UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lyle Long has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aerospace Software Engineering (ASE) Award.
Long, distinguished professor and director of the graduate minor in computational science and undergraduate minor in information systems and technology for aerospace engineering at Penn State, will receive a medal and certificate of citation for the award in January 2017.
The ASE Award commends those who have demonstrated “outstanding technical and/or management contributions to aeronautical or astronautical software engineering.” The award honors Long’s "inspiration, innovation and enormous dedication to modernizing aerospace engineering education and research over several decades.”
“I’m really excited about the award,” said Long. “I’ve been trying to call for change in education for a long time, and it’s really great to see people appreciate that effort.”
Long’s most recent research focus is artificial intelligence, wherein he works to develop aspects of emotion in cognitive robots using mathematical models and the “happiness equation.” Additionally, Long works with very large-scale neural networks, solving neuron equations using massively parallel computers. He incorporates his research into his teaching whenever he can, and he strives to connect future industry and government needs to Penn State’s current education plan.
Modernizing aerospace education to change past and current curriculums has been among Long’s most focused efforts. He has created his own courses at Penn State, including one in advanced programming and another in software engineering, later incorporating each into the curriculum. He also developed both graduate and undergraduate minors. Long expresses gratitude for the award to his colleagues, conveying that their “recognition and support is much appreciated.”
As an AIAA member for 40 years, Long has been involved with both the Computer and Software Technical committees where he helps organize conferences, journals and other academic materials aiding the society. Long also established a new AIAA publication, the Journal of Aerospace Information Systems, which he describes as a “recognition that computers and software are very important areas in aerospace engineering (and all disciplines).”
Long has previously been recognized with multiple awards and honors, including the AIAA Sustained Service Award in 2010, a Lockheed Corporation award for research and development in 1987, the Caltech Moore Distinguished Scholar award in 2007 and the Gordon Bell Prize for fastest computer program in the world in 1993. He has also been inducted as both an AIAA and an American Physical Society Fellow, in 2005 and 2007, respectively.
Long will be honored at a recognition luncheon and reception on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, at the Gaylord Texan Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, in conjunction with the AIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition 2017.