Bridging the Gap Between Modern Advanced Mathematics & Aerospace
Engineering

Justin D. Burch, Research & Development, Odyssey Space Research LLC 

Abstract.
As the demand becomes critical for the rapid development
of aerospace systems and technologies to meet complex missions and
objectives, aerospace programs have become increasingly dependent on
computational simulation at all stages of design, development,
integration, test and verification of complicated multisystem
vehicles.  With long standing standard approaches in engineering
failing to meet the requirements of modeling and simulation of
massively multi-scale, multi-component, nonlinear systems possessing
high (infinite) degrees of freedom, mathematicians will play a growing
and vital role in the future development of these technologies.
Despite the realization of this, at all levels of industry and
customer management, mathematicians still face substantial hurdles in
introducing the results of modern mathematical research into the
engineering processes.  This talk discusses the sources of these
difficulties, and explores approaches to lessen the pain of guiding
engineers and program managers into new problem solving techniques and
paradigms.

Bio: Justin is a mathematician, dynamics and controls
specialist, with experience throughout the aerospace industry,
including work on classified programs with Boeing’s Experimental
Systems Group, NASA’s Constellation Program and the SpaceX COTS
program.  Educated in pure mathematics, Justin offers a unique
perspective into the world of industrial spacecraft engineering.