Assistant Professor J. Sean Humbert (aerospace engineering) has won the 2009 Hal Andrews "Young Engineer/Scientist" Award from the National Capital Section of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Humbert is specifically being recognized for his revolutionary contributions to the modeling of micro-air vehicle (MAV) dynamics, insect sensorimotor pathways, and associated bio-inspired sensors, that will enable the next generation of autonomous MAVs.

The Hal Andrews award is presented annually to a local AIAA member who has not reached their 35th birthday as of January 1st for the year of the award. The award recognizes a single significant professional accomplishment or longer-term outstanding career leadership/accomplishment in the technical disciplines of aeronautics and astronautics.

Professor Inderjit Chopra submitted a winning nomination on behalf of Humbert. Humbert and Chopra will be recognized at an awards banquet hosted by The Council of the National Capital Section of the AIAA on June 18, 2009.

Humbert's bio-inspired research was recently featured in the University of Maryland Publication Impact, which showcases research in the scientific disciplines across campus. He is investigating the sensory abilities of fruit flies and hopes to translate their inherent ability to navigate so flexibly to human-engineered, autonomous micro-vehicles.