01/23/2024
Dr. Michaell Gazarik has been named the Rocky Mountain Educator of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
This section includes Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Alberta Northwest Territories, and Nunavut regions. There are more than 1500 members, and Colorado is the largest per capita in aerospace spending and second in total spending. Prestigious aerospace programs in the AIAA Section include CU University of Colorado Boulder, Metropolitan State, Colorado College, Colorado State University, School of Mines, Air Force Academy, and Fort Lewis.
The criteria for the award include outstanding achievement or service to Aerospace, a member of AIAA in good standing, Scientific Merit, relevance of the contribution, Community Impact, and AIAA Service.
Gazarik began his aerospace career when he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, obtaining his Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Gazarik later served as the Director of Engineering for the NASA Langley Research Center and eventually worked as the Associate Administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate for NASA. He contributed to developing technology with NASA's exploration, space operations, and science missions.
In 2015, Gazarik started at Ball Aerospace as the Technology Director but later became Vice President of Engineering in 2016. As the Vice President of Engineering, he provides overall strategic and operational leadership of engineering, program ex*****on, and technology.
In 2022, He joined the EMP as a guest lecturer and taught the Aerospace Program Management graduate course.
