Honors & Awards

From 1990 onward

  1. Elected as a Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for notable contributions in Aerospace Engineering, May 1991
  2. Invited to give a keynote address, “State of the Art on Helicopter Dynamics” at the 20th Anniversary symposium of Agency for Defense Development, Daejeon, Korea in October 1990 (500 attendees)
  3. Invited to give a keynote address, “Design and Analysis Trends of Helicopter Rotor Systems,” at the Third South African Aeronautical Engineering Conference held at Pretoria on August 14-16, 1991 (800 attendees)
  4. Selected as a United States National Delegate to the NATO Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development (AGARD) to give a series of lectures on “Dynamics and Aerodynamics of Helicopters” at ONERA, France on October 1-3, 1991
  5. Awarded UM’s 1992-93 Distinguished Faculty Research Professorship
  6. Awarded Distinguished Alumnae of Indian Institute of Science at the Golden Jubilee Celebration in December 1992 (25 alumnae were recognized spanning over a period of 50 years)
  7. Invited to give Bisplinghoff-Mar-Pian Distinguished Lecture at MIT in March1993
  8. Invited to give one of the Keynote Lectures, “Status of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems,” at the 2rd European Conference on Smart Structures & Materials, Glasgow, UK, October 1994.
  9. Awarded UM’s 1995 Presidential Award for Outstanding Service to the Schools
  10. Best Paper Award: Chen, P. and Chopra, I., “Smart Rotor with Induced-Strain Piezo-Actuation of Rotor Blade Twist,” Second Workshop on Smart Structures, October 1995 (one out of 50 papers).
  11. 1996 AIAA/ASME Best Paper Award: Chen, P. and Chopra, I., “Hover Testing of a Smart Rotor with Induced-Strain Actuation” at AIAA SDM Conference, Salt Lake City, April 1996 (one out of 250 papers).
  12. Invited to give a keynote address, “State-of-Art of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems” at Silver Jubilee Celebration of the Indian Aeronautical Research Development Board at Bangalore, May 1996 (1000 attendees).
  13. Awarded a Technical Fellowship of the American Helicopter Society in June 1996in recognition of outstanding contributions to the goals and objectives of the vertical flight industry (2 to 4 awards per year, 6000 member society).
  14. Awarded a Minta-Martin Research Professorship in January 1997.
  15. Invited to give the keynote lecture at the International Seminar on Futuristic Aircraft Technologies, “Frontiers of Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Research,” AERO 96 Conference in Bangalore, India, December 1996 (1500 attendees).
  16. Invited to give a keynote lecture at the SPIE Far East & Pacific Rim Symposium on Smart Materials, Structures & MEMS, “Status of Smart Structures Technology,” Bangalore, India, December 1996 (1000 attendees).
  17. 1996 AHS Robert L. Lichten Award: Best technical paper presented at a regular meeting by Andreas Bernhard, “Trailing Edge Flap Activated by a Piezo-Induced Bending-Torsion Coupled Beam,” Bernhard and Chopra.
  18. Selected as a member of the Army Science Board in November 1997, Re-appointed in 99 (up to 2002).
  19. Given a Lectureship Award in May 1997 by Japan International Aircraft Development Fund to foster mutual cooperation and discussions in rotorcraft/smart structures disciplines with Japanese industry, academia and federal laboratories. 2 week visits and lectures at Universities (Nagoya, Tokyo), Industries (Mitsubishi, Kawasaki, Fuji) and Federal Laboratories (NAL).
  20. Selected as Alfred Gessow Professor, November, 1998.
  21. Elected as Fellow of the Aeronautical Society of India, October, 1998.
  22. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 15th American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award and New College Entrant Award
  23. Invited to give a Keynote Lecture, “Status of Application of Smart Structures Technology to Rotorcraft Systems,” at the 9th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Cambridge, MA, October 1998 (150 attendees).
  24. Invited to give a keynote lecture “Design Trends in Rotorcraft,” at the AERO INDIA 98: International Seminar on Aerospace Opportunities and Trends, Organized by the Aeronautical Society of India, December 1998 (1000 attendees).
  25. Invited to give a Keynote Lecture, “State-of-Art on Rotorcraft Aeromechanics,” at the 2nd Australian Pacific Vertiflite Conference, Canberra, 16-17 July 1998 (800 attendees).
  26. Invited to give a Special Distinguished Lecture, “Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center: Accomplishments & Current Research,” at the Annual Meeting of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Canberra, Australia, July 19, 1998 (500 attendees).
