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AFIT assistant professor of electrical engineering, Lt. Col. Wayne Henry, Ph.D., and AFIT alumni Capt. Courtney Fleming (M.S. Cyber Operations, 2024) and Capt. John Thebarge (M.S. Cyber Operations, 2023) were recently recognized with the NASA Silver Group Achievement Award for their work in a cross-agency partnership including NASA, USSF, AFRL, and others to develop and assess new technologies to safeguard space systems.  

The prestigious NASA Silver Group Achievement Award certificate is presented to Government and non-Government teams by NASA Center Directors for a stellar achievement that supports one or more of NASA’s Core Values, when it is deemed to be extraordinarily important and appropriate to recognize such achievement timely and on a personal manner.  

“I’m proud to be a part of the team recognized for our accomplishments in improving space system cybersecurity for NASA, the USSF, and other national security partners. This has been the culmination of three years of research and active collaborations with 20+ people and multiple organizations. The effort would not have been successful without the engineering efforts from my students Capt. Thebarge and Capt. Fleming,” Henry said.

Henry earned his M.S. in computer engineering (2011) and his Ph.D. in electrical engineering (2020) from the Air Force Institute of Technology and serves an assistant professor of electrical engineering within AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. Henry also served as Director of AFIT’s Center for Cyberspace Research from 2023 to 2024. His research areas of expertise include space system cybersecurity, computer and network security, computer engineering, cyber operations, and cyber warfare. 

AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management, GSEM provides in-residence and distance learning graduate degrees and certificates in engineering, applied science, mathematics and management. The Graduate School provides its students with several significant advantages, including a more personalized educational experience; academic programs with a defense-related focus; and research on high-priority defense problems. Degree and certificate programs are open to active-duty U.S. military members, DoD/government civilians and contractors, and international allies. For more information, please visit https://www.afit.edu/EN/.