Sherman Named 2016 Alex Brown Leadership Award Recipient

Aerospace engineering Ph.D. student Stephen Sherman was named the 2016 Alex Brown Leadership Award recipient. Sherman received the award on April 20, 2016 during the Alfred Gessow Memorial Lecture and Luncheon held at the University of Maryland (UMD).

Established in 2011, the Alex Brown Leadership Award honors the memory and achievements of the late Alex Brown, who was a Ph.D. candidate in the Aerospace Engineering program. Well known for his energy and great leadership potential, Brown was optimistic and upbeat, and even under intense pressure, radiated positive feelings that created resonance. He inspired others through courage and hope, and he encouraged others to continue the quest for success and innovation.

Brown’s mother, Dr. Pat Brown, along with Samuel P. Langley Distinguished Professor James Hubbard, Brown’s faculty adviser and award founder, and Department Chair Norman Wereley, were on hand to present the award.

Sherman receiving award

From left to right, Samuel P. Langley Distinguished Professor James Hubbard, Alex Brown’s mother, Dr. Pat Brown, Stephen Sherman and Department Chair Norman Wereley.

“I'm deeply honored and humbled to receive the Alex Brown Award, and I hope I can live up to the leadership and academic qualities embodied in the award,” said Sherman. “Meeting the family of Alex was tremendously moving, and I greatly appreciate their support of the award and the department.”

Sherman earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from UMD, graduating with departmental honors. He currently works with Wereley at the University of Maryland Smart Structures Lab, where his research focuses on simulations of magnetorheological fluids. He has published two papers in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transaction on Magnetics, and received both the University of Maryland Minta Martin Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship honorable mention. Post-graduation, he is interested in pursuing employment in the commercial space flight industry or in a research position.

Sherman is the fourth student to receive the Alex Brown Leadership Award. Past winners include alumni Andrew Becnel (Ph.D. ’14) and current Ph.D. students Elizabeth Weiner and Elena Shrestha.

Published May 10, 2016