  27. Invited to give one of the Keynote Lectures, “Update on Smart Structures Technology,” at the 13th US National Congress of Applied Mechanics, Gainesville, FL, June 1998
  28. Invited to give a Series of Lectures on “Helicopter Aeromechanics and Smart Structures” by Nanjing Aeronautics and Astronautics University, China, December1998.
  29. Invited to give a Keynote Lecture, “Status of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems,” at the 10th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Paris, France, October 1999 (200 attendees).
  30. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 16th American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, September 1999.
  31. Gave a Keynote Lecture at the 8th ARO Workshop on Aeroelasticity of Rotorcraft Systems, Penn State University, October 18-20, 1999.
  32. Certificate of Appreciation from the AHS International for contributing to the technical excellence of the Journal of the American Helicopter Society, January 28,2000.
  33. Invited to give Keynote Lecture on “Update on Application of Smart Structures Technology to Rotorcraft Systems,” 11th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies (ICAST), Nagoya, Japan, October 2000 (200 attendees)
  34. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 17th American Helicopter Society/NASA/Sikorsky Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, October 2000.
  35. Invited as a Panel Member for “Improving Rotorcraft Acceptance Through Active Controls Technology,” at the AHS National Specialists’ Meeting, Bridgeport, CT, October 2000.
  36. As a member of a coalition of 10 professional societies (representing one million scientists and engineers), was invited to brief congressmen and their staff on “Crisis in U.S. Aviation Research and Technology” at Capitol (Rayburn House) in October 19,2000.
  37. Awarded Certification of Appreciation for Distinguished Services to ASME at Congress 2000.
  38. Awarded 2001 ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Award, a life-time achievement award in adaptive structures and material systems. As a part of this award, gave an invited lecture, “Review of State-of-Art of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems,” at the 42nd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/ACS/AHS SDM and Adaptive Structures Forum, Seattle, WA, April 2001.
  39. Awarded Vice President (Al Gore) Hammer Award for National Partnership for Reinventing Government as a member of NRTC Team, January 2001.
  40. Awarded the Certificate of Appreciation from The Secretary of Defense (William S. Cohen) in recognition of dedicated and selfless services in support of the United States Armed Forces, as a member of the Army Science Board, January 2001.
  41. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 18th American Helicopter Society/Boeing Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, October 2001.
  42. Invited to give a Distinguished Lecture in the College of Engineering at Penn State, “Technology Update on Smart Structures,” November 2001.
  43. Awarded the 2002 AIAA Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Award: A life-time achievement award for contributions in aerospace structures, structural dynamics and materials. Award was presented at the 43rd AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC SDM Conference held at Denver, CO, April 2002.
  44. Awarded the 2002 A. J. Clark School of Engineering Faculty Outstanding Research Award: given one award annually in recognition of exceptional and influential research accomplishments and contributions.
  45. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 19th American Helicopter Society/Bell Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, August 2002.
  46. Best Paper Award: “Validation and Understanding of UH-60A Vibration Loads in Steady Level Flight”, by A. Datta and I. Chopra, AHS Annual Forum Dynamics Papers, June 2002.
  47. Invited to give 2003 AIAA SDM Lecture: “Micro Hovering Air Vehicle: Challenges and Opportunities” at the 44th AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference in Norfolk, VA on April 7, 2003.
  48. Invited to give a Distinguished Lecture at the University of Minnesota, April 2003
  49. Elected as a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in February 2003 for notable contributions to mechanical sciences and engineering.
  50. Invited to give Second Henry J. Kelley Memorial Lecture at VPI & State University on “Review of State-of-Art of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems” on December 8, 2003 (about 200 attendees).
  51. von Karman Lecture: Israel Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics selected to give the Keynote Lecture at the 44th Israel Conf. on Aerospace Sciences held at Tel Aviv on February 25-26, 2004 (about 500 attendees).
  52. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 20th American Helicopter Society/Sikorsky International Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, August2003
  53. Best Paper Award: “Validation of Structural and Aerodynamic Modeling Using UH-60 Flight Test Data “, by A. Datta and I. Chopra, AHS Annual Forum Dynamics Papers, May 2003.
  54. SPIE Smart Structures & Materials 2004 Lifetime Achievement Award: given in recognition as a visionary research leader, educator, and for service to professional community. Awarded at Plenary Session of the SPIE Smart Materials & Structures Symposium held at San Diego on March 15, 2004.
  55. 2004 SPIE Best Paper Award: “Material Characterization of Galfenol,” by J. Atulsimha, A. Flatau and I. Chopra, SPIE Smart Materials & Structures Symposium, San Diego, CA, March 2004.
