{"427121":{"#nid":"427121","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Former AE Chair Bob Loewy endows new lecture series","body":[{"value":"\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDr. Robert G. Loewy and his wife Lila S. Loewy have established a lectureship in rotorcraft technology at the School of Aerospace Engineering. The couple are seen here in April of 2014 when the School unveiled the former GT-AE chair\u0027s formal portrait.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven in retirement, Dr. Robert Loewy is making a huge impact on the School of Aerospace Engineering. In December, the former GT-AE chair and professor made a generous gift that established the Lila S. and Robert G. Loewy Ph.D. Lectureship in Rotorcraft Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe series will enable GT-AE to bring the top thinkers, innovators, and industry stakeholders to the Atlanta campus to explore the future of rotorcraft technology in a public forum. The inaugural lecture will be held in March, 2015.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve been impressed for a long time with the utility of rotorcraft technology,\u201d said Loewy, a onetime president (and board chairman) of the American Helicopter Society (AHS) who also served as the GT-AE chair from 1993 until 2008.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you think about how rotorcraft are used \u2013 in the military, in emergency rescues, in transportation \u2013 you can see that they are very important to society. But at the same time, most young people are not aware of how complex the technology is.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrent AE Chair, W.R.T. Oakes Professor Vigor Yang applauded his predecessor\u2019s generosity and vision.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe foundation of our School\u2019s greatness derives in no small part from the commitment of great minds, like Bob Loewy,\u201d said Yang.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHe was tireless in his leadership of our School when he was here, and he continues to guide our legacy to new heights now. We are humbled and very grateful for his generosity.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022200\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis photo of the Loewy\u0027s was taken in 2001 during Robert Loewy\u0027s tenure as AE school chair.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELoewy said the time was right for the establishment of an endowed rotorcraft lectureship. New generations of engineers need to identify and meet the challenge of this highly complex field, he said, but they won\u2019t do it if it\u2019s not promoted by a credible source, like Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Aerospace Engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRotorcraft technology is often said to be 40 years behind that of fixed-wing, by experts in both fields, but that can change,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech has had the first and largest and only continually funded Rotorcraft Center of Excellence in the country. It is continually rewarded with new contracts, because it has been aggressively pursuing cutting-edge research. I think there\u2019s a greater potential interest there than at any other U.S. university.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut cut-and-dried practicality is not the only reason behind Loewy\u2019s generosity.\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u201cGeorgia Tech and the School of Aerospace Engineering are close to my heart,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI spent a lot of years working with the faculty and administration there, and I am convinced that it is the right place to make a commitment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the Loewy Lecture series, future faculty, students and staff will be reminded of the previous chair\u0027s commitment to AE via the Loewy Library, a popular study space that was established in 2011 largely through alumni gifts to the School.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EA member of the National Academy of Engineering, Dr. Robert G. Loewy earned his bachelor\u2019s degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his masters at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, he established an extensive career in the aerospace industry with Lockheed-Martin, Calspan and Boeing Helicopters. At the University of Rochester, he served as professor, director of the Space Science Center, and dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he was vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, then institute professor and the founder and director of their Rotorcraft Technology Center. He has served as a consultant to government and industry, as the chief scientist of the US Air Force, and, subsequently as chairman of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, NASA\u2019s Aeronautics Advisory Committee and the FAA Engineering Advisory Board. Among his many professional honors are the Lawrence Sperry Award and both the Guggenheim and Spirit of St. Louis medals.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EInterested in contributing to GT-AE?\u0026nbsp;Contact AE development director,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:farah.kashlan.@coe.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EFarah Kashlan\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dr. Robert Loewy is making a huge impact on the School of Aerospace Engineering."}],"uid":"27456","created_gmt":"2015-07-21 16:22:48","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:12","author":"Britanny Grace","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-01-15T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-01-15T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2082","name":"aerospace engineering"},{"id":"136251","name":"Lila Loewy"},{"id":"2788","name":"Robert Loewy"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["communications@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}