Researcher honored with Presidential Early Career award

  • Published
  • By Holly Jordan
  • Aerospace Systems Directorate
WRIGHT PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  A civilian assigned to the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate recently was named a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Dr. Onome Scott-Emuakpor is the Turbine Engine Integrity Branch technical lead in the development of new life prediction models and the improvement of fatigue and fracture understanding in gas turbine engine components. One of 102 people honored with the award, he developed an energy-based critical fatigue life prediction method that has led to a greater understanding of fatigue problems in gas turbine engines, allowing for increased durability and safety of engine components.

Additionally, Scott-Emuakpor serves as the structural dynamics technical lead for several developmental projects, including the Efficient Small Scale Propulsion program, which is investigating the design of an advanced and affordable small core engine concept for remotely piloted vehicles, and the Supersonic Turbine Engine Long Range program, which is enabling Mach 3+ rapid-response technologies. He has also participated in a number of investigative teams to help solve aircraft operational issues.

Through his pioneering efforts to understand turbine engine fatigue and fracture, as well as his development of new model validation techniques, Scott-Emuakpor is enabling the optimization of advanced engine designs. His research is being directly applied to systems under development and platforms already in use, enabling cost-effective engine components, increasing component life, and improving engine performance and efficiency.

Scott-Emuakpor is a member of numerous technical societies, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the National Society of Black Engineers. He serves as mentor to engineering and non-engineering students, and he is a community volunteer.

While the date is to be determined, Scott-Emuakpor and other recipients will be presented with the award later this year in a Washington, D.C., ceremony.