Boeing, Flightglobal Name MIT's Tweddle Engineering Student of the Year

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doctorate student Brent E. Tweddle, who helped develop a robotic spacecraft research system used...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doctorate student Brent E. Tweddle, who helped develop a robotic spacecraft research system used on the International Space Station, receivedthe 2013 Boeing Engineering Student of the Year Awardfrom Boeing and Flightglobal during a June 18 ceremony at the Paris Air Show.
Tweddle, a Ph.D. candidate in the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Space Systems Laboratory, was recognized for exceptional academic, research, and professional skills, and leadership of a program known as SPHERES VERTIGO.
That program demonstrated new vision-based navigation algorithms that had never before been tested in space. Vision-based navigation is considered to be a critical element of enabling future autonomous servicing, inspection, and in-space assembly missions.
Boeing and Flightglobal have partnered since 2005 for the global Engineering Student of the Year competition.Any full- or part-time engineering student pursuing a recognized degree at the undergraduate or graduate levels can participate. A winner’s work must be likely to impact the future of aerospace engineering in areas including new or enhanced capabilities; systems, processes or tools; new levels of performance; and improved life cycle costs.
The award is one way Boeing supports efforts that encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.