Jump to content

Ames’ Own: Wayne R. Johnson Elected to the 2025 National Academy of Engineering Class


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted
Wayne Johnson
Wayne Johnson, who in 2012 earned the highest rank of Fellow at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California, is known worldwide as an expert in rotary wing technology. He was among those who provided help in testing Ingenuity, NASA’s Mars helicopter.
NASA / Eric James

NASA Ames’ Wayne Johnson Elected to 2025 Class of New Members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)

Dr. Wayne R. Johnson, aerospace engineer at Ames Research Center, will be inducted as a new member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE), class of 2025, on October 5, 2025, for his 45+ years of contributions to rotorcraft analysis, tiltrotor aircraft development, emerging electric aircraft, and the Mars Helicopter development. NAE members are among the world’s most accomplished engineers from business, academia, and government and are elected by their peers. The full announcement was released to the press on February 11, 2025 from NAE and is at

https://www.nae.edu/19579/31222/20095/327741/331605/NAENewClass2025

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      As an IT security administrator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Mechele Elliott protects the information systems that support astronaut health and mission readiness.

      The encouragement of a family friend set her on this path, leading to a rewarding and somewhat unexpected career in human spaceflight.

      Mechele Elliott stands in front of a space shuttle cockpit mockup in the lobby of the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Image courtesy of Mechele Elliott “While I was caring for my son during his cancer treatment—living in the hospital with him and supporting his recovery at home—a family friend who worked at NASA took notice,” Elliott said. “She quietly observed my strength, organization, and unwavering dedication to my son. One day she called and said, ‘Get your resume together.’”

      Elliott doubted she was qualified for a position at NASA, though the friend was certain she could learn and handle anything after caring for her son. “Her belief in me gave me the courage to take that first step—and it changed the course of my life.”

      The friend’s endorsement helped her land the position. Elliott was nervous at first, since she did not know much about NASA’s operations and had limited prior experience. With time and training, she grew more certain of the value she brought to the team.

      “Reflecting on the numerous personal challenges I have encountered has reinforced my confidence in my ability to overcome obstacles while maintaining a positive outlook throughout my journey,” she said. “I am proud to have successfully adapted and become a productive member of my team.” In her role today, Elliott safeguards NASA’s information systems. She develops, implements, and maintains security policies, procedures, and systems in the Human Health and Performance Directorate, ensuring compliance with federal and NASA-specific security standards. Her work includes managing access control protocols and responding  to security incidents.

      Mechele Elliott in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Image courtesy of Mechele Elliott One of her most challenging tasks involved assessing, revitalizing, and implementing four outdated security plans through collaboration with a diverse team. “We successfully aligned the security plans with established standards and garnered commendations from NASA leadership,” she said.

      Outside of work, Elliott enjoys several hobbies that help her relax and maintain balance. She began painting at a young age and continues to find calm through her art. She is an avid gardener, in spite of the Houston summer heat, and feels fulfilled by the beauty of her flowers and sharing homegrown fruits and vegetables with her friends and family. She has also earned a reputation as an excellent baker. “I enjoy making cheesecakes for workplace celebrations and I’ve discovered that many of my coworkers enjoy this hobby of mine, as well!”

