Boeing Recognizes Engineering Student for Robotics Work

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) today named Rick Cory of Massachusetts Institute of Technology the 2010 Engineering Student of the Year Award winner. The research of Cory, who received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2010, focused on the area of flying robots with the ability to perform a perching maneuver as gracefully as a bird.

Cory successfully conducted the first experimental demonstration of dynamic perching landing with a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle. His work could have impact in the UAV arena, where perching landings are needed to perform surveillance and observation missions.

The award is presented each year by Boeing and Flightglobal, a leading provider of aerospace news and data, to an engineering student whose work is considered most likely to lead to improvements in aerospace systems, capabilities, processes, tools, performance and/or cost. Boeing and Flightglobal made the announcement at the Farnborough Airshow.

"To rise to the top in this global competition is a great tribute to Rick Cory's innovative thinking, technical knowledge and future promise as an engineer," said John Tracy, Boeing chief technology officer and senior vice president of Engineering, Operations & Technology. "We commend him on his research and congratulate him on this honor."

"During my graduate studies at MIT I had the opportunity to work with a number of outstanding people, and this is a proud moment for all of us. Receiving this award from Flightglobal and Boeing, one of the world's leading names in aerospace, is a tremendous honor. I'm really looking forward to meeting Boeing leaders at the Farnborough Airshow, and I'm very excited about the opportunities this recognition will bring," said Cory.

Since 2005, Boeing and Flightglobal sponsored the global Engineering Student of the Year competition in an effort to encourage students to pursue careers in aerospace-related engineering fields. The global competition is open to any full- or part-time engineering student pursuing a recognized degree.

Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. A top U.S. exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 90 countries. Boeing products and tailored services include commercial and military aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and defense systems, launch systems, advanced information and communication systems, and performance-based logistics and training. With corporate offices in Chicago, Boeing employs more than 159,000 people across the United States and in 70 countries. The company's leadership is strengthened further by hundreds of thousands of people who work for Boeing suppliers worldwide.

Boeing Contact:

Maggie Kymn – Boeing Communications

+1 562 797 2019

[email protected]

SOURCE The Boeing Company