Honors and Awards
The William F. Ballhaus Prize
The William F. Ballhaus Prize is awarded for an outstanding doctoral dissertation in Aeronautics. Dr. William Ballhaus, received his PhD in Aeronautics in 1947 and he has had a distinguished career in industry which included designing (while still a student!) the A3D at Douglas Aircraft, a stint at Convair, Chief Designer and Vice President of Northrop, and president of Beckman Instruments. We thank Dr. Ballhaus for endowing this prize and enabling the recognition of what is for our PhD students, the culmination of their graduate career and the subject of many late nights and weekends spent, today, hunched over the keyboard of a computer.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Fabien Royer | Pellegrino |
| 2021 | Eric Shen | Pullin |
| 2020 | Ryan McMullen | McKeon |
| 2019 | Cecilia Huerta | Gharib |
| 2019 | Jean Christophe Veilleux | Shepherd |
| 2018 | Marcello Gori | Rosakis / Lapusta |
| 2018 | Maria Sakowski | Pellegrino |
| 2017 | Damian Hirsch | Gharib |
| 2016 | Hayden Burgoyne | Daraio |
| 2015 | N. Bitter | Shepherd |
| 2015 | X. Ning | Pellegrino |
| 2014 | B. Lyon | Gharib |
| 2014 | K. Patterson | Pellegrino |
| 2013 | I. Aria | Gharib |
| 2013 | A. Lopez Ortega | Pullin |
| 2012 | X. Deng | Pellegrino |
| 2012 | M. Inoue | Pullin |
| 2011 | C. Reina Romo | Ortiz |
| 2010 | S. Bane | Shepherd |
| 2010 | D. Kim | Gharib |
| 2009 | D. Chung | Pullin |
| 2008 | I. Bermejo-Moreno | Pullin |
| 2008 | C. Franck | Ravi |
| 2007 | T. Kidd | Ravi |
| 2007 | C. Mouton | Hornung/Pullin |
| 2006 | D. Lieberman | Shepherd |
| 2005 | J. Bergthorson | Dimotakis |
| 2005 | K. Xia | Rosakis |
| 2004 | K. Bobba | Gharib |
| 2003 | A. Lew | Ortiz |
| 2002 | S. Zhuang | Ravi |
| 2001 | P. Guduru | Rosakis |
| 2001 | C. Eckett | Shepherd |
The Charles Babcock Memorial Award
The Charles Babcock Memorial Award is given to the graduate student whose achievements in teaching (or other assistance to students) have made a significant contribution to the Aeronautics program. The award is named in memory of Chuck Babcock, Prof of Aeronautics who passed away in 1987.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Jacqueline Tawney | McKeon |
| 2021 | Miles Chan | McKeon |
| 2021 | Emily Palmer | Dickinson |
| 2020 | Mallory Neet | Austin |
| 2020 | Morgan Hooper | McKeon |
| 2020 | Kai Matsuka | Chung |
| 2020 | Jacqueline Tawney | McKeon |
| 2020 | Salvador Gomez | McKeon |
| 2020 | Ben Barthel | McKeon |
| 2019 | Morgan Hooper | McKeon |
| 2019 | Wesley Yu | Austin |
| 2018 | Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira | Gharib |
| 2018 | Erika Figueroa Schibber | Ortiz |
| 2017 | Maria Sakovsky | Pellegrino |
| 2017 | Maysam Shamai | McKeon |
| 2017 | Mallory Neet | Austin |
| 2016 | Arnold Deffo Nde | Ortiz |
| 2016 | Jonathan Morgan | McKeon |
| 2016 | Vidyasagar Vidyasagar | Kochmann |
| 2015 | I. Gat | Dimotakis |
| 2015 | M. Arya | Pellegrino |
| 2014 | M. Arya | Pellegrino |
| 2014 | H. Duckworth | |
| 2014 | C. Wojnar | Kochmann |
| 2013 | J. Cosse | Gharib |
| 2013 | S. Duvvuri | McKeon |
| 2013 | J. Steeves | Pellegrino |
| 2012 | J. Ameleng | Kochmann |
| 2012 | X. Ning | Pellegrino |
| 2011 | B. Lyon | Gharib |
| 2011 | V. Stolyar | Ravichandran |
| 2010 | J. LeHew | McKeon |
| 2010 | O. Stohlman | Pellegrino |
| 2010 | B. Penmecha | Ravi |
| 2009 | I. Jacobi | McKeon |
| 2009 | C. Kovalchick | Ravi |
| 2009 | E. McDowell | Dabiri |
