The Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management recognized 25 students with awards earned during their time as master’s students at a ceremony March 21. Awards for faculty members recognized their outstanding support to student success.
AFIT leadership praised the accomplishments of the graduates and emphasized the contemporary challenges they will face as leaders in their field.
“There is so much talk about great power competition and massive Air and Space Force reorganizations and all of that effort will not get us to where we want to be without officers and enlisted who understand technology,” said Dr. Walter Jones, AFIT director and chancellor. “We need people who understand at a deep level technology like hypersonics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. All the things that you have just studied to the point where we can recognize you as the best of the best today.”
Col. Sarah Isbill, Air University Detachment 1 commander and AFIT director of staff offered a challenge to the graduates to reflect on their time at AFIT and how they grew professionally and personally.
“You were picked by your Services because you were the right person to lead into the future,” Isbill said. “There is only a small percentage that get to come to AFIT and you are part of that. You were successful in very difficult programs and now you are leaders in your field. You are ready to contribute to multinational operations. You are more qualified for greater opportunities and promotions. Your Services believe that education enhances your performance and your potential. I am going to challenge you to show that is true. I challenge you to take what you have learned here and inspire others to do, learn and achieve more. Your nation’s future depends on your skills and your leadership.”
Awards Selected by the Students
The Ivan B. Thompson Award recognizes the member of the graduating class who has shown exceptional service to the class, school, community and Air Force. The 2024 winner was Maj. Anthony Brunson (M.S. Computer Science).
Lt. Col. Amy Cox, assistant professor and program chair of systems engineering in the Department of Systems Engineering and Management won the Dr. Leslie M. Norton Teaching Excellence Award. This award is given to a faculty member in honor of commitment and service to the graduating class.
The Beta Chapter of the Sigma Iota Epsilon Professional Management Fraternity awarded the Dr. Anthony D'Angelo Award for Student Leadership to Capt. Carla Cisneros (M.S. Cost Analysis). This award recognizes the Sigma Iota Epsilon student who demonstrated excellent leadership and teamwork.
Dr. Brent Langhals, associate professor of information resource management within the Department of Systems Engineering and Management received the Beta Chapter of the Sigma Iota Epsilon Management Professor of the Year Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of management sciences.
The Ohio Eta Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society, sponsored two awards. The Tau Beta Pi Best Thesis Award recognizes the master’s student whose thesis was judged to make a significant contribution to the engineering community. The 2024 winner was Maj. David Pert (Army) (M.S. Nuclear Engineering).
Association and Society Awards
The Dayton Chapter of the International Society of Logistics (SOLE) sponsored the Jerome G. Peppers Jr., Outstanding Student Award. This award is given to a member of each graduating class whose academic record and research contributions to the field of logistics are judged to be superior. The 2024 winner was Maj. Clay Chaffin (M.S. Logistics and Supply Chain Management).
The Dayton/Miami Valley Chapter of the Project Management Institute sponsored the Dr. Martin D. Martin and Dr. John Adams Thesis Award given to the author of the thesis that best addresses a project management topic and is judged to be an outstanding research effort in terms of its contribution to the project management body of knowledge. The 2024 winner was Capt. Kyle Marquis (M.S. Acquisition and Program Management).
The Dr. James T. Moore Graduate Research Prize, sponsored by the Military Operations Research Society, is named after Dr. Moore who served for 21 years at AFIT as a Professor and head of the Department of Operational Sciences. This award is given to the author of a thesis judged to demonstrate the best application of operations research methodology or theory development to a military problem. Key elements considered for this award include the applicability and impact of the research, the originality and scope of the research effort, and the overall quality of the written presentation. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. Paige Luebbering (M.S. Data Science).
The National Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) Committee Academic Excellence Award is given to the author of a master’s thesis judged to best exemplify research and analysis of a measurement and signature intelligence subject. The MASINT discipline is technically derived intelligence that allows detection, tracking, identification, or signature characterization of fixed or dynamic target sources. The award is sponsored by the MASINT Committee, a technical coordination office within the Defense Intelligence Agency with government representatives from the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. The 2024 winner was Maj. David Pert (Army) (M.S. Nuclear Engineering).
