Dr. Darren Hartl has been named assistant director of the Aerospace Vehicle Systems Institute (AVSI) in the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), AVSI Director David Redman has announced.
Hartl (pictured on the left) is a TEES research assistant professor in the Aerospace Engineering Division and in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University. He is also director of operations for the TEES Texas Institute for Intelligent Materials and Structures (TiiMS).
Hartl received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M in 2009 and has more than 10 years of experience working with shape memory alloys (SMAs) and morphing structures. His efforts have included both experimental and theoretical studies, and he has worked collaboratively with both public and private sponsors. Hartl has been co-author on three textbook chapters, eight refereed journal publications and nearly 30 conference proceedings, and won numerous best paper prizes for his work on the analysis of SMA components and structures.
Hartl took the reins from Dr. Fred Fisher who has been with AVSI in a variety of roles since the institute was formed in 1999. Fisher was tasked with assisting the inaugural AVSI director, David Lund, with the first AVSI project, which focused on virtual private networks. Fisher remained an integral part of AVSI until Lund’s departure in 2006. Fisher was named interim director and remained in that capacity until June 2008 when the current director was hired, at which time Fisher was appointed assistant director.
Redman said he recognized the valuable contributions that Fisher made in service to the institute.
"Fred stepped up and maintained AVSI as a vital Institute that continued to serve the needs of its aerospace industry members, to the benefit of TEES and Texas A&M University. During his tenure as interim director,Fred launched one of several AVSI projects that have been contracted to Texas A&M researchers."
Redman added that AVSI will miss Fisher’s experience and relationships with industry, and that Hartl’s talents will help fill the gap and bring new potential to AVSI.
TEES is an engineering research agency of the State of Texas and a member of The Texas A&M University System.