image: University of Miami students after receiving their award, during the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics meeting, in Atlanta, Georgia. From left to right: Daniel Martinez, Dr. John D. Anderson, Curator for Aerodynamics, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland; Nicholas Heinz, Joseph Dussling and Sebastian Aspe. view more
Credit: Courtesy of Joseph Dussling
CORAL GABLES, FL (October 15, 2008)-A group of students from the University of Miami College of Engineering, received a second place award in the 2008 NASA Aeronautics Contest, for their futuristic plane design. The prize was awarded on Wednesday, October 8, at the Fundamental Aeronautics meeting, in Atlanta, Georgia.
The contest was open to any full time student at an accredited college or university, in the US and abroad. The UM team was made up of four undergraduate engineering students. They received a $3,500 award, which is expected to fund further research of their project.
UM team members senior Sebastian Aspe and juniors Joseph Dussling, Nicholas Heinz, and Daniel Martinez, from Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, designed "The 2058 Aircraft: Quiet Ultra-Efficient Integrated Aircraft" (QUEIA) for potential use in 50 years.
"I think that I have gained a lot from this experience," said Dussling, the team captain. "This team accomplished a goal that we didn't think was possible. We placed higher in a NASA design competition than any other UM team before us. We have learned what it takes to design a successful aircraft and look to further our design in the future. We are proud of our accomplishments from this past semester, but we hope to accomplish even more in the coming year," Dussling added
The winning teams were also awarded internship opportunities. The average value of an internship, including housing and travel allowance, was $7,000. UM student, Nicholas Heinz, secured an internship at NASA Langley Research Center.
"So far, working at NASA has been great," said Heinz. "Being able to work on progressive assignments and use real world engineering tools is a great learning experience."
The contest was sponsored by The Fundamental Aeronautics Program of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA Head Quarters, Washington, D.C., as an opportunity to engage students with the NASA Aeronautics Mission and to inspire them to continue with the study of aeronautics related disciplines, said Dennis Bushnell, chief scientist, at NASA Langley Research Center.
"The invention and imagination exhibited in these college proposals was extraordinary and in parts superior to the concepts prevalent in the current professional literature. These entries bode well for the future[s] of Civilian Aeronautics," said Bushnell.
The aircraft conceived by the UM team, gives a glimpse into the future of aerospace. It is a flying wing system, with tightly integrated propulsion-airframe-flow control and engines buried in the rear part of the airframe. It has no moving parts and it is designed with futuristic materials.
QUEIA's cutting-edge technology represents the next generation of airplanes. It reduces fuel consumption, noise pollution, and the takeoff and landing distance, while increasing the safety margin of the aircraft.
"The technology we use in QUEIA breaks through the conventional aerodynamic constraints and achieves revolutionary performance advancement," said College of Engineering Professor and team advisor, Gecheng Zha.
The judging panel was formed by a group of 16 NASA engineers from the four NASA Aeronautics Centers: Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, Glenn Research Center and Langley Research Center.
The first place $5,000 prize went to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the third place $2,000 award went to Ohio State University.
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