Four students from the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University have been awarded 2021 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarships. This is the third year in a row that students working in the department’s Advanced Vertical Flight Laboratory have won in all categories.
In the doctoral degree category, Farid Saemi received the Dr. John Zuk Scholarship, which honors the NASA engineer who was a champion of civil tiltrotor technology and applications. Hunter Denton, winner in the master’s degree category, received the Barry J. Baskett Scholarship that honors the memory of a career U.S. Army engineer who led aviation engineering and later managed the aviation technology base program. Melanie Peavy and Joseph Heimerl each won in the bachelor’s degree category. Peavy received the Tom Wood Honorary Scholarship, which recognizes more than 50 years of technical contributions to Bell by Wood. Heimerl received the Michael J. Rutkowski Scholarship that honors the NASA/U.S. Army aeromechanics engineer and leader.
The VFF scholarships were awarded to 27 of the world’s most talented engineering students who are interested in vertical flight. Winners will be recognized in May at the Vertical Flight Society Grand Awards Ceremony.