  56. Society of American Military Engineers Invited Heritage Lecture: Blue Ridge Post (VA) invited to give a special heritage lecture on “Micro Air Vehicles” on May 26, 2004
  57. Fellow of NIA: National Institute of Aerospace at NASA-Langley selected among member universities a Fellow based on demonstrated leadership in research in aerospace engineering, earth sciences and related fields, May 2004.
  58. Paul E. Hemke Lecture in Aerospace Engineering: RPI invited to give a distinguished lecture on “Micro Hovering Air Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities” in October 2004 (about 250 attendees).
  59. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 21st American Helicopter Society/Agusta International Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, August2004.
  60. As a Faculty Advisor, won the 22nd American Helicopter Society/Sikorsky International Student Design Competition: First Place Graduate Award, August2005
  61. 2005 International Conference on Smart Structures, Bangalore (India), July 28-30,2005, Invited to give the Keynote Lecture on “Review of the Status of Smart Structures and Integrated Systems.”
  62. 1st US-European Micro-Aerial Vehicle Technology Demonstration and Assessment, 19-22 September 2005 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Invited to give one of the Invited Talks on “Development of Hovering MAVs.”
  63. Indo-US Workshop on Micro Air Vehicles, Bangalore (India) August 1-2, 2005,Invited to give the Keynote Lecture on “Integrated MAV Systems: Rotary-Wing and Flapping Wings.”
  64. Best Paper Award: “Prediction of UH-60A Dynamic Stall Loads in High Altitude Level Flight Using CFD/CSD Coupling “, by A. Datta and I. Chopra, AHS Annual Forum Dynamics Papers, May 2005.
  65. As a Faculty Advisor, won the Second Place in the 23rd American Helicopter Society/Bell International Student Design Competition: Graduate Award, August2006.
  66. 2007 NASA Group Achievement Award: for Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Integration Team, For successful assessment of civil heavy-lift rotorcraft transport technologies that promise to revolutionize the national airspace system.
  67. 2007 NASA Group Achievement Award: to NASA/Army UH-60A Airloads Program Team. For enabling, for the first time, the characterizing and understanding of a helicopter’s complex, unsteady, aerodynamic operating environment.
  68. Inder Chopra was invited as a Visiting Scientist/Professor by Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea to give a series of lectures and a short course on rotorcraft technology to research scientists, faculty and graduate students at Konkuk University and KARI, February 24-March 3, 2007.
  69. Inder Chopra is invited to give a Keynote Lecture at the AHS Specialists’ Conference “International Forum on Rotorcraft Multidisciplinary Technology for Dual-Use Applications,” Oct 15-17, 2007 at Seoul, Korea.
  70. Best Paper Award: “Aeroelastic Analysis of Insect-Based Hover-Capable Flapping Wings,” AHS International Specialists’ Meeting on Unmanned Rotorcraft, Chandler, AZ, January 2007.
  71. As a Faculty Advisor, won the Second Place in the 24th American Helicopter Society/Sikorsky International Student Design Competition: Graduate Award, August 2007.
  72. Invited Keynote Lecture: at 1st US-Asian Demonstration and Assessment of Micro Aerial Vehicle and Unmanned Ground Vehicle Technology at Agra (India) on 10-15 March 2008. Presentation: “Rotor-Based Micro Air Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities.”
  73. Invited Keynote Lecture: at International Conference on Aerospace Science and Technology (INCAST) at Bangalore (India) on June 26-28, 2008. Presentation: “Frontiers of Rotorcraft Aeromechanics Research.”
  74. AHS Honorary Fellow Award: Given for career-based leadership and innovation in vertical flight field. Given at 2008 AHS Annual Forum at Montreal, May 2008.
  75. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 25th American Helicopter Society/Eurocopter International Student Design Competition: Graduate Award, August 2008.
  76. Centenary Distinguished Alumni Award: Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, December 2008 (2 awards given to Aerospace Department Alumni during IISc Centenary celebrations).
  77. AHS Alexander A. Klemin Award: Highest AHS Award given for notable achievement in the advancement of rotary wing aeronautics. Award was presented at 65th Annual Forum of the American Helicopter Society on May 28, 2009.
  78. Keynote Lecture: at IISc Centenary International Conference and Exhibition on Aerospace Engineering ICEAE2009, Bangalore, India on May 2009. Title: “Emerging CFD as a Viable Tool to Predict Vibratory Loads in a Helicopter.”
  79. Invited Presentation: Army/DARPA Study on Future of VTOL Aviation on July 2, 2009. Title: “Future of Rotorcraft Technology.”
