2024 Aerospace Engineering Centennial Scholarship Award Recipients

Thanks to our generous donors, alumni and supporters of the Michigan Aerospace Department, we are proud to recognize 13 students who will be receiving this year’s Aerospace Engineering Centennial Scholarship Award. This scholarship award was launched in 2015 following the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering Centennial Celebration and is awarded in part by the College of Engineering. 

The Centennial Scholarship grants each student a monetary award toward their tuition for the fall and winter terms, while recognizing outstanding undergraduate students for their academic excellence, leadership qualities, and contribution to the culture of the Aerospace Engineering Department. These students exemplify the hard work and dedication behind our department. We are proud to announce the following students as the recipients of this year’s award:

Armaan Kamat – 

Kamat is going into his second year at U-M and was previously the recipient of the 2024 Tau Beta Pi First Year Student Award. This fall semester, Kamat is working as a Consulting Intern at AeroDynamic Advisory in Ann Arbor, serving as the Aerodynamics Lead for the M-Fly Aero Design team and continuing his involvement in the LATTICE Lab with Professor Max Li. “I am very excited to be back on campus and also very honored to be a recipient of the Centennial Scholarship. To be a part of this Aerospace Department, which has so much history behind it, puts into perspective the importance and evolving nature of the field.”

Nikolas Economos – 

Economos is currently a senior at Michigan Aerospace, minoring in Computer Science and the International Minor for Engineers (IME) at the University, and hopes to apply his degrees in intercultural humanitarian settings. He is currently a peer advisor in the International Programs in Engineering (IPE) office, and previously served as Structures Lead for the Michigan Sustainability Applications for Aerospace Vehicle Engineering (M-SAAVE) student team working on the Humanitarian UAV Mission (HUM). “To me, this award serves as a recognition of the time and energy I put into this incredible community, both in and outside of the classroom. I’m honored to receive it and look forward to the school year ahead!”

James Gold – 

Gold is a fourth year undergrad at the University of Michigan, studying Aerospace Engineering and Double Bass Performance. Additionally, he serves as the Advanced Class Manufacturing Lead for the M-Fly Aero Design team and plans on working with the team to build the MX-10 aircraft for their 2025 SAE competition. “I am truly grateful for this award since it will help me achieve my goals of becoming someone who works in the aerospace industry.” 

Timothy Grove – 

Grove is a sophomore majoring in Aerospace Engineering and is conducting research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). Additionally, he is a member of the MASA Rocketry student team and is in the process of electing to Tau Beta Pi. “I am grateful to be recognized for this scholarship and aim to take this as an opportunity to fuel making an impact with my future career.”

Boden Chell –

Chell is a junior majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Physics. He is a member of the MASA Rocketry team, Sigma Gamma Tau (SGT) Honors Society and the Engineering Honors Program. Chell has recently been working on designing the recovery system for a solid rocket as a part of the X88 course series. “This award is representative of the hard work I’ve been putting in these past years, and is motivation to keep pursuing my passions in aerospace.”

Samuel Opinsky – 

Opinsky is a junior at the University of Michigan and has been actively involved with the MBSE Leadership Lab. Over the past two years, he has worked on the M-SAAVE Wheelchair Accessibility Mission (WAM) as the Chief Engineer, which is now part of the Belcan Modular Mobile Assistant team within the MBSE lab. “Receiving this award is a great honor.”

Teja Koduru – 

Koduru is a sophomore majoring in Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. He has been working as the Autonomous Systems Director on the M-Fly Aero Design team and as the Avionics Project Lead on the MASA Rocketry team. He is also pursuing research under Professor Max Li in the LATTICE Lab. Additionally, Koduru has spent time working on side projects, including making a binary watch, while also applying to internships for the coming 2025 year. “I am honored to receive this award; It is recognition for a lot of long nights spent working on classwork, personal projects or project teams. I’m also really grateful for all the faculty and fellow students who I’ve had the pleasure to work with during my time at U-M. I don’t think I would be where I am now without their constant support and friendship. It’s been a blast, and I hope it doesn’t stop anytime soon.”

Dominik Bodzianowski – 

Bodzianowski is a sophomore at Michigan Aerospace and winner of the first ever Blue Origin Blue Ring competition, alongside a partner from U-M. By winning first place, Bodzianowski had the opportunity to visit Blue Origin’s Rocket Park and launch pad in Cape Canaveral over the summer of 2024. This academic year, he is part of the x88 Blue Origin Payload team, where students are working on developing a payload that’ll be sent into space on the New Shepard rocket. “This award is what bridged the gap between my financial aid and my tuition, and it truly made going to Michigan affordable for me as a sophomore here.”

Haydon Herron – 

Herron is a junior majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Electrical Engineering and has an interest in pursuing sustainability in aerospace propulsion. Through the x88 program, he was a member of the Michigan – Sustainable Aviation with General Electric (M-SAGE) project team, taking part on the Propulsion Subteam as well as being the Manufacturing Lead. “Receiving this award means so much to me because it shows that my hard work in my undergraduate education is paying off. It also helps take some of the stress of getting funding for tuition off of my shoulders which helps alleviate some of the worries that come with college.” 

Diego Karlin – 

Karlin is a junior in Aerospace Engineering and is interested in Models Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) applications in the aerospace industry. Last summer, he worked with Professor of Practice George Halow on streamlining and improving the x88 course series content while also scaling the x88 course series for all Aerospace Engineering students.

Additionally, he is the Program Director for M-SAGE, developing a high aspect ratio-plane with a model-derived flight and engine control law that will be powered by an open fan engine to demonstrate sustainable aerospace design solutions. “This award means a lot since it helps relieve the financial burden and allows me to focus on what I am passionate about, which is aerospace engineering.”

Alexander Kripfgans – 

Kripfgans is a sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering with minors in Mathematics, Electrical Engineering and Jazz Studies. He has a broad interest in space systems/structures and computational modeling. Currently, he is a Structures Project Lead on MASA, the Academic Chair of the SGT Honors Society, a Research Assistant in the Epureanu Research Group where he works on modeling nonlinear dynamics in turbomachinery applications, and finally, a member on the x88 Blue Origin Project Team. “Receiving this award is a great honor and has given me more motivation to accomplish my goals.

Michael Chen – 

Chen is a Junior at the University of Michigan studying Aerospace Engineering with a specific  interest in aerodynamics and aircraft design. He has participated on the M-Fly Aero Design team over the past three years and is the current Advanced Class Chief Engineer on the team, leading the design and manufacture of a blended-wing-body aircraft. Additionally, Chen is an Instructional Aid for AE201, and enjoys helping other students grow their interest in aerospace.

Oliver Van Note –

Van Note is a senior majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Computer Science planning to graduate in May 2025 and pursue his Master’s in Aerospace Engineering. He is an Engineering Honors student working on his Capstone Project through the Multidisciplinary Design Program by designing and manufacturing a hydroelectric turbine. Van Note was the Control Systems Lead in the Pratt & Whitney Electrification Project where they designed and produced a hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion system and interned at Airflow Sciences Corporation last summer. Additionally, he is actively involved in the MASA Rocketry team and is a member of both the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and the SGT Honor Society. In addition to his engineering pursuits, Van Note is a member of the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club which toured in South America for three weeks in 2024. Oliver commented that he is truly grateful for the Aerospace Engineering Centennial Scholarship, which has enabled him to seize these incredible opportunities at the University of Michigan.