A team of researchers from the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Flight Guidance will be at the University of North Dakota Tuesday, September 8, for an official visit hosted by the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences (UND Aerospace). The Center is roughly the equivalent of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The six-member team, headed by Institute of Flight Guidance director Dirk Kügler (can also be spelled Kuegler), is visiting UND Aerospace to learn more about the University’s aviation research. According to Kügler, the group is interested in UND’s airport and air traffic control research, its aviation education program and especially in the UND degree in airport management. 

The German space agency also is looking to find some areas of collaboration with UND, according to UND Aerospace Assistant Dean Ken Polovitz.

The main scope of research at the German Aerospace Center is in aviation and space exploration; it also includes other areas such a solar energy, Kügler said.

The main event of the visit will be a presentation by the group at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 8, in Odegard Hall, Room 244. In addition to the main presentation by the German space agency officials, UND Aerospace Dean Bruce Smith and other members of his leadership team will make brief presentations covering various areas of operations and research at the school.

All members of the visiting group are working at the Institute of Flight Guidance; they represent the institute’s departments of operations control, controller assistance, and human factors. In addition to Dirk Kügler, the Institute of Flight Guidance team members visiting UND are Holger Feldhaus, an industrial engineer and concept developer; Yves Günther (also spelled Guenther), an aerospace engineer and researcher; Anne Papenfuss, a media specialist and human factors researcher; Florian Piekert, a computer scientist and software developer; and Meilin Schaper, a computer scientist and researcher.

Contacts:
Ken Polovitz, assistant dean
John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
(701) 777-4935
polovitz@aero.und.edu

Juan Pedraza, Office of University Relations
(701) 777-6571 (office) (701) 740-1321 (cell)
juanpedraza@mail.und.nodak.edu