News Story

Mark Lewis Selected as Recipient of AIAA Dryden Lectureship in Research

Prof. Mark Lewis has been selected as the recipient of the 2014 Dryden Distinguished Lectureship in Research by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Prof. Lewis is a world renowned researcher in the field of hypersonic vehicles and hypersonic aerodynamics and is widely acknowledged as the research leader in hypersonic inlet flows.  His lecture is tentatively titled "Taking the Hype Out of Hypersonics: Research Contributions to Operational High-Speed-Systems.”

For 25 years as a faculty member at the University of Maryland, Prof. Lewis has conducted basic and applied research in, and taught many aspects of hypersonic aerodynamics, advanced propulsion, and space vehicle design and optimization. His work has spanned the aerospace flight spectrum, from the analysis of conventional jet engines to entry into planetary atmospheres at hypervelocity speeds. His research activities have contributed directly to several NASA and Department of Defense programs in the areas of high-speed vehicle and spacecraft design. Lewis was the founder of the Center for Hypersonics Education and Research, and the NASA-Air Force Constellation University Institutes Project at the University of Maryland. During his tenure as the Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force (2004-2008), Dr. Lewis catalyzed the development of several hypersonic research and technology demonstration initiatives.  He was the recipient of the 2004 Meritorious Civilian Service Award (2004), the  Exceptional Civilian Service Award (2004), the Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate (2007) and the IECEC/AIAA Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Lewis also served as AIAA President (2010-2011).  He is a fellow of AIAA, ASME, and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

The Dryden Lectureship in Research, one of the premier "distinguished lectureship" research awards of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was named in honor of Dr. Hugh L. Dryden in 1967, succeeding the Research Award established in 1960. The Lecture emphasizes the great importance of basic research to the advancement in aeronautics and astronautics and is a salute to research scientists and engineers.  The award consists of an engraved medal, certificate of citation, and a rosette pin symbolizing technical excellence presented after the Lecture, which will take place on Monday, January 13, 2014, at 5:30 - 6:30 pm, in conjunction with the AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech 2014), at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland.

Prof. Lewis is currently on leave from the University of Maryland and is serving as the Director of the Science and Technology Policy Institute at the Institute for Defense Analysis in Washington DC.

January 23, 2013