December 21, 2012
Professor David Zingg (UTIAS) has been named the 2012 recipient of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) McCurdy Award.
One of CASI’s most prestigious awards, the McCurdy Award is presented for outstanding achievement in the science and creative aspects of engineering relating to aeronautics and space research. The award commemorates the many contributions made by U of T Engineering alumnus John A.D. McCurdy (MechE 1906) during the first stages of the development of an aviation industry in North America. Professor Zingg is the Director of the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) and holds the Canada Research Chair in Computational Aerodynamics and Environmentally Friendly Aircraft Design.
He has made fundamental contributions in algorithms for computational fluid dynamics and aircraft design, as well as aerodynamic shape optimization. In 2004, Professor Zingg was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to pursue his current area of research, the aerodynamic design of novel aircraft configurations with reduced greenhouse emissions. He has championed the need to reduce the impact of aviation on climate change and has built a team at UTIAS to address this urgent priority.
Throughout his career, Professor Zingg has collaborated extensively with Canadian aerospace companies, especially Bombardier Aerospace. Software developed by his research group has been transferred to Bombardier on several occasions, and his software for analysis of high-lift configurations played an important role in the design of the Dash 8 Q400 commuter aircraft. A leader in his professional community, he serves on the board of the Green Aviation Research and Development Network, which brings together government, academic and industrial partners to foster the development of technologies to reduce aircraft noise and emissions.
Professor Zingg is a Fellow of CASI and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 2011, he received an Ontario Professional Engineers Research and Development Medal.
“David Zingg is a groundbreaking researcher and a leader in aerospace education who has served his profession with distinction. He is most deserving of this prestigious recognition,” said U of T Engineering Dean Cristina Amon. “The Faculty is particularly honoured that Professor Zingg should receive an award named after John A.D. McCurdy, one of our most distinguished alumni.”