April 2, 2007

UARC researchers earn AIAA award for flight control project

Two UCSC researchers at the University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) at NASA Ames are members of a team being recognized with an award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The 2007 Aerospace Software Engineering Award will be presented at an AIAA conference in May to the CONDUIT team of Mark Tischler, Sean Shan-Min Swei, Kenny Cheung, and Chad Frost. The citation for their award reads, "For developing CONDUIT, a revolutionary concept for integrated control system software design and for achieving its acceptance by the aerospace industry."

CONDUIT is a computer software package that assists engineers in the design of aircraft control systems.

Swei, a UARC principal scientist, was one of the developers of CONDUIT and has used it in many flight control design projects. His research interests include advanced control systems design and analysis and air traffic system identification and modeling.

Cheung, task manager and principal software engineer at the UARC, is the software lead for CONDUIT. He has participated in various flight control design projects using CONDUIT and has coauthored several papers on its applications.

Each honoree will receive an engraved medal, a certificate of citation, and a rosette pin on Tuesday, May 8, during the awards luncheon held in conjunction with the Infotech@Aerospace Conference and Exhibit in Rohnert Park.

The AIAA focuses on emerging technologies in aviation, space and defense. It serves over 35,000 members in 65 regional sections and 79 countries.