  80. 2009 AHS Howard Hughes Award: As a member of smart rotor team headed by Boeing (Mesa), won this award for outstanding improvement in fundamental helicopter technology for successfully testing smart rotor in 40×80 ft wind tunnel, Award was presented 65th Annual Forum of the American Helicopter Society on May 28, 2009.
  81. 2010 NASA Group Achievement Award: As a member of Smart Rotor Test Team headed by Boeing (Mesa) was given this award for successfully conducting the first full-scale SMART helicopter rotor wind tunnel test with on-blade, smart material actuators.
  82. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 27th AHS/Industry International Student Design Competition (sponsored by Boeing): Graduate Award, August 2010.
  83. ICAST 2011: Keynote Lecture on Historical Developments and Potential Applications of Smart Structure Technologies at 22nd International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Corfu, Greece, October 2011.
  84. Middle East Technical University: 30th Aero Anniversary Seminar Series, “Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center: Past, Present and Future,” December 16, 2011.
  85. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 28th AHS/Industry International Student Design Competition (sponsored by Sikorsky): Graduate Award, August 2012.
  86. Grand Prize Winner of Lockheed Martin 2012 Innovative the Future Challenge: to Moble Benedict, Vinod Lakashminarayan and Inder Chopra for idea “Revolutionary Vertical Axis Micro Wind Turbine with Dynamic Blade Pitching for Urban Environments.” The Grand Prize consists of $25,000 cash prize and was selected as one of the fifteen finalists from over 500 entries submitted to the Innovate the Future Challenge. Finalists presented their innovative concepts to an executive review board, which selected the winner based on potential impact of the innovation, its creativity, and the quality of its presentation.
  87. Invited as a Panel Member by the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Symposium on “Future of Army Aviation,” at Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor, Maryland on January 10, 2013 to discuss “Rotorcraft Centers of Excellence: Education and Research for National Competitiveness.”
  88. Wang Shicun Award: Received the first-time instituted award at the 2nd Asian/Australian Rotorcraft Forum and the 4th International Basic Research Conference on Rotorcraft Technology at Tianjin, China on September 12, 2013 “for outstanding work in education, research and development of rotorcraft technology.”
  89. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 30th AHS/Industry International Student Design Competition (sponsored by Eurocopter): Graduate Award, August 2013.
  90. Institute of Smart Structures & Systems (ISSS): 7th International Conference on Smart Materials Structures and Systems: Invited to give keynote Lecture on “Historical Developments and Potential Applications of Smart Structure Technologies,” held at IISc, Bangalore, India on July 10, 2014.
  91. 2015 AIAA Adaptive Structure Lecture: Invited to give lecture on “Micro Aerial Vehicles: Challenges and Opportunities,” at AIAA SciTech Conference on January 7, 2015 at Orlando, FL.
  92. Best Paper Award: “Development of a Quad-Rotor Biplane MAV with Enhanced Roll Control Authority in Fixed Wing Mode,” Advanced Vertical Flight Sessions, 71st AHS Annual Forum and Technology Display, May 2015.
  93. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 32nd AHS/Industry International Student Design Competition (sponsored by Boeing): Graduate Award, August 2015.
  94. Asian Rotorcraft Forum Lifetime Achievement Award: for contributions to Helicopter Technology, 4th Asian Rotorcraft Forum held at IISc Bangalore, India, November 2015.
  95. Keynote Lecture at Asian Rotorcraft Forum: Lecture on “Human Powered Helicopter: Pursuit of a Vertical-Flight Milestone” given 4th Asian Rotorcraft Forum held at IISc Bangalore, India, November 2015.
  96. Keynote Lecture at Asian Rotorcraft Forum: Lecture on “Human Powered Helicopter: Pursuit of a Vertical-Flight Milestone” given 4th Asian Rotorcraft Forum held at IISc Bangalore, India, November 2015
  97. Distinguished Seminar at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI): “Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center: Past, Present and Future,” December 17, 2015.
  98. Best Paper Award: “Performance and Loads of a Model Coaxial Rotor Part II: Prediction Validation with Measurements” Dynamics Sessions, 72nd Annual Forum of American Helicopter Society, May 2016.
  99. ASME Spirit of St. Louis Medal: “For seminal contributions to rotorcraft aeromechanics that led to the development of innovative micro aerial vehicles; and for leadership in rotorcraft education and innovative design of human powered helicopters.” Received at ASME Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition, Nov. 2016.
  100. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 33rd Annual AHS International Student Design Competition – Air Launched Unmanned Disaster Relief Delivery Vehicle (sponsored by Bell): Graduate Award, August 2016.
