Two aerospace engineering faculty members are among 24 faculty and staff who have been selected to receive the 2014 Texas A&M University Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Helen Reed was selected for teaching and Dr. Dimitris Lagoudas was selected for research.
Dr. Reed, Regents Professor, Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence, Director of AggieSat Lab Satellite Program and Director of Computational Stability and Transition Group, is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. She 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).
Dr. Lagoudas, associate vice chancellor for engineering research for The Texas A&M University System, senior associate dean for research in the Dwight Look College of Engineering and deputy director of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the director of the Texas Institute for Intelligent Materials and Structures, is a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and the inaugural recipient of the John and Bea Slattery Chair in Aerospace Engineering. He joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1992. He earned a Diploma in mechanical engineering from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Lehigh University. He pursued post-doctoral studies in theoretical and applied physics/mechanics at Cornell University and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. His research involves the design, characterization and modeling of multifunctional material systems at nano, micro and macro levels to bridge the various length scales and functionalities. His research team is one of the most recognized internationally in the area of modeling and characterization of shape memory alloys. He has co-authored about 400 scientific publications. He is a TEES fellow, a University Distinguished Professor, a Texas A&M University Faculty Fellow, an Associate Fellow of AIAA, and a Fellow of ASME, IOP and SES. He is recipient of the SPIE Smart Structure and Materials Lifetime Achievement Award and the ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Prize.