Michael Hays was raised in Tampa, Florida and graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in 2009. He spent the next four years completing his Ph.D. under the guidance of Dr. Billy Oates, specializing in active materials and structures.
Dr. Philip Flater has been employed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate since June 2004. He completed his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in 2003 and his MS degree in 2004. In 2015 he earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida.
Dr. Damion D. Dunlap received BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in 2002, 2004, and 2011 respectively. His dissertation research developed a motion planning and control framework that enabled the solution of motion planning problems through the employment of predictive dynamic system models.
A graduate of St. Petersburg High School, Bruce Morrison began his post-secondary education at Florida State University in the School of Engineering Science. He graduated from FSU in 1970 with his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Dr. E. G. Henneke directed his Thesis, “The Effect of Dislocation Generation Due to An Externally Applied Stress Upon the Propagation of Ultrasonic Elastic Waves in Zinc Single Crystals.”
Thomas Brinson, Ph.D. joined GE in 2010 as Lead Engineer in the Energy Systems and Technologies Team. He started his career as the Integrated Product Team Lead for Modeling and Simulation on the Integrated Vehicle Energy Technology (INVENT) Development Program—a joint GE, Boeing, and Air Force Research Laboratory investment focused on power and thermal management systems for sixth-generation military platforms.
Roger Dale England, Ph.D. currently serves as the Technical Director for Valvoline, Inc. Formerly, he was the Director of Materials Science and Technology for Cummins, Inc., where he led intellectual property, technical quality, metallurgy, chemistry and materials processing.
England holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Florida State University through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering; a MS in metallurgical engineering from University of Cincinnati and a BS in mechanical engineering from Purdue.
Capt. Jason Lloyd entered the Navy in June 1986 as an Electrician’s Mate, was soon selected for the NROTC program and graduated from Florida State University in 1992 with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. His first ship assignment was USS BAINBRIDGE (CGN-25) as the Damage Control Assistant and subsequently as a defueling Shift Engineer.
For more than 20 years Lakiesha Vessel Hawkins has enjoyed a rewarding career both in commercial spaceflight and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Hawkins currently serves NASA as the Chief of Avionics Systems Integration at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In this role, she manages the technical leadership that integrates hardware and software controlling NASA’s next-generation launch vehicle, the Space Launch System (SLS).
Justin Scott is the Site Manager for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems’, Manufacturing Engineering and Tooling at the Saint Augustine Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence (SAAI CoE). He is responsible for leading SAAI CoE in support of several major aircraft production and modification programs. This team of approximately 100 engineers provides build solutions and technical support for over 450 production personnel.
James Finley is an assistant professor at the University of Southern California (USC), in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Neuroscience Graduate Program.
Finley received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Florida A&M University through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in 2004 and his doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in 2010. Following his doctoral training, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.