A Colorado State University graduate student is being honored for his research related to air breathing propulsion by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Ciprian Dumitrache, who is earning a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering, recently received AIAA’s “Gordon C. Oates Air Breathing Propulsion” award, which is given to graduate students and comes with a $1,000 scholarship. The award is open to graduate students conducting research related to combustion or fluid mechanics of air craft engines.

Dumitrache conducts research for Azer Yalin, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Center for Laser Sensing and Diagnostics at the CSU Energy Institute.

Their work focuses primarily on laser plasmas for ignition and combustion. The research program is funded by the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy and includes basic plasma science as well as application of the laser plasmas for ignition of reciprocating engines and turbines.

“This is a prestigious award from the world’s largest society dedicated to the aerospace profession,” Yalin said. “It’s a great honor for Ciprian to be selected because it shows that his efforts are recognized by leaders in the field.”

The AIAA is the leading professional society for aerospace with more than 30,000 members in 88 countries.  The AIAA has participation from academia, industry, and national labs and organizes many of the leading conferences in the aerospace field. According to the society’s website, virtually every milestone in modern American flight (since 1963) has been achieved by a member of AAIA.