The Department of Aerospace Engineering at UMCP

Calling all Baltimore-area Terp engineers! 🐢

Join fellow Maryland Engineering alumni and friends on March 25 at the renowned Guinness Open Gate Brewery for a night of networking, great food, and Terp connection. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres and a hosted bar while catching up with fellow alumni and expanding your Clark network.

Register now at https://go.umd.edu/bmore-eng2026. 🔗

RSVP is requested by Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

Today is — a day when the Terp community comes together to make a difference.

For Aerospace Engineering at Maryland, your support fuels scholarships, student organizations, hands-on learning and groundbreaking research that improves lives in Maryland and around the world.

Every gift, no matter the size, makes an impact.

Join us in moving : https://givingday.umd.edu/campaigns/aerospace-student-groups-and-teams-fund

In the latest issue of AeroContact magazine, we highlight new advances in hypersonics research at the University of Maryland.

Read an interview with hypersonics pioneer, and alum, Kevin Bowcutt '82, M.S. '84, Ph.D '86, learn about barrier-breaking work being done by UMD faculty, and meet our recently-formed student hypersonics team.

University of Maryland - AeroContact magazine 2026 - Page 1 MARYLAND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING | FALL 2025 Hypersonics THE NEXT LEVEL UMD researchers spur new advances in a field that breaks barriers.

Engineer’s 3D-Printed Education Tools Put Visually Impaired Students in Touch With Learning

When he’s not designing airplane sensors, Associate Research Scientist Byungseok Yoo provides classroom aids to area schools.

Over the past several months, Yoo has created a suite of 3D-printed materials for visually impaired public school students in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard counties, along with the School for the Blind in Baltimore. Yoo’s project is funded by UMD’s Do Good Campus Fund, which fosters projects that reimagine learning and serve humanity inside and outside the classroom.

His kits address concepts like math symbols, chemical elements and, most recently, anatomical diagrams for s*x ed lessons. School districts across the country use similar tools, but Yoo’s prototypes are larger, easier to move, cheaper to produce and marked with Braille in each case, he and Montgomery school officials said.

Learn more:

Engineer’s 3D-Printed Education Tools Put Visually… | Maryland Today When He’s Not Designing Airplane Sensors, Researcher Provides Classroom Aids to Area Schools

Congratulations to UMD President and Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering Darryll J. Pines!

He was named fellow of the National Academy of Inventors’ (NAI) Class of 2025.

NAI fellowship is the highest professional distinction currently awarded to inventors in the U.S., and it is meant to recognize individuals whose patented innovations have made an enduring and profound economic and societal impact.

"It's a tremendous honor to be selected as an NAI fellow," Pines said. "I am proud of the research and innovation that thrive on our campus, and I'm grateful to be recognized among these talented faculty members working to educate and inspire future scholars and inventors."

He holds seven co-authored patents with his students and collaborators, including one for a navigation system that uses pulsars—rapidly rotating celestial objects that blast out pulses of radiation—to determine a spacecraft’s position, velocity and orientation.

Read more at: https://aero.umd.edu/news/story/two-clark-school-faculty-elected-to-national-academy-of-inventors

In celebration of Women's History Month, the Department of Aerospace Engineering is highlighting some of our talented faculty and alumni through a series of stories and Q&As to share their journeys and their advice for aspiring aerospace engineers.

As an assistant professor in Aerospace Engineering at Maryland, and a member of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center, Chloe Johnson is advancing the future of VTOL aeromechanics through experimental research.

Her work explores aerodynamic interactions in complex rotorcraft systems, utilizing cutting-edge techniques such as PIV and aeroacoustic pressure measurements.

With a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and experience at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Johnson is shaping the next generation of rotorcraft innovation.

Inspired by passionate STEM teachers and the thrill of real-world experimental work, she encourages students to embrace curiosity and explore beyond the classroom. With strong mentors and a supportive community, she has built a career at the forefront of rotorcraft research—now giving back as a professor.

