Academics

Aerospace engineering's Palacios named top engineering educator under 40

Jose Palacios has been recognized by ASEE Prism magazine as a top engineering educator under 40, in part for his aircraft-icing research using a Boeing motor with 10-foot-diameter blades. Credit: Cate HansberryAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Jose Palacios, assistant professor of aerospace engineering, is featured in the American Society for Engineering Education's (ASEE) Prism Magazine's "20 Under 40" this month.

The piece recognizes young, dynamic professors who are successful and driven in their field.

Palacios said he was surprised to be recognized. "I didn’t even know about it," he said. "[The magazine] just called me up and said they'd seen some of my work."

He gave credit to his students for getting the word out about his research. "They're the ones who really got the ball rolling," he said.

Palacios received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering from Penn State.

Prior to joining the aerospace engineering faculty in 2013, he spent five years as a post-doctoral researcher at the Penn State Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence with a focus on rotorcraft icing.

In 2008, Palacios took over an old freezer and donated motor in the basement of Hammond Building to construct his Adverse Environment Rotor Test Stand (AERTS).

Palacios works with graduate and undergraduate students in his test facility, which is funded largely by industry and government partnerships.

The AERTS was hand-constructed by Palacios and his students to accommodate research on rotorcraft icing physics, engine icing, de-icing systems and ice protective coatings.

The upcoming addition of an ice crystal wind tunnel will further the testing capabilities of the facility.

According to Mark Matthews, editorial director for the ASEE, the 20 Under 40 piece was designed to describe the range of talent and breadth of interests among Palacios' generation of engineering educators. "The main criteria were that each had to be successful, interesting and distinctive," Matthews said via email. "We also looked for diversity; for instance, in geography and type of institution."

The ASEE Prism magazine is read by key decision makers within engineering education and reaches engineering faculty members, administrators and students in all disciplines of engineering.

Last Updated January 9, 2015