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Posted Friday, September 15, 2006
More than forty scientists, engineers, and management specialists are the recipients of graduate and doctoral degrees from the Air Force Institute of Technology. AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management held its September 2006 graduation ceremony Thursday in the Institute’s Kenney Auditorium. The graduating class was awarded 33 master’s degrees and eight doctorates.
Brig. Gen. Paula G. Thornhill, AFIT Commandant, delivered the commencement address to the 35 graduates who attended the ceremony. The general has a bachelor’s degree in history from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Master of Arts degree in history from Stanford University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in history from Oxford University, England.
To emphasize the importance of advanced education, Gen. Thornhill opened her remarks by posing a couple of question to the graduates. “What is a degree from AFIT?” she asked. “And what does this diploma represent that makes it so valuable?” Her answer: “It is a symbol of the investment of your government, your military, and your service to do something on behalf of your nation. It takes you beyond the ‘academy’ to your country and even around the world to our friends and allies.”
Once Gen. Thornhill offered her final congratulations and passed out diplomas to the master’s students, the ceremony highlighted the dissertations of the seven doctoral students in attendance:
Theory of Effectiveness Measurement, By Maj. Richard K. Bullock, Advisor: Dr. Richard F. Deckro. Effectiveness measures provide military planners and battlefield leaders feedback on the impact of military actions, thereby affecting decisions such as whether or not to maintain existing strategy. Maj. Bullock’s research, sponsored by Headquarters Air Force/A9, Studies & Analyses, Assessments and Lessons Learned, developed a new mathematical framework that provides rules for developing measures to determine military campaign progress. While theoretically-based, Maj. Bullock’s newly developed methods are easy to implement and allow leaders to assess the impact of military actions at precision levels equal to that of the operations being conducted.
A General Framework for Analyzing, Characterizing, and Implementing Spectrally Modulated, Spectrally Encoded Signals, By Maj. Marcus L. Roberts, Advisor: Dr. Michael A. Temple. Maj. Roberts’ research, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory, focused on next generation communication systems that aim to provide both cell phone and internet capabilities in a single hand-held unit. He pioneered the use of spectrally modulated and spectrally encoded signals that now form the basis for integrating these capabilities into the next-generation Global Information Grid. The Global Information Grid will provide military commanders finger tip control of world-wide engagements from a single desktop computer.
Fault and Defect Tolerant Computer Architectures: Reliable Computing with Unreliable Devices, By Maj. George R. Roelke, Advisor: Dr. Rusty O. Baldwin. Future computer systems based upon nanotechnology will be smaller and faster than current systems. However, manufacturing these devices (which are six thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair) creates about one thousand times more defects than current devices. Therefore, fault tolerant designs are essential to obtaining the high reliability required by military weapon systems. Maj. Roelke’s research, sponsored by the Space Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, designed a new nano-scale microprocessor using his novel fault tolerant design model. His results make a significant contribution to the use of these new device technologies which will vastly increase the superiority of DoD computing systems.
Modeling and Estimation of Atmospherically Induced Pointing Error, By Lt. Col. Marcus R. Schulthess, Advisor: Lt. Col. Matthew E. Goda. Atmospheric turbulence degrades the quality of high energy laser beams as they propagate to their targets. Therefore, mitigating turbulence effects is critical to ensuring high energy beams are accurately pointed to the vulnerable spot on a missile. With support of the Airborne Laser Systems Program Office, Lt. Col. Schulthess developed new models that predict laser system operating parameters necessary to reduce the effects of the atmospheric turbulence in delivering laser energy on target aim-points. Lt. Col. Schulthess’ work significantly enhances the Air Force’s capability to increase the range of attack and decrease kill times for directed energy weapon platforms that operate in the atmosphere.
Lightweight In-plane Actuated Deformable Mirrors for Space Telescopes, By Lt. Col. Michael J. Shepherd, Advisor: Dr. Richard G. Cobb. In the emerging field of membrane optics, the heavy glass primary mirror belonging to a space-borne telescope is replaced by a paper-thin reflective film which maintains its precise shape using embedded electronic actuators. Lt. Col. Shepherd, under the sponsorship of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, developed strategies for shaping these mirrors and demonstrated optical quality control on an experimental prototype. His pioneering work may enable scientists to create the next generation of large aperture surveillance and celestial telescopes which will view objects at far greater distances with superior detail.