      Elliott is profoundly grateful for the opportunity to serve at NASA for over 25 years. Looking ahead to the agency’s future, she offers an important piece of advice to up-and-coming team members. “Remain authentic to yourselves, pursue your aspirations with determination, and uphold a commitment to excellence in all your endeavors.”
      Explore More
      7 min read Life After Microgravity: Astronauts Reflect on Post-Flight Recovery 
      Article 5 days ago 3 min read Jeni Morrison Continues a Family Legacy of Service at NASA 
      Article 7 days ago 3 min read NASA Seeks Industry Input on Next Phase of Commercial Space Stations
      Article 1 week ago View the full article
    • By NASA
      Credit: NASA NASA has selected Troy Sierra JV, LLC of Huntsville, Alabama, to provide engineering, research, and scientific support at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.  
      The Test Facility Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering Services III contract is a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum potential value of approximately $388.3 million. The performance period begins Jan. 1, 2026, with a three-year base period followed by a two-year option, and a potential six-month extension through June 2031.
      This contract will provide and manage the engineering, technical, manufacturing, development, operations, maintenance, inspection, and certification support services needed to conduct aerospace testing in NASA Glenn’s facilities and laboratories.
      For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:
      https://www.nasa.gov
      -end-
      Tiernan Doyle
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
      Jan Wittry
      Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
      216-433-5466
      jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 12, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      Glenn Research Center View the full article
    • By European Space Agency
      Week in images: 08-12 September 2025
      Discover our week through the lens
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      NSTGRO Homepage
      Andrew Arends
      University of California, Davis
      Astronaut-Powered Laundry Machine
      Allan Attia
      Stanford University
      Computational Modeling of Lithium Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster for Nuclear Electric Propulsion
      Michael Auth
      University of California, Santa Barbara
      Non-Contact, Real-Time Diagnostics of Battery Aging in 18650 Cells During the Lunar Night Using Acoustic Spectroscopy
      Nicholas Brennan
      Cornell University
      Spin Wave-Based Neuromorphic Coprocessor for Advanced AI Applications
      John Carter
      Purdue University
      Spectroscopic Measurements and Kinetic Modeling of Non-Boltzmann CN for Entry Systems Modeling
      Thomas Clark
      University of Colorado, Boulder
      Data-Driven Representations of Trajectories in Cislunar Space
      Nicholas Cmkovich
      University of Wisconsin-Madison
      Development of Radiation Tolerant Additively Manufactured Refractory Compositionally Complex Alloys
      Kara Hardy
      Michigan Technological University
      Design and Optimization of Cuttlebone-Inspired Cellular Materials Using Turing Systems
      Tyler Heggenes
      Utah State University
      Mitigating Spacecraft Charging Issues Through High-Precision, Temperature-Dependent Measurements of Dynamic Radiation Induced Conductivity
      Joseph Hesse-Withbroe
      University of Colorado, Boulder
      Decreasing Astronaut Radiation Doses with Magnetic Shields
      Niya Hope-Glenn
      Massachusetts Institute of Technology
      Investigating the Selectivity of CO2 Hydrogenation to Ethylene in a Plasma Reactor for Mars ISRU
      Adrianna Hudyma
      University of Minnesota
      Biorthogonal Translation System for Production of Pharmaceuticals During Space Missions
      Tushaar Jain
      Carnegie Mellon University
      Towards On-Demand Planetary Landing Through On-Board Autonomous Mapping and Cross-Modality Map Relative Localization
      Devin Johnson
      Purdue University
      Numerical and Experimental Methodology to Optimize Propellant Injection, Mixing, and Response in Rotating Detonation Engines
      Jack Joshi
      University of Texas at Austin
      State Representations for Measurement Fusion and Uncertainty Propagation in Cislunar Regime
      John Knoll
      William Marsh Rice University
      Dexterous Manipulation via Vision-Intent-Action Models
      Joseph Ligresti
      Purdue University
      Effects of Vacuum Conditions on FORP Reactivity and Long-Term Viability of MON-25/MMH Thrusters
      Alexander Madison
      University of Central Florida
      Hybrid Microwave Sintering of Lunar Regolith with 2.45GHz and 18-28GHz
      Aurelia Moriyama-Gurish
      Yale University
      Investigating Fundamental High Strain Rate Deformation Mechanisms to Bridge the Experiment-Computation Gap and Local Thermal Shock Response in C103
      Sophia Nowak
      University of Wisconsin-Madison
      Pulsed Laser System for Calibration of High Resolution X-ray Microcalorimeters
      Jacob Ortega
      Missouri University of Science and Technology
      Forging the Future Lunar Settlement with In-Situ Aluminum Extraction
      John Riley O’Toole
      University of Michigan
      Laser-Based Measurements of Electron Properties in Hall Effect Thrusters with Non-Conventional Propellants Enabling for Cis-Lunar, Mars, and Deep Space Missions
      Cort Reinarz
      Texas A&M University
      Utilizing Biometrics in Closed-Loop Compression Garment Systems as a Countermeasure for Orthostatic Intolerance
      Erica Sawczynec
      University of Texas at Austin
      A Monolithic Cross-Dispersed Grism for Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
      Ingrid Shan
      California Institute of Technology
      Micro-Architected Metallic Lattices for Lunar Dust Mitigation
      Pascal Spino
      Massachusetts Institute of Technology
      Centimeter-Scale Robots for Accessing Europa’s Benthic Zone
      Benjamin Stern
      Northwestern University, Chicago
      A Near-Field Thermoreflectance Approach for Nanoscale Thermal Mapping on Nanostructured Sige
      Titus Szobody
      William Marsh Rice University
      Leveraging Polymeric Photochemistry in Ionic Liquid-Based Mirror Synthesis for Space Telescope Optics
      Seneca Velling
      California Institute of Technology
      Constraining Weathering Kinetics Under Experimentally Simulated Venus Conditions
      Zhuochen Wang
      Georgia Institute of Technology
      Optimal Covariance Steering on Lie Groups for Precision Powered Descent
      Stanley Wang
      Stanford University
      Compact Robots with Long Reach for Space Exploration and Maintenance Tasks
      Thomas Westenhofer
      University of California, Irvine
      Kinetic Modeling of Carbon Mass Loss in Nuclear Thermal Propulsion
      Andrew Witty
      Purdue University
      Scalable Nanoporous Paints with High Solar Reflectance and Durability in Space Environments
      Jonathan Wrieden
      University of Maryland, College Park
      A Stochastic Model for Predicting Charged Orbital Debris Probability Densities by Utilizing Earth’s Electromagnetic Field to Guide Active Debris Remediation Efforts
      Jasen Zion
      California Institute of Technology
      Large-Format, Fast SNSPD Cameras Benchmarked with Neutral Atom Arrays
      Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Space Technology Mission Directorate
      Space Technology Research Grants
      NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)
      Technology
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated Sep 12, 2025 EditorLoura Hall Related Terms
      Space Technology Research Grants Space Technology Mission Directorate View the full article
    • By NASA
      Ames Science Directorate’s Stars of the Month: September 2025