The Alpha Chapter of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) sponsored the ANS Thesis Award. This award is given to the author of a thesis judged to make the most significant contribution to the field of nuclear engineering and physics. Other key criteria for determining the winning thesis include originality, completeness, and level of difficulty. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. Lucas Heaton (M.S. Nuclear Engineering).
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Graduate Student Award for Service Excellence is given in recognition of outstanding service to the aerospace profession in general, and the Dayton-Cincinnati Section of AIAA in specific. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. Joseph Rogers (M.S. Aeronautical Engineering).
The Air Force Historical Foundation’s General Bryce Poe II Award is given to a student or group of students whose thesis contributes to an understanding of the historical factors affecting an Air Force or Department of Defense problem, event, or process. The 2024 winner was 1st Lt. Erica Higginbotham (M.S. Aeronautical Engineering and M.S. Astronautical Engineering).
The Society of American Military Engineers Kittyhawk Chapter sponsored the SAME Award. This award is given to the student in the engineering and environmental management program who demonstrates superior scholarship, outstanding leadership, character, and initiative. The award criterion also considers the student's overall performance and ability to work with faculty and fellow students. The 2024 winner was Capt. Sean McCarty (M.S. Engineering Management).
The Society of American Military Engineers Kittyhawk Chapter sponsored the Office of the Air Force Civil Engineer, George K. Dimitroff Award. This award is presented annually to the author of the thesis judged to have made the most significant contribution to the Air Force civil engineering career field. The 2024 winner was Capt. John Diskin (M.S. Engineering Management). Accepting on Capt. Diskin’s behalf was Col. Shawn Willis, associate dean, Graduate School of Engineering and Management.
The U. S. Cyber Command sponsored the Cyberspace Research Excellence Award given to the student whose master’s level research is judged the best in advancing Air Force capabilities in cyberspace. The 2024 winner was Capt. Courtney Fleming (M.S. Cyber Operations).
The Dayton Section of the Institute of Navigation sponsored the Navigation Research Excellence Award given to the author of a master’s thesis reflecting the most exceptional research contribution to scientific or engineering knowledge in the navigation area. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. Sean Quiterio (M.S. Computer Engineering).
The Greater Dayton Chapter of the International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA), sponsored the ICEAA Thesis Award. This award is presented to the author of the thesis which best qualifies both as an outstanding research effort and as a significant contribution to the development and/or application of cost analysis or cost accounting. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. David Smith (M.S. Cost Analysis).
The International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), presented the SPIE Best Light-Based Thesis Award. This award for excellence in optics and photonics research recognizes the best light-based thesis of a graduating master’s student. The 2024 winner was 2nd Lt. Seth Orson (M.S. Applied Physics).
The Dayton Area Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America, presented the MOAA Outstanding Military Professor Award. MOAA is the nation’s largest veteran’s organization of retired, former, and currently serving uniformed officers. The Outstanding Military Professor Award is given in recognition of the military professor who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service. The 2024 award winner was Lt. Col. Jesse Foster, assistant professor of applied physics and deputy department head in the Department of Engineering Physics.
The Cincinnati-Dayton Chapter of the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences, presented the Dr. George S. Parnell Military and Security Research Award. This award is given to the author of a thesis focused on a military or security problem that is judged to make a meaningful theoretical contribution to the discipline of operations research. The award is sponsored by the Military and Security Society of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. The 2024 award winner was Maj. Ori Chachmo (Israel) (M.S. Operations Research).
International Student Badge and Certificate Recipients
Capt. Nat Thomason, Royal Australian Air Force, was presented the Air University Certificate and Badge on behalf of Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University Commander and President, and the Air University International Officers School.
Capt. Abdulaziz Aljalahma, Royal Bahraini Defense Force, was presented the Air University Certificate and Badge on behalf of Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University Commander and President, and the Air University International Officers School.
Capt. Rodrigo Campos de Moura, Brazilian Air Force, was presented the Air University Certificate and Badge on behalf of Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University Commander and President, and the Air University International Officers School.
