News

Dr. Denn Receives the 2025 Faculty Award from the St. Louis Chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics  

From a young age, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Michael Denn, PhD, has loved aviation and rocketry. Denn, instructor in the SIUE School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering, has taken his passion for and years of expertise in the aerospace industry and propelled them into an impressive pedagogy that has caused many of his students’ learning to soar. 

A recent accolade for Denn’s persistent and consistent excellent teaching is the 2025 Faculty Award – St. Louis Section from the St. Louis Chapter of the  American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Denn was recognized at the AIAA annual awards banquet on Thursday, May 22 at Orlando’s Events Centers in Maryland Heights, Mo. 

“The Faculty Award recognizes faculty members who has provided outstanding support to an AIAA student branch and individual student members at his/her university or provided outstanding education to his/her students in the aerospace sciences through innovative curriculum or instructional methods,” according to the AIAA St Louis Section news. 

Denn was nominated for the award by one of his students in the recently formed AIAA student branch at SIUE. 

“I was surprised to learn I had received the award. I did not know I had been nominated,” confessed Denn. “Had I known, I would have expected that someone from one of the already established branches would have received the award.” 

Terry Yan, PhD, chair, and professor in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, is thrilled that Denn is receiving the award. 

“I would like to use this opportunity to recognize Mike’s contributions in many aspects,” said Yan. “He is involved with activities in our student Rocket Club, his establishment of SIUE’s AIAA student section, and most importantly, the aerospace related courses he developed and teaches such as aerodynamics, aircraft performance and system engineering.” 

“Aerospace sciences start with Newton and expand from there,” explained Denn. “The forces acting on an airplane or rocket are lift, drag, thrust, weight. Lift and drag are the realm of aerodynamics. Thrust is the realm of propulsion. Weight and mass are a function of the design.” 

“Once these characteristics are known, we can determine the performance characteristics of the aircraft or rocket: acceleration, velocity, range, endurance, climb rate, and so on,” he continued. “Like so many disciplines, students learn about the parts and integrate them to understand the whole.” 

In his teaching, Denn also prefers to use real-world examples from historical and contemporary sources. 

“One interesting aspect of the aerospace field is that seemingly every concept that someone has thought about, someone else has tried to build,” he said. “I like to show both the successes and failures since both contribute to our knowledge. I also encourage students to push beyond what is in the textbooks and class. Classes provide a solid base of knowledge, but do not represent the end state. I encourage students to stretch and apply what they have learned in new ways.” 

Denn also noted the learning and experience students acquire by being part of various aerospace clubs. 

“We have a solid Cougar Rockets organization for students who want to learn more outside of class,” offered Denn. “Then with the high level of interest we have in aerospace-related subjects, it seemed that it was time to establish an SIUE AIAA student branch. AIAA gives students the opportunity to participate in regional events, share knowledge and connect with peers.” 

SIUE applied for a branch membership in November 2024. It was given a provisional charter on January 8, 2025.  

The branch will be reviewed in three years. If it continues to meet the student branch requirements and guidelines, SIUE will be given full AIAA student branch charter status, according to the AIAA. 

Denn added that students did the bulk of the work to form SIUE’s AIAA student branch.  

AIAA Student group activities include: 

• Boeing Polysonic Wind Tunnel Tour: Partnered with the AIAA St. Louis Section to organize an in-person tour of Boeing’s Polysonic Wind Tunnel for University students and faculty. 

• Hosted AIAA St. Louis Section Dinner Meeting: Welcomed the St. Louis Section to SIUE for a monthly dinner meeting. The event featured retired U.S. Air Force Captain Bob Panke as a distinguished speaker, who presented on Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight. 

• SciFest Engineering Expo at the St. Louis Science Center: Participated in a large public outreach event, where the students showcased 3D-printed displays of turbofan and radial engines and educated visitors about aeronautics and Student Branch goals. 

Cougar Rockets activities include: 

• Cougar Rockets competed in the Argonia Cup, a competition focused on designing and launching an efficiency optimized two-stage, high-powered rocket carrying 10 golf balls as payload in the second-stage section, to an altitude of 16,900 feet at a speed of Mach 1. 

• Two members achieved their high-power rocketry certification. 

• Multiple students participated in low and medium power rocket launches. 

Photo: Michael Denn, PhD, instructor in the SIUE School of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering.