The National Academies of Engineering (NAE) this week announced that AE faculty Dr. Mitchell Walker II has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 20th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering (USFOE) symposium.

Walker, an associate professor of aerospace engineering, does research in electric propulsion, plasma physics, and hypersonic aerodynamics/ plasma interaction. Find out more about his work.

Nationwide, just 83 candidates were chosen for the honor, which recognizes exceptional engineering research and technical work among engineers ages 30 to 45. The participants -- from industry, academia, and government -- were nominated by fellow engineers or organizations.

"I'm excited to be participating in the NAE symposium, an event that brings together some of engineering's best minds," said Walker.

"I look forward to collaborating with colleagues from other disciplines, from industry, and from other parts of the country. It will benefit my work as a researcher and a teacher."

Joining  Walker as USFOE participants are two other College of Engineering faculty, Dr. Laurie Garrow and Dr. Kimberly Kurtis, both from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The 2014 USFOE will be held on September 11-13, at the National Academies' Beckman Center in Irvine, Calif., and will cover cutting-edge developments in four areas: next-generation robotics, frontiers in materials for batteries, shale gas and oil, and technologies for the heart.

“The USFOE symposium is the perfect network for these talented, early-career engineers to develop those personal and professional relationships that will shape their work and ultimately impact our world,” said NAE President C. D. Mote, Jr.

Garrow, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering, does research in the area of advanced models of travel demand that integrate discrete choice, econometric, and market research methods to enhance understanding of travel behavior.

Kurtis is a professor in civil and environmental engineering. Her research is on the multi-scale structure and performance of cement-based materials.