Sandia National Laboratories announced that two of its employees are set to become associate fellows in the class of 2024 at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The individuals, selected based on their AIAA senior membership, over 12 years of professional experience, and recommendations from three AIAA associate fellows, will be recognized for their contributions to aerospace.
Michael Ross is being acknowledged for his expertise in structural dynamics with a focus on fluid-structure interaction. Over his 15-year tenure at Sandia National Laboratories, Ross has contributed to a diverse range of projects, including satellites, rockets, airplanes, and wind turbines.
"I conduct structural analysis," said Ross. "I figure out what the loads are when we put these objects into space or the atmosphere. Is the structure sound? I figure out what it will take to ensure it remains structurally sound and doesn’t fall apart."
Brian Freno is a principal member of the technical staff at Sandia and specializes in computational physics research. He is being recognized for notable contributions in fluid dynamics, ablation and heat transfer, structural dynamics, electromagnetics, reduced-order modeling, code verification, numerical integration, and machine learning.
"We strive to ensure that simulations are credible," said Freno. "I devise approaches to verify that numerical methods are correctly implemented in physics codes; this is known as code verification. These codes are used to model a variety of physics phenomena and are used to simulate various weapons and other applications."
"This distinguished group of professionals has made significant and lasting contributions to the aerospace profession," said AIAA President and Sandia Deputy Laboratories Director Laura McGill. "They exemplify expertise and dedication to excellence in advancing their specific technical disciplines. They are truly shaping the future of aerospace, and we are proud of their achievements."