| 2009 | M. Mello | Rosakis |
| 2008 | A. Capece | Shepherd |
| 2008 | C. Reina Romo | Ortiz |
| 2008 | X. Lu | Rosakis |
| 2007 | L. Trevino | Dabiri |
| 2007 | S. Daly | Bhattacharya & Ravi |
| 2007 | L. Zheng | Ravi |
| 2007 | W. Jackson | Ravi |
| 2006 | X. Lu | Rosakis |
| 2005 | M. Brown | Rosakis |
| 2005 | Y. Kulkarni | Ortiz |
| 2004 | L. Loumes | Gharib |
| 2004 | G. Lykotrafitis | Rosakis |
| 2004 | C-K, Oh | Hall |
| 2003 | J. Bergthorson | Dimotakis |
| 2002 | T. Pottebaum | Gharib |
| 2002 | S. Kumar | Hornung |
| 2002 | L. Gonzalez Linero | Knauss |
| 2002 | M. Johnson | Dimotakis |
| 2001 | M. Rubel | Leonard |
The Rolf D. Buhler Memorial Award in Aeronautics
The Rolf D. Buhler Memorial Award in Aeronautics – Rolf Buhler was 1952 graduate of GALCIT and formerly Professor of Spaceflight at Stuttgart. Awarded to a student in the Aeronautics Master's Program whose academic performance was exemplary and who shows high potential for future achievements at Caltech.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Scott Bollt | McKeon |
| 2021 | Meredith Hooper | Gharib |
| 2020 | Julie Andre | Meiron |
| 2020 | Donner Schoffler | Shepherd |
| 2019 | Salvador Gomez | McKeon |
| 2018 | Emile Oshima | Gharib |
| 2018 | Naijian (Eric) Shen | Pullin |
| 2017 | Benedikt Barthel | Dimotakis |
| 2016 | Thibault Guillet | |
| 2016 | Nicholas White | Troian |
| 2015 | C. Dhandpani | Blanquart |
| 2015 | L. Shaabani Ardali | |
| 2014 | C. Goh | |
| 2013 | R. Carmigniani | |
| 2012 | C. Hennekinne | |
| 2011 | N. Bitter | Shepherd |
| 2010 | L. Djodom Fokuoa | Ortiz |
| 2010 | X. Ning | Pellegrino |
| 2009 | S. Liska | Colonious |
| 2008 | J. L. Bourguignon | McKeon |
| 2007 | D. Kim | Gharib |
| 2007 | C. Reina Romo | Ortiz |
| 2006 | P. Suryanarayana | |
| 2005 | A. Tchieu | Pullin |
| 2004 | R. Kramer | Pullin |
The Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award
The award is given to an EAS graduate student in hydrodynamics who has distinguished himself or herself in research.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Morgane Grivel | Gharib |
| 2018 | Jason Schlup | Blanquart |
| 2017 | Chris Roh | Gharib |
| 2016 | Simon Lapointe | Blanquart |
| 2016 | Jomela Meng | Colonius |
| 2013 | I. Jacobi | McKeon |
The Donald Coles Prize
The Donald Coles Prize is awarded to the graduating Ph.D. student in Aeronautics whose thesis displays the best design of an experiment or the best design for a piece of experimental equipment.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Joel Lawson | Austin |
| 2021 | Akshay Joshi | Ravichandran |
| 2020 | Thibaud Talon | Pellegrino |
| 2019 | David Huynh | McKeon |
| 2019 | Cong Wang | Gharib |
| 2018 | Nathan Martin | Gharib |
| 2017 | Steven Palm | Culick |
| 2016 | Subrahmanyam Duvvuri | Duvvuri |
| 2015 | J. Steeves | Pellegrino |
| 2015 | C. Wojnar | Kochmann |
| 2014 | J. Cosse | Gharib |
| 2013 | I. Jacobi | McKeon |
| 2013 | R. Whittlesey | Dabiri |
| 2012 | M. Mello | Rosakis |
| 2011 | N. Boechler | Daraio |
| 2010 | A. Norman | McKeon |
| 2009 | S. Kramer | Ravi |
| 2007 | Graff | Gharib |
| 2006 | R. Zhang | Ravi |
| 2005 | J. Dabiri | Gharib |
| 2003 | T. Pottebaum | Gharib |
| 2001 | E. Burscu | Ravi |
The Hans G. Hornung Prize
The Hans G. Hornung Prize is given for the best oral PhD defense presentation by a student advised by Aeronautics faculty. The committee to determine the prize winner was made up of current Aeronautics students who attended all the talks in order to make their recommendation.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Antonio Pedivellano | Pellegrino |
