Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Lecture: “The Future of Aviation – Sustainably Connecting the World”

About the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Lecture Series:

The Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 2015 through the generosity of Dr. Hassan’s former students and faculty members as a way to honor his staggering impact on NC State’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

In 1962, Dr. Hassan joined North Carolina State University as a full professor and spent 53 years at NC State before beginning his phased retirement in 2015. While at NC State, he was the major adviser to 34 doctoral students, he authored more than 200 publications, and has been recognized with numerous research awards; including the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award in 1987, the Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor in 1991, the NASA Public Service Medal in 1992, the R. J. Reynolds Co. Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Extension in 1993, the AIAA Thermophysics Award in 1999, and the Alexander Holladay Medal For Excellence in 2004 – the highest honor bestowed on a faculty member by the NC State trustees. Dr. Hassan died at the age of 87 in 2019, but through his massive contributions to the field of Aerospace Engineering, and through the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Distinguished Lecture Series, his legacy lives on.

This year, we mourn the loss of former MAE Department Head Dr. Fred R. Dejarnette, who was a dear friend of Dr. Hassan. Those who knew Dr. Dejarnette will share a few words in his honor before the lecture.

Abstract:

In this seminar, Mr. Murphy will briefly look at the past century of flight before turning to the future of aviation and how supersonic flight, sustainable fuels, and other emerging technologies will enable a more connected world. Commercial transportation has largely looked the same since the advent of the jet age, but the aviation industry is entering a period of rapid innovation that has not been seen in decades. Mr. Murphy will then do a deep dive into the challenges and opportunities presented by sustainable aviation fuel and supersonic commercial transportation. He will conclude with how startups are enabling rapid innovation in aviation and Boom Supersonic’s plan to revolutionize flight through production and testing of their supersonic airliner, Overture, in North Carolina.

Click here to watch the seminar livestream on November 11, 2022 at 10 a.m.

Bio:

Ben Murphy combines his passion for supersonic propulsion systems and the environment as the Boom Supersonic Vice President of Sustainability. Prior to this role, Murphy’s career at Boom has been dedicated to propulsion system design, analysis, and testing, with an eye towards sustainability. He led operability and performance testing of the J85 engine used in XB-1, including testing using >50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blends.

Murphy represents Boom on the International Civil Aviation Organization Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (ICAO/CAEP) WG1 and WG3, supporting noise and emission standards. He also serves as the chair for the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) Supersonic Subcommittee, working with the broader industry to identify and promote common sustainability goals. Murphy supports a number of supersonic research efforts including university efforts through the FAA’s Aviation Sustainability Center (ASCENT).

Before joining Boom in 2017, Murphy worked at GE Aviation supporting flight tests and supersonic engine development, including engines used on the F-15, F-16, and new programs.

Murphy holds a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.