Researchers and engineers attending the Thermal and Fluids Analysis Workshop (TFAWS) received appreciation for their work from guest speaker U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria from Virginia’s 2nd District.
Luria, who has a physics degree, served in the U.S. Navy and was trained in the Navy’s nuclear power program, now leads the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, and is Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. The congresswoman commended the attendees for the work and gave an update on her science-related work in Congress.
“Your work has influence on many programs,” she said. “Not just across NASA but other agencies as well, including the Department of Defense.”
TFAWS is an annual training and professional development workshop for the thermal and fluids engineering community including NASA, other federal agencies, industry and academia. This year’s meeting, hosted by NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, marked the 30th anniversary of the conference, celebrating with the theme, “30 Years of TFAWS: Power of the Past, Force of the Future.”
“The theme hits home with me. Here at Langley we’re celebrating our 102nd anniversary this year,” said Langley’s center director Dave Bowles, during his welcome remarks. “What you’re doing here can ripple through many kinds of exploration. This is important work – maintaining and expanding connections to keep innovation coming.”
The workshop was held from Aug. 26-30 at the City Center Marriott, Newport News, Virginia and was sponsored by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) with about 250 attendees from all 10 NASA centers, the U.S. Air Force and Army, the European Space Agency and about a two dozen commercial partners.
Attendees presented their work and heard from a range of technical guest speakers including: Michelle Munk, NASA Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) system capability lead and Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) principal technologist for EDL; Joe Gasbarre, deputy director for flight programs in Langley’s Science Directorate; Jeanne Willoz-Egnor, director of collections management and curator of scientific instruments at the Mariner’s Museum and Park; and the keynote speaker, Dr. Kunio M. Sayanagi, associate professor of planetary science in the department of atmospheric and planetary sciences at Hampton University.