Dr. Helen Reed, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been appointed to the endowed Edward “Pete” Aldridge ’60 Professorship in the Dwight Look College of Engineering.
This endowed professorship appointment will be effective April 1, 2014 for a term of three years, with a $10,000 annual stipend, and is in recognition of Dr. Reed’s exceptional record as a researcher and educator.
Dr. Reed joined the Texas A&M faculty in 2004 and served as department head for four years before returning to teaching and research on a full-time basis. Widely regarded as an expert in hypersonics, energy efficient aircraft and small satellite design, Reed has led research projects totaling millions of dollars and is a member of the National Research Council’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board. She has received numerous professional awards and honors, including being a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She received the Atwood Award from American Society for Engineering Education and AIAA, and she was inducted into Academy of Engineering Excellence at Virginia Tech (her alma mater). At Texas A&M, she has been named a 2013 Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence.
With teaching and mentoring students as top priorities, Reed has directed 17 doctoral students, 32 master’s degree students and more than 1,000 undergraduate students during her career.
Over her career, Reed has been lead computationalist in various NASA and Air Force flight and wind-tunnel programs, with applications to high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles, transports, and hypersonic trans-atmospheric vehicles.
Reed also directs the AggieSat Lab Satellite Program, a student satellite program housed within the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The goal of the Lab is to develop and demonstrate modern technologies by using a small-satellite platform, while educating students and enriching the undergraduate experience. The program is a partnership with NASA Johnson Space Center and the University of Texas to promote space engineering education and develop new technologies used in space exploration. Through this program, her students designed, launched and operated Texas A&M’s first satellite in 2009, with another mission planned for this year.
Reed earned an A.B. degree in mathematics from Goucher College, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech.