Aerospace students show dominating performance in AIAA Southeastern Conference

Joseph Majdalani (left) and Josef Fleischmann share the AIAA award

Graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Aerospace Engineering won first place in the research paper portion of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Southeastern Regional Conference. Josef Fleischmann, graduate student in aerospace engineering, and Sanny R. Omar, senior in aerospace engineering, competed in the masters’ and undergraduate divisions of the conference, bringing home the top awards for the fifth consecutive year. Fleischmann partnered with Joseph Majdalani, chair of aerospace engineering, and Omar worked with Jean-Marie Wersinger, associate professor of physics, to assist with their research award-winning papers. 

Fleischmann’s paper was titled “Complex Lamellar Helical Solution for Cyclonically Driven Hybrid Rocket Engines,” while “Satellite Formation Control Using Differential Drag” was Omar’s research subject.

“The ability of our students to repeatedly win in the undergraduate and graduate divisions speaks highly of the quality research and education within the College of Engineering,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Jean-Marie Wersinger (left) and Sanny R. Omar earned the AIAA honor

The conference was held in Memphis, and hosted by the University of Memphis and the student chapter of the AIAA. More than 150 student delegates from 14 southeastern delegates from 14 southeastern universities attended and competed in the conference. At the graduate level, this event represents the fifth consecutive year Majdalani’s team has won the top prizes.