Fusion of Imaging and Inertial Sensors for Navigation, By Maj. Michael J. Veth, Advisor: Dr. John F. Raquet. Since the advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS), precision navigation has become an important requirement for the modern warfighter. Maj. Veth, with support by the Munitions Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, developed a new image-based navigation theory for use in areas where GPS signals are unavailable; for example, indoors, underground, or underwater. Using this new theory, he developed a prototype image-aided navigation sensor which performed significantly better than current sensors. The results of his research will help expand the Department of Defense's precision navigation capability into mission areas where GPS signals are currently unavailable.
Dynamics and Control of Tethered Satellite Formations for the Purpose of Space-Based Remote Sensing, By Lt. Col. Kurt A. Vogel, Advisor: Dr. Richard G. Cobb. Formidable challenges face engineers in keeping a distributed cluster of satellites in formation while facing the earth during their orbits. Lt. Col. Vogel pursued a unique approach to solve this problem through the use of space tethers. With sponsorship by the National Reconnaissance Office, he defined the unique challenges of using space tethers and characterized the dynamic conditions required by tethered formations over all possible orientations to keep these satellites properly positioned and oriented. Lt. Col. Vogel’s work provides important, new knowledge to program directors and mission engineers on the utility of tethered satellite clusters for the space-based remote sensing mission.
Air Force officers composed the majority of the Class of September 2006; however, the Institute also graduated four Navy officers, two Army officers, and four civilians, along with six international students: three from Greece, and one each from Jordan, Sri Lanka, and the Republic of Korea. Upon graduation, most AFIT students will fill technical positions requiring advanced academic degrees in their respective fields of study from across the Department of Defense.
Congratulations to AFIT’s graduating class of September 2006!
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS (ENC)
Master of Science (Applied Mathematics)
Capt. Jennifer June Samler
Second Lt. David N. Smith *
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING (ENG)
Master of Science (Computer Systems)
Second Lt. Judson Clark Dressler
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Second Lt. Thomas Leighton Kubler
Mr. Christopher Allen Rice
DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING PHYSICS (ENP)
Master of Science (Applied Physics)
Second Lt. Clint Matthew Zeringue *
DEPARTMENT OF OPERATIONAL SCIENCES (ENS)
Master of Logistics Management
Capt. Joseph W. Greenlee (US Army)
Master of Science in Logistics Management
Maj. Efstathios Antoniou (Greece)
DEPARTMENT OF SYSTEMS AND ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT (ENV)
Master of Science (Cost Analysis)
Capt. Nikolaos Gounatidis (Greece)
Master of Science in Information Resource Management
Capt. Edgar Lloyd Myers
DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS (ENY)
Master of Science (Materials Science)
Capt. Jason K. Freels
Master of Science (Space Systems)
Maj. Louis A. Noble
Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering
Capt. Jeevani Indunil Abeygoonewardene (Sri Lanka)
Lt. Col. Mohammad Rajab Almajali (Jordan)
Cmdr. Stephen James Comstock (US Navy)
Second Lt. Christina Marie Falcone *
Capt. Pavlos A. Koutsoukos (Greece)
Second Lt. Daniel J. Marquez-Chisolm
Lt. Jonathan Andrew McEllroy (US Navy)
Lt. Cmdr. David S. Moenter (US Navy)
Ms. Kelly Suzanne Powers
Second Lt. Andrew Thomas Radzicki
Ensign Kasey S. Scheel (US Navy)
Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering
Second Lt. Anna Gunn-Golkin *
Capt. Patrick W. Little
Master of Science in Systems Engineering
Maj. Efstathios Antoniou (Greece)
Maj. Ann Wong-Jiru
Doctor of Philosophy
Maj. Richard K. Bullock
Maj. Marcus Lee Roberts
Maj. George Richard Roelke IV
Lt. Col. Marcus R. Schulthess
Lt. Col. Michael J. Shepherd
Maj. Michael John Veth
Lt. Col. Kurt A. Vogel
IN ABSENTIA
Master of Science (Computer Systems)
Maj. Christopher J. Spinelli *
Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering
Capt. Randel James Gordon
Maj. Hong-Joon Park (Republic of Korea)
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Mr. Eric G. Hansen
Master of Science (Electrical Engineering)
Mr. Michael C. Kobold
Doctor of Philosophy
Lt. Col. Robert E. Burks
* Denotes Distinguished Graduate
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