| 2020 | Thibaud Talon | Pellegrino |
| 2019 | Jean Christophe Veilleux | Shepherd |
| 2018 | Marcello Gori | Rosakis / Lapusta |
| 2017 | Damian Hirsch | Gharib |
| 2016 | Niccolo Cymbalist | Dimotakis |
| 2015 | B. Savard | Blanquart |
| 2014 | B. Lyon | Gharib |
| 2013 | N. Pahlevan | Gharib |
| 2012 | P. Boettcher | Shepherd |
| 2011 | N. Boechler | Daraio |
| 2010 | J. Karnesky | Shepherd |
| 2009 | S. Kramer | Ravi |
| 2008 | I. Bermejo-Moreno | Pullin |
| 2008 | A. Grosberg | Gharib |
The Kalam Prize for Aerospace Engineering
The Kalam Prize for Aerospace Engineering is awarded to a student in the Aerospace engineering Master’s Program whose academic performance was exemplary and who shows high potential for future achievements at Caltech. This prize was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India, himself an Aerospace Engineer.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Meital Carmi | Pellegrino |
| 2020 | Garima Aggarwal | Meiron |
| 2020 | Jimmy Ragan | Chung |
| 2019 | Padmanabha Prasanna Simha | |
| 2018 | Avinash Chandra | |
| 2017 | Ludovic Gil | |
| 2016 | Abbas Tutcuoglu | Kochmann |
| 2015 | J. Voropaieff | |
| 2014 | A. Chaphalkar | |
| 2013 | M. Delapierre | Pellegrino |
| 2012 | G. Velez | |
| 2011 | S. Duvvuri | McKeon |
| 2011 | D. Zehr | Shepherd |
| 2010 | J. Mendez Granado | Ortiz |
| 2009 | A. Lopez Orgeta | Pullin |
| 2008 | J. Damazo | Shepherd |
The Ernest E. Sechler Memorial Award in Aeronautics
The Ernest E. Sechler Memorial Award in Aeronautics is given to the graduate student who has made the most significant contribution to the GALCIT teaching and research effort this year. The award was established in 1980 to honor Ernie Sechler who was the first graduate of GALCIT and a faculty member for 46 years. Throughout his career, he was a faculty advisor to the graduate students and made many contributions to Aeronautical engineering, particularly in structural mechanics and the utilization of energy resources.
| Year | Winner | Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Simon Toedtli | McKeon |
| 2020 | Michael McConnell | Chung |
| 2020 | Kai Matsuka | Chung |
| 2019 | Joel Lawson | Austin |
| 2019 | Fabien Royer | Pellegrino |
| 2019 | Simon Toedtli | McKeon |
| 2018 | David Huynh | McKeon |
| 2018 | Arnold Deffo Nde | Ortiz |
| 2018 | Yichuan (Ryan) Song | Austin |
| 2018 | Cong Wang | Gharib |
| 2018 | Akshay Sridhar | Pullin |
| 2017 | Ilana Gat | Dimotakis |
| 2017 | Thibaud Talon | Pellegrino |
| 2016 | Neel Nadkarni | Daraio |
| 2015 | N. Cymbalist | Dimotakis |
| 2015 | H. Burgoyne | Daraio |
| 2014 | N. Bitter | Shepherd |
| 2014 | J. Steeves | Pellegrino |
| 2013 | N. Parziale | Shepherd |
| 2013 | J. Rabinovich | Blanquart |
| 2012 | P. Mehrotra | Dimotakis |
| 2012 | K. Patterson | Pellegrino |
| 2011 | J. Damazo | Shepherd |
| 2010 | P. Boettcher | Shepherd |
| 2010 | J. Mihaly | Rosakis |
| 2009 | L. Lamberson | Rosakis |
| 2009 | N. Boechler | Daraio |
| 2009 | J. Rimoli | Ortiz |
| 2008 | A. Grosberg | Gharib |
| 2008 | M. Mello | Rosakis |
| 2008 | M. Munson | Gharib |
| 2007 | S. Kramer | Ravi |
| 2006 | C. Franck | Ravi |
| 2005 | R. Zhang | Ravi |
| 2004 | T. Kidd | Ravi |
| 2003 | M. Rubel | Leonard |
| 2002 | D. Anderson | Rosakis |
| 2001 | D. Coker | Rosakis |