WASHINGTON, D.C.:
THE UNITED States Department of Transport-ation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected Professor John-Paul Clarke, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, to receive this year's FAA Excellence in Aviation Award.
Professor Clarke, a Jamaican, is recognised globally for his contribution to noise and emissions modeling and simulations.
He has also developed advanced operating procedures to reduce noise and other environmental impacts of aviation.
"As aviation grows to meet demand, we must remain careful to balance increased capacity with sound environmental stewardship," said FAA Administra-tor Marion C. Blakey. "Professor Clarke's work will help aviation grow responsibly."
The FAA uses the competitive Excellence in Aviation Award as one way to promote more innovation and research.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The award is presented yearly to individuals or institutions whose contributions through research in aviation have significantly improved the national airspace system. Through this award, the FAA formally recognises the value of aviation-related research efforts.
Professor Clarke's specific accomplishments include:
Developing a unique three-dimensional noise simulation and design tool that factored in atmospheric conditions;
Creating a new method for noise abatement procedures; forming and leading the research team that designed and flight-tested a noise abatement procedure that reduced community noise; and
Developing a system for assessing global emissions.
Professor Clarke is known for his environmental compatibility work as well as his expertise in air traffic management and the design of airline schedules.
His extensible air network simulation model allows users to study the impact of different airline and air traffic management strategies and tactics.
He has created a model that predicts the market share and revenue potential of global alliances based on an objective metric of schedule convenience.
He is also responsible for the concept of degradable airline scheduling where airlines create itineraries with known reliability. This allows passengers to make their own decisions about the amount of delay they are willing to tolerate, improving customer satisfaction and potentially increasing revenue.
BACKGROUND
Mr. Clarke is an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, where he has taught since 1997. He was born and educated in Jamaica, and earned his S.B (1991), S.M (1992), and Sc.D (1997) at MIT.
Prior to joining the MIT Faculty, Professor Clarke was a visiting scholar at the Boeing Company, and a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Labo-ratory.
Professor Clarke is the son of Jamaicans, Canon the Rev. Dr. Gervais Clarke, an internationally known track and field official, now of Orange, New Jer-sey, and his wife, Dr. Joan Binger Clarke, formerly of the Bustamante Children's Hosp-ital.
Professor Clarke is married to Michelle Wilson.
