Research Awards

Each year, the U.S. Air Force Academy celebrates research accomplishments of faculty and cadets with an awards ceremony. Awards are for research conducted between September 1 of the previous calendar year and August 31 of the current calendar year.

ROBERT F. MCDERMOTT AWARDS

Brig. Gen. Robert F. McDermott was appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower as the first permanent professor at the Academy and later, the first permanent Dean of the Faculty. He laid the groundwork for the creation of the Astronautical Research Laboratory and introduced approximately 30 new academic majors during his tenure. The McDermott Awards recognize faculty excellence in humanities and the social sciences.

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winners

Research Excellence in the Humanities
Dr. John T. Farquhar

Research Excellence in the Social Sciences
Dr. Ryan Burke

Immediate Impact in Research
Dr Thienbao Carpency

Research Excellence in Technology Transfer
Dr. Abby Jennings

THOMAS D. MOORE AWARDS

Presented in honor of Maj. Thomas D. Moore, a former professor of physics and electrical engineering at the Academy, this award celebrates the outstanding work of cadets during the Cadet Summer Research Program.

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winners

Basic Sciences Division: C1C Mikhail Stiffler

Humanities Division: C1C Madelyn Letendre

Social Sciences Division: C1C Gabrielle Wilson

Engineering Division/Overall Winner: C1C Timothy Smith

FRANK J. SEILER AWARDS

Col. Frank Seiler is well remembered for his devotion to increasing the stature of in-house Air Force laboratories and improving career opportunities for young officer scientists. Sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Seiler Awards recognize outstanding researchers conducting basic scientific and engineering research.

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winners

Basic Sciences Division
Lt Col Casey Pellizzari

Engineering Division
Dr. Michael Anderson

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AWARD: OUTSTANDING CADET RESEARCH

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winners

Individual – C1C Philip Golder

Team – Civil Engineering Research Team: C1C Elizabeth Decko, C1C Darcy Farrell, C1C Cole Landes, C1C Alexis Tri

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AWARD: RESEARCH TEAM OF THE YEAR

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winner

Event Based Sensor (EBS) Team:Department of Physics and Meteorology

MARTINSON SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (SoTL) AWARDS

SoTL awards are given to members of the Academy faculty for outstanding educational research focused on cadet learning. Winners’ research has potential impact beyond the course(s) involved in the study, and demonstrates overall excellence and acceptance by other experts in the field.

2022-2023 Academic Year Award Winner

Dr. Paul Bezerra