September 21, 2012
Behcet Acikmese will be recognized this year by his alma mater, Purdue University, for his recent work with the Mars Science Laboratory Mission (MSL).
Acikmese, who joined the ASE/EM Department as an assistant professor this fall, has been invited to attend the President’s Council Annual Dinner in celebration of the successful NASA-JPL mission. During the event, he will receive recognition from Purdue President Tim Sands and Dean of Engineering Leah Jamieson. The annual event draws more than 400 people.
A member of the MSL Entry, Descent, Landing (EDL) team, Acikmese was responsible for designing and delivering the GN&C algorithm for the “flyaway” phase of the of the EDL.
“It is a day that I will never forget. Being a part of a team of people who put not only their minds, but also their souls into the success of this project was an amazing experience,” said Acikmese as he described the day Curiosity landed on Mars.
In the invitation letter from the Purdue President’s office, Acikmese was congratulated for his recent success.
“Congratulations from Purdue University on the wonderful recent success of NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission. All of us at Purdue have followed the exciting events very closely and we are proud that Boilermaker engineers are part of the great team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.”
The honorary dinner and program will be held on the evening of Friday, October 5.
