that evening, and the “Golden
Bearcat Club Brunch” Sunday morning. The lunch saw 67 UC graduates
from 1961 and their spouses in attendance, with 43 of those being
graduates and spouses from the College of Engineering, while the reception
that evening found 58 of the 78 attendees from Engineering, and at the
Sunday morning brunch 25 of the 73 participants were from Engineering.
Overall, College of Engineering graduates still have a strong loyalty to the
University and their fellow classmates.
Participants from the Aeronautical Engineering Department (yes, that
is what it was called in 1961) in these events included Dave Brown and his
wife Pat, Larry Lantzer and his wife Sue, Jim Snyder, and Frank Tepe and
his wife Judy. They also attended the College’s All Alumni Awards Banquet
on Friday May 13 at the Netherland Hilton and were recognized by Dean
Carlo Montemagno at that annual College event. The Dean also gave a
presentation regarding the current and future activities of the College after
the Saturday afternoon buffet. The AE graduates and their spouses also
went out for dinner as a group after the Saturday evening reception. All
of the AE graduates greatly enjoyed seeing their fellow classmates again
as well as catching up with our colleagues from the other engineering
departments. We encourage all our fellow graduates from 1962 and beyond
to start planning for your 50th reunion, you’ll really enjoy it.
— Frank Tepe, Class of ‘61
A l u m n i n E w S
Belcan Engineering project lead, Donald Dlesk, Jr.,
BSAE 2006, is using the finite element code, ANSYS, to
redesign rotation components in the GE90-115b and
BEnx-1b high-bypass turbofan engines for GE Aviation.
Team members include Brett Geiser, BSME 2010, and
Matthew Miller, BSME 2010. The effort seeks to replace
legacy metallic parts with composite equivalents to
reduce rotating weight and improve performance and
fuel economy.
Fumi Ichihashi, BSAE 2008, MS AEEM, 2011, recently
joined Hexcel as an acoustics and thermal research
engineer. “Having the facility to manufacture testsamples
within reach of hand is an engineering
researcher’s dream and it is happening at Hexcel. I
appreciate and am excited by the responsibilities and
trust Hexcel has given me.”
John Louis, BSAE, 2005, is currently the Lead Flight
Sciences person for the G280, Gulfstream’s mid-cabin
airplane. He and his wife, Kai, had twins Kamden (boy)
and Elizabeth (girl) on May 12, 2011. He is pursuing his
masters at Embry-Riddle with a focus on flight sciences.
Ralph Spitzen, AE ‘74, MBA ‘76, and daughter Rachel
(pictured above) near the end of a ten day high altitude
trek in the Himalayas in the Kingdom of Bhutan. The snow
capped mountain is 24,000 ft. Chomolhari on the Bhutan-
Tibet border and one of the world’s tallest unclimbed
mountains.
Ball Aerospace engineer, Joe Stern, BSAE, 2006, MS
AEEM, 2008, is creating supervisory control interfaces
for multiple UAV’s through varying levels of autonomy as
well as coding virtual environments for UAV piloting.
Alex Sullivan, BSAE, 2005, is now leading the G650
Electrical Component Installations and Water and Waste
program at Gulfstream. He and his wife had their first
child, Parker Joseph Sullivan, on July 1, 2011.
In Memoriam
Capt. Walter Cornelius, Aeronautical Engineering,
1938, passed away August 5, 2011 at the age of
95. Cornelius was a senior research engineer with
General Motors, retiring in 1981 after 44 years.
Capt. Cornelius proudly served the U.S. Navy from
1942-1973. He received the UC College of Engineering
distinguished alumnus award in 1973.
aerospace.ceas.uc.edu | 11

University of Cincinnati
College of Engineering and Applied Science
School of Aerospace Systems
P.O. Box 210070
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0070
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