The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has announced that 28 individuals have been selected as 2012 AIAA Fellows. These scholars will be honored for “notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics and astronautics.” The fellows will be inducted at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala on May 9 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.
Of the 28 new fellows, only three are women. While only one of the three women currently teaches at a college or university, the other two have ties to higher education.
Nadine Aubry is the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She is being honored for her work in fluid dynamics in relation to aviation fuels.
Dr. Aubry is a graduate of the National Polytechnic Institute in Grenoble, France. She holds a master’s degree from the Science and Medical University in Grenoble and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.
Lieutenant General Ellen M. Pawlikowski is commander of the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles. She manages 5,000 employees and a budget of $10 billion. Previously, she was commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
Dr. Pawlikowski entered the Air Force through the ROTC at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. She earned a bachelor’s degree there before going on to obtain a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. She went on active duty in the Air Force in 1982.
Mary L. Snitch is the director of NASA programs for Lockheed Martin Corporation. She is the former manager of legislative and international affairs at CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
Dr. Snitch is on the board of director of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation, an all-volunteer, all-women organization that provides scholarships to women who are pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields at 52 leading universities. She is a graduate of George Mason University and holds an MBA from George Washington University.