      The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Taejin Park, Lydia Schweitzer, and Rachel Morgan. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise, and collaborative disposition needed to explore this world and beyond.
      Earth Science Star: Taejin Park
      Taejin Park is a NASA Earth eXchange (NEX) research scientist within the Biospheric Science Branch, for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI). As the Project Scientist for the Wildfire, Ecosystem Resilience, & Risk Assessment (WERK) project, he has exhibited exemplary leadership and teamwork leading to this multi-year study with the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop tracking tools of statewide ecological condition, disturbance, and recovery efforts related to wildfires.
      Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Lydia Schweitzer
      Lydia Schweitzer is a research scientist within the Planetary Systems Branch for the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI) as a member of the Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) team with broad contributions in instrumentation, robotic rovers and lunar exploration. Lydia is recognized for her leadership on a collaborative project to design and build a complex interface unit that is crucial for NSS to communicate with the Japanese Space Agency’s Lunar Polar eXploration rover mission (LUPEX). In addition, she is recognized for her role as an instrument scientist for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) and MoonRanger missions.
      Space Science and Astrobiology Star: Rachel Morgan
      Rachel Morgan is an optical scientist in the Astrophysics Branch for the SETI Institute. As AstroPIC’s lead experimentalist and the driving force behind the recently commissioned photonic testbed at NASA Ames, this month she achieved a record 92 dB on-chip suppression on a single photonic-integrated chip (PIC) output channel. This advances critical coronagraph technology and is a significant milestone relevant to the Habitable Worlds Observatory.
      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...