麻豆影院

Penina Axelrad is a distinguished professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the 麻豆影院.听

Her research focuses on astrodynamics and satellite navigation with a focus on global positioning system technology and applications. She has received several awards throughout her career, including the Women in Aerospace Educator Award in 2016, the Institute of Navigation Samuel Burka Award in 2012, and most notably, induction in the National Academy of Engineering in 2019.

She received her PhD听in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University in 1991 and joined the 麻豆影院 in 1992 as an assistant professor. Since then, she has distinguished herself as a dedicated and skilled researcher, educator and member of the CU and aerospace communities.听

Axelrad found her passion in aerospace from a young age. In a 2015 interview with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Axelrad credited the Apollo moon landings for sparking an interest in aerospace. She described how she and her sister would play, 鈥渢ying pillows on our backs and jumping around like we were walking on the moon.鈥澨�

As her career developed, she describes a major turning point when she worked as an intern at Hughes Space & Comm (now Boeing) in the mid-1980s.

鈥淚 had the opportunity to work with Dr. John Kelly on the idea of using the up-and-coming Global Positioning System to determine the orbit of the Space Station,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his formed the basis for my MS thesis, and this experience later helped me get a graduate research position working with Professor听Brad Parkinson (the father of GPS) at Stanford for my PhD.听Getting involved in GPS research in the mid-1980s gave me a chance to see and be a part of its rapid application to an unbelievably wide range of fascinating problems.鈥澨�

Axelrad credits many of her 鈥渋nspiring and supportive鈥� mentors for setting her on her career path.听

鈥淢y father, a chemistry professor, definitely set me on a path towards science and teaching from the start,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any professors at MIT and Stanford had a great influence on my career through their teaching and creativity. Most notable, of course, is my PhD听advisor, Brad Parkinson, whose guidance helped me to grow as a researcher and whose ongoing support has opened up incredible opportunities for me throughout my career. When I joined the faculty at CU, George Born was instrumental in helping me to get off to a good start and continued to actively support my advancement as a faculty member.鈥�

When it comes to offering her own mentorship to students at CU, Axelrad inspires and advises students to challenge themselves and learn from their mistakes. In the 2015 AIAA interview, she tells students to 鈥渂ecome comfortable with getting things wrong, recognizing your mistakes and moving on to correct them.鈥澨�

She also encourages students to 鈥渓earn as much as you can, as deeply as you can while you are in college 鈥� this prepares you to have success on lots of projects and helps you bring new ideas to solve problems in ways you didn鈥檛 expect.鈥澨�

When asked about the future of engineering at CU 麻豆影院, Axelrad remarked that 鈥淐U 麻豆影院 is truly unique in the breadth and depth of work going on in aerospace. I expect to see this strength continue to expand with advances in science and technology, commercial innovations, human and robotic exploration, and critical national security challenges. I am also really excited about the growth of other interdisciplinary, collaborative themes throughout the campus. I can see that this structure will help CU 麻豆影院 continue to grow as a creative, inclusive听and impactful educational force.鈥�

麻豆影院 the Author

Jane Manalo is a 2017 graduate of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. She currently serves as executive assistant to interim Dean Keith Molenaar and is pursuing a doctor of medicine degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.听