  101. As a Faculty Advisor, won the First Place in the 34th Annual AHS International Student Design Competition – 24 Hour Hovering Machine Conceptual Design (sponsored by Sikorsky): Graduate Award, August 2017

Honors and Awards for Rotorcraft Center:

  1. 1992 AHS Grover E. Bell Award: The US Army Rotorcraft Centers of Excellence Award for making outstanding contributions in the rotary-wing field: University of Maryland (Chopra), Georgia Tech (Schrage) and RPI (Loewy).
    1. AHS Francois Xavier Bagnoud Vertical Flight Award: Since its inception in 1993, seven of Dr. Chopra’s students won this award. This award is given annually by the American Helicopter Society to recognize outstanding contributions to vertical flight technology by a young contributor.
      1994: Ed Smith (Currently, Professor & Director Rotorcraft Center of Excellence at Penn State)
      1996: Michael Torok (Currently, Vice President, Sikorsky Aircraft)
      1998: Farhan Gandhi (Currently, Chaired Professor at RPI)
      1999: Andreas Bernhard (Currently Chief Engineer CH-53K at Sikorsky Aircraft)
      2004: Nikhil Koratkar (Currently Chair Professor at RPI)                                       – 2006: Anubhav Datta (Currently Associate Professor at UM)
      2016: Moble Benedict (Currently Assistant Research Professor Texas A&M)
  2. AHS Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships: American Helicopter Society awards every year competitively 10 to 12 merit-based scholarships to outstanding graduate and undergraduate students internationally. Dr. Chopra has played a key role in the identification and selection of UM students. As a result of this, UM students have won about 50% of total awards during the past eleven years.
    1994: 3 Awards: Milgram, Gandhi, Bagai
    1995: 3 Awards: Jones, Migram, Srinivas
    1996: 3 Awards: Coyne, Jones, Moedersheim
    1997: 2 Awards: Bernhard, Kamath
    1998: 7 Awards: Koratkar, Kiddy, Lee, Linder, Singh, Smith, Snyder
    1999: 6 Awards: Snyder, Bhagwat, Samuel, Tarascio, Rooney, Chehab
    2000: 8 Awards: Chehab, Dimock, Martin, Pereira, Prahlad, Purekar, Samuel, Sirohi
    2001: 5 Awards: Bao, Tarascio, Pereira, Roget, Rosenfeld
    2002: 7 Awards: Couch, DuVall, Gervais, Gopalan, Ribera, Roget, Ruddy
    2003: 7 Awards: Ryan, Berry, Hein, Rosenfeld, Tarascio, Datta, Gervais
    2004: 7 Awards: Ananthan, Bohorquez, Calabro, Couch, Drysdale, Ellison, Schmaus
    2005: 5 Awards: Cook, Calabro, Falls, Hein, Hu
    2006: 3 Awards: Falls, Bury, Rosengeld
    2007: 7 Awards: Keith Allen, Joseph Conroy, Eric Greenwood, Bradley Johnson, Robert Vocke, Ben Wood, Greg Hiemenz
    2008: 7 Awards: Abhishek, Robinson, Bubert, Lee, Bush, Sargent, Sickenberger
    2009: 3 Awards: Syal, Woods, Ahura
    2010: 8 Awards: Boyer, Jones, Jarugunmilli, Vocke, Singh, Mayo, Wilson, Tritchler
    2011: 10 Awards: Shrestha, Symon, Hocking, Bowen-Davies, Weiner, Robinson, Berry, Becnel, Friedman, Sydney
    2012: 6 Awards: Black, Schmaus, Staruk, Rauleder, Vocke, Jarugumilli
    2013: 4 Awards: Karcher, Shrestha, Lind, Singh
    2014: 3 Awards: Mills, Hooi, Staruk                                                                                           2015: 6 Awards: Andrews, Sidle, Trollinger, Schmaus, Shrestha, Weiner
    2016: 3 Awards: Dallas, Draper, Salahudeen                                                                                   2017: 2 Awards: Hermann, Sinotte
  3. 2002 AHS Grover E. Bell Award: The Center was given this prestigious award for its pioneering fundamental contributions in smart structures technologies that had a successful transition into helicopter systems. The award was given at the AHS Annual Forum held at Montreal, Canada, June 2002.
  4. 2011 American Helicopter Museum & Education Center (AHMEC) Achievement Award for Gamera Team for making a significant impact to furthering rotary-wing aviation for its record breaking flights of human-powered helicopter.
  5. 2011-13 National Aeronautics Association (NAA) awarded to four world records in human-powered helicopter flight to the Gamera Team. Current World Endurance Record 97.1 Second by Gamera.
  6. 2012 AHS Igor I. Sikorsky International Trophy:  awarded for achieving a world record on human powered helicopter.