Maj. Ori Chachmo and Capt. Moriel Gindi, Israeli Air Force, were presented the Air University Certificate and Badge on behalf of Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University Commander and President, and the Air University International Officers School.
Maj. Saleh Alshuhri, Royal Saudi Air Force, was presented the Air University Certificate and Badge on behalf of Lt. Gen. Andrea Tullos, Air University Commander and President, and the Air University International Officers School.
Graduate School of Engineering and Management Awards
The Lieutenant Colonel Charles P. Brothers, Jr. Outstanding Volunteer Service Award recognizes an AFIT faculty or staff member who has established a record of sustained, significant volunteer service to organizations both on-base and in the local communities. At the time of his death, Lt Col Brothers was serving on the faculty of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. He believed that by donating one’s time and talents to the community, an individual truly demonstrates the qualities of character, integrity, and team spirit. We honor Lt Col Brother’s spirit of service through this award. The 2024 award winner was Mr. Jeffrey Sitler, meteorological technician in the Department of Engineering Physics.
In August 2002, under the leadership of Air Force Secretary James G. Roche, AFIT enrolled its first class of 16 non-commissioned officers into the Graduate School of Engineering and Management, and subsequently created a specific award to honor the top enlisted student. The Secretary James G. Roche Award is presented to the graduating enlisted student who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement through a combination of grade point average and outstanding research, as well as high qualities of character, initiative, leadership and service. The 2024 winner was Staff Sgt. Steven Torres (M.S. Engineering Management).
The Lieutenant Edwin E. Aldrin, Sr. Award is sponsored by the Wright Memorial Chapter of the Air Force Association and is named in honor of Lieutenant Edwin E. Aldrin, Sr.; a member of the institute’s first graduating class of 1920, who upon graduation became AFIT’s first Vice Commandant. This award recognizes the student who has displayed the most exceptional leadership characteristics while in the graduate program. The 2024 award winner was Capt. Carlina Ostrand (M.S. Logistics and Supply Chain Management).
The Louis F. Polk Award is sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association and recognizes the student who has made an advanced contribution in their professional field. The winner of this award has exhibited the highest standards of academic and professional accomplishment, and through their research made a significant contribution toward strengthening the nation’s industrial defense base. The 2024 award winner was Travis Grile (M.S. Astronautical Engineering).
The Mervin E. Gross Award is presented to the graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional academic achievement and high qualities of character, initiative, and leadership while in a master’s graduate program. Named in honor of Brigadier General Mervin E. Gross who, following World War II, was responsible for reorganizing the Air Corps Engineering School as the Air Force Institute of Technology. The 2024 award winner was Maj. David Pert (Army) (M.S. Nuclear Engineering).
The Dean’s Award recognizes the most exceptional master’s thesis by a graduating student within each academic department. Award determination is based on the master’s thesis reflecting the most exceptional contribution to scientific, management, or engineering knowledge. Each individual was competitively selected by their respective academic department.
From the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department – 2nd Lt. Andrew Kauffman (M.S. Aeronautical Engineering).
From the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department – Capt. Moriel Gindi (Israel) (M.S. Electrical Engineering).
From the Engineering Physics Department – Capt. Vivian Hedberg (M.S. Materials Science).
From the Operational Sciences Department – 2nd Lt. Jacob Pike (M.S. Operations Research).
From the Systems Engineering and Management Department – Capt. Bethany Dorian (M.S. Engineering Management).
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From the collection of Dean’s Award recipients, one overall winner is chosen to receive the Chancellor’s Award. The Chancellor’s Award is presented to the graduating student who produced the most exceptional master’s thesis. The 2024 Chancellor’s Award and Russ Prize, sponsored by the AFIT Foundation, went to – 2nd Lt. Andrew Kauffman (M.S. Aeronautical Engineering).
The AFIT Chancellor is authorized to designate no more than 10 percent of each graduating class as Distinguished Graduates. The criteria for identifying DG achievement encompasses academic scores, the “whole person” concept based on professional qualities, and the recommendation of the department heads to ensure the students are deserving of the honor associated with DG. The DGs for the class of 2024 were:
(All photos by Daniel Peterson)
