AIAA Walter Lempert Best Paper Award
We received AIAA email:
The paper entitled “Single-Exposure Field-of-View Extension Using Multiplexed Structured Image Capture” has been selected as the 2019 winner of The Walter R. Lempert Student Paper Award in Diagnostics for Fluid Mechanics, Plasma Physics, and Energy Transfer. The award honors the legacy of the late Walter Lempert and is jointly sponsored by the Aerodynamic Measurement Technology (AMT), Plasmadynamics and Lasers (PDL) and Propellants and Combustion (PC) technical committees. Each TC nominated one paper for the award with the winner selected by a panel of judges evenly chosen from the AMT, PDL and PC membership. Your paper was selected as the winner due to high technical quality and outstanding contribution to innovative advancement of diagnostics for fluid mechanics, plasma physics and energy transfer.
Award Background
Dr. Walter R. Lempert was an outstanding scientist and engineer who had a profound impact on AIAA and the overall scientific community. Within AIAA, Walter served many roles including chair and longtime member of the Aerodynamic Measurement Technology (AMT) technical committee (TC); technical chair responsible for organizing several AIAA sponsored conferences; and, regular reviewer and contributor to AIAA sponsored journals and conference proceedings, including authorship on over 180 AIAA publications. Walter’s research encompassed many areas and had a significant impact on the communities represented by the Aerodynamic Measurement Technology (AMT), Plasmadynamics and Lasers (PDL) and Propellants and Combustion (PC) technical committees. His work mainly focused on the application of atomic and molecular spectroscopy to problems of engineering interest and was inherently interdisciplinary, combining such diverse subjects as nonlinear optics, fluid mechanics, plasma physics, and energy transfer. His research included development of new laser/optical technology, studies of the influence of vibrational non-equilibrium on air plasmas, and application of planar imaging diagnostics to problems in fluid mechanics. Moreover, Walter’s influence on the community extended well beyond his publication record due to his humble, warm and friendly personality that facilitated many fruitful and candid scientific discussions with program managers, colleagues and students.
While Walter’s overall body of work is recognized with this award, it is his outstanding interaction with and mentoring of students that we would like to recognize with “The Walter R. Lempert Student Paper Award in Diagnostics for Fluid Mechanics, Plasma Physics, and Energy Transfer.” This award is sponsored by the AMT (lead sponsor), PDL (co-sponsor) and PC (co-sponsor) technical committees and is awarded on an annual basis to the most outstanding student paper submitted to sessions organized by these TCs at the annual AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (AIAA SciTech). AIAA SciTech is one of the premiere meetings for scientists and students conducting research in the technical areas encompassed by the three TCs and provides excellent opportunities for young researchers, in particular, university students, to present their research. Student presentations of their research also provide an opportunity to interact with students and researchers from other universities, researchers from government laboratories, private industry, and abroad, AIAA Members, Senior Members, Fellows, other technical experts, and other people of distinction. It provides the students with a forum of knowledgeable technical critique, and opens the door for productive social and technical dialogue. Such discussions are the foundation for the development of new ideas, new understanding, and knowledge.
