1/22/2009
Written by
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented a 2008 Excellence in Aviation Research Award to CEE Professor Edwin Herricks in a February 19 ceremony on campus. The award is given for research contributions that have resulted in a significantly safer, more efficient national airspace system. Also honored at the event was CEE student Phillip Donovan, who was named FAA Student of the Year.
"This award is well-deserved recognition of Professor Herricks' impressive contributions to understanding new safety technologies for airports," said David Lange, CEE Associate Head and Director of the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology, a research center headquartered within CEE.
Herricks' area of expertise is ecological engineering. His research analyzes and interprets the influences of humans on ecosystems. A focus is the improvement of engineering design and environmental decision making. He is the lead PI for the Wildlife Safety Program through the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology (CEAT) in support of the FAA, Office of Aviation Research efforts in Airport Wildlife Hazard Abatement.
Herricks heads a research team that is conducting performance assessments of new safety technologies in airport settings. The technologies include avian radars and foreign object debris (FOD) detection systems. The deployment of avian radars to six airports (Seattle-Tacoma, O'Hare International, John F. Kennedy, Dallas-Fort Worth, Vancouver International, and the Naval Air Station at Whidbey Island) both tests radars in airport settings and uses data from these radars to build a prototype national system for wildlife hazard information. The FOD detection systems are deployed and planned for three airports (Providence, R.I., General Edward Lawrence Logan International in Boston, and O'Hare). Radar and electro optical sensors have been installed at these airports and Herricks team conducts performance testing to verify system capabilities. In both programs the research will support the development of requirements and standards for new safety technologies leading eventually to published FAA Advisory Circulars.
The Excellence in Aviation Research Award is the FAA's premier recognition of outstanding contributions of external partners. This designation is a highly competitive, non-monetary award that is presented each year to worthy individuals or institutions conducting research that enhances airport and aircraft safety, improves capacity, andor contributes to the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System. This is the 11th year that the prestigious Excellence in Aviation Research Award has been presented.