Read more:

Celebrating Women in Aerospace Engineering: Chloe Johnson Assistant professor encourages being curious, creative, and pursuing exploration.

WE'RE HIRING!

The UMD Department of Aerospace Engineering is seeking a Coordinator to support the functions of the department's undergraduate student affairs. These include the management, planning, and coordination of the administrative and programmatic duties of the undergraduate office.

In addition to a primary role in advising, this position assists in facilitating ENAE100 The Aerospace Profession I and ENAE200 The Aerospace Profession II. Advising includes meeting with students to discuss curriculum issues, program requirements, and university regulations, along with monitoring students' academic progress, helping students assess academic plans relating to career goals, and referring students to appropriate university resources.

The Coordinator communicates frequently with prospective, incoming, and current undergraduate students. The Undergraduate Programs Coordinator manages the department's undergraduate students programs in addition to the teaching fellow program and provides supervision for all teaching fellows. This position also serves as a point of contact for communication matters related to undergraduate affairs.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Experience: One (1) year of experience in education or academic affairs. Other: Additional work experience as defined above may be substituted on a year for year basis for up to four (4) years of the required education.
Knowledge of program management and assessment.
Knowledge of and experience in developing and implementing instruction for higher education students
Skill in the use of Microsoft Office products.
Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and laws
Ability to multitask while demonstrating a commitment to customer service and sensitivity to a culturally and ethnically diverse community

Learn more by visiting https://umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UMCP
and search under: JR101193

A Legacy of Flight: Aerospace Engineering Student Follows in Footsteps of Great-Grandmother, Black Female Aviation Pioneer

We're excited to see aerospace engineering undergraduate Toni Paylor, and her inspiring great-grandmother Ida Van Smith, spotlighted in Maryland Today this morning.

https://today.umd.edu/a-legacy-of-flight

A Legacy of Flight Aerospace Engineering Student Follows in Footsteps of Great-Grandmother, Black Female Aviation Pioneer

Congratulations to senior Jeremy (JJ) Kuznetsov!

He was named to the 2025 class of Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties. Established in 2023, the 20 Twenties Program recognizes 20 talented individuals each year who are pursuing STEM degrees and on course to change the face of the aviation, aerospace, and defense industry.

“It is an immense honor to be recognized as one of Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties alongside my 19 incredible peers!” said Kuznetsov. “This award reflects achievements driven by my obsession with tinkering, my love for beautiful mathematics, and my dedication to serving my community, as well as the unwavering support of mentors, peers, and others.”

https://aero.umd.edu/news/story/maryland-engineering-senior-among-aviation-weekrsquos-2025-class-of-20-twenties

Maryland Engineering Senior Among Aviation Week’s 2025 Class of 20 Twenties Aerospace engineering student Jeremy (JJ) Kuznetsov recognized among group of rising young professionals pursuing STEM fields.

Congratulations to aerospace engineering Graduate Research Assistant Maddie Fischer! The European Rotorcraft Forum (ERF) recognized her with their 2024 Gareth Padfield Best Young Author Award.

Her winning research paper, "Characterization of Precision and Accuracy for Combined Visual and Haptic Localization," focused on methods for incorporating multi-sensory cueing mechanisms into aircraft systems to increase safety and performance, with a particular emphasis on rotorcraft operating in degraded visual environments.

Fischer is a second-year master's student in the Mathematical Statistics program, an active member of the U.S. Air Force, and works with Assistant Professor Umberto Saetti, PhD in his Extended Reality Flight Simulation and Control Lab­—part of the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center—where she focuses on human factors related projects that prioritize human characteristics and performance at the center of system design.

Madeline Fischer Wins 2024 European Rotorcraft Forum Padfield Award Graduate research assistant’s winning paper explores methods for multi-sensory cueing to enhance aircraft safety and performance.

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Help make sure all Terps have the resources to continue moving Fearlessly Forward:
go.umd.edu/GivingTuesday2024