TAMU Aerospace

Derek Wu '28 has spent the summer as a research intern at the University of Oxford studying transpiration cooling problems in hypersonic flow. The work he has done includes characterizing flow conditions, designed an experimental setup for current and voltage transducers and analyzing ablation of porous material under extreme heat flux and more.

Experiences like Derek's gives students the chance to explore possible career paths with hands on practice and make unforgettable memories in the process.

Aerospace Graduate student Akku Kumar is changing the future of commercial air travel with his Aggie founded start-up, Arrow Analytics. Using cameras at airline gates, his team is hoping to reduce stress for passengers with carry-on luggage.

They recently went to a national competition where they won $11,000 as one of only two student teams, showing that Aggies are accomplishing amazing things even before graduation.

Read more here: u.tamu.edu/arrowanalytics

Congratulations to Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas who has been named permanent department head of the Texas A&M aerospace engineering department.

He has spent three decades a part of the Aggie community, and his work in both materials science and aerospace engineering is recognized all over the world.

Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering said "His leadership, dedication to excellence and commitment to advancing engineering education and research will continue to leave an enduring impact on our college, industry and aspiring engineers.”

Read more about Dr. Lagoudas and his new role here: u.tamu.edu/newdepartmenthead

All good things must come to an end— even Camp SOAR 2026. Our campers spent the last day perfecting their aerospace engineering projects and demonstrating them to faculty, researchers and camp counselors. We then welcomed their families to campus for a final farewell meeting followed by a lunch to celebrate outstanding campers.

It’s hard to believe that Camp SOAR is already halfway done! Campers have begun working on their aerospace engineering team projects, gaining hands-on skills that will take them beyond this week. They also got to experience the best the department has to offer by taking tours of our world-class labs both on and off campus. The day finished with a presentation from faculty member and NASA astronaut, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar about her training, experiences and subsequent career in aerospace.

Camp SOAR is officially underway after a friendly Aggie welcome from professor Dr. John Valasek and Dr. Darren Hartl, incoming associate department head. Sixty high school rising seniors and juniors from across the country will get to live on campus for six days of hands-on aerospace engineering experiences. Campers got a tour of the Zachary Engineering Education Complex and campus to see everything an education at Texas A&M has to offer. This week is going to offer them a more in depth look at the department and what can be achieved by Aggie engineering on campus and beyond!

Thank you to the Houston Chronicle for documenting the amazing work coming out of the Aerospace Human Systems Laboratory led by Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar using a recently acquired human centrifuge.

Dr. Dunbar said the studies from this lab will help scientists better understand how the human body responds to lower gravity environments in preparation for future space travel.

“We don’t have that data because we haven’t been on the moon for long periods of time and we haven’t had humans on Mars. We want to use those environments to study the changes in the cardiovascular system, for example, and other physiological systems so we can really prepare for those long missions.”

Read the full story here: shorturl.at/zEbK8

Texas A&M Ph.D student Jaybelle Pranada won an outstanding poster presentation award for her research on alternative battery chemistries at the Catalyzing Energy Education and Excellence Symposium at ASU.

Her work in both the Materials Science and Engineering and the Chemical Engineering departments is dedicated to improving energy storage in batteries that need to operate in extreme real-world temperatures. She said these chemistries are vital to ensuring that technology necessary for everyday life still works regardless of the environment.

“There’s a lot more that goes into energy than I initially realized,” Pranada said. “You have to consider everything from policy and safety to reliability, cost and deployment. Seeing how all those pieces connect gave me a broader perspective on how complex energy challenges really are.”

Read more here: u.tamu.edu/studentbattery

After graduating with a bachelor's degree from A&M, Andre Samaraweera decided to become an Aggie twice over and pursue a master's. He has now made history as the first ever Space Engineering graduate from the university, and he hopes to make his instructors and classmates proud.

"I am proud to represent A&M and hopefully prove my worth as the first graduate. I don’t have shoes to fill because I’m the one who has to set the bar, and I intend to set it high."