Aerospace Engineering News Contact Us About Us University of Illinois University of Illinois
Current News & Events
News

Coverstone, Walenczewski receive Pierce Awards

AE Prof. Victoria H. Coverstone and senior Sylvee Walenczewski have won the 2008 Stanley H. Pierce faculty and undergraduate awards, respectively, from the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Flying the Crowded Skies
AE Grad Student Wins NASA Scholarship to Improve Air Transportation

Our current air transportation system has reached its capacity, says Heather Arneson, a graduate student working under Cedric Langbort, a professor of aerospace engineering and the Coordinated Sciences Laboratory.

More News ››

Events

August 26
Undergraduate New Student Orientation

More Events ››

 
Conway

Bruce A. Conway

Professor

bconway@uiuc.edu		 Return to: Faculty
Office address Mailing Address Research Group
319G Talbot Lab
217-333-4979		 306 Talbot Lab
104 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL  61801		  
Research Areas
Prof. Conway's research interests are primarily: orbital mechanics, optimal control, and improved methods for the numerical solution of problems in optimization. Recent work is in the application of optimal control theory to determine optimal low-thrust trajectories for travel from Earth to Mars, from Earth to the Moon, and from Earth to intercept a dangerous asteroid. Another focus of research is the application of new numerical methods for the solution of "differential games" problems including optimization of fighter vs. fighter air combat. Two Ph.D. students are presently working with Prof. Conway on the development of evolutionary methods (especially genetic algorithms) for the solution of “hybrid” optimal control problems, which arise in space mission planning.

Professor Conway is an associate fellow of the AIAA. He is a member of the AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics), AAS (American Astronautical Society), and AIAA Divisions of Dynamical Astronomy and Division of Planetary Science. Professor Conway has been recognized on the "Incomplete List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students" for 53 courses taught between 1980 and 2007. He has been chosen (by vote of the students) as the "Teacher of the Year" in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

He has a Commercial pilot's license and Instrument Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Instrument Flight Instructor Ratings, as well as more than 2000 hours of flight experience.

Education:

  • Ph.D. Aeronautics & Astronautics, Stanford University, 1981
  • M.S. Mechanics, University of Minnesota, 1974
  • B.A. Physics, Macalester College, 1973

Academic Positions:

  • 1993-present: Professor of Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois
  • 1986-1993: Associate Professor of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois
  • 1980-1986: Assistant Professor of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois
  • Summer 82: Research Scientist, Guidance and Control Systems, Lockheed Corp., Sunnyvale, CA
  • 1979-1980: Visiting Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
  • 1978-1979: Engineer, Ford Aerospace Corporation (now Loral Space Systems), Palo Alto, CA

Major Honors and Awards:

  • Finalist,  UI Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 1990
  • UIUC College of Engineering Rose Award for Teaching Excellence, 2005
  • UIUC College of Engineering Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence, 2006
  • UIUC College of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, 2007
  • UIUC Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, 2007

Selected Publications: 

  • Pontani, M and Conway, B. A., “Optimal Interception of Evasive ICBM Warheads: Numerical Solution of the Differential Game”, accepted by the J. of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 2008.
  • Conway, B. A., Chilan, C. and Wall, B., “Evolutionary Principles for Solution of Hybrid Optimal Control/Mission Planning Problems”, Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy, Vol. 97, No. 2, 73-86, Feb 2007.
  • Horie, K. and Conway, B. A., “Optimal Fighter Pursuit-Evasion Maneuvers Found via Two-Sided Optimization”, J. of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 29, No. 1 105-112, Jan-Feb 2006.
  • Wall, B. J. and Conway, B. A., “Near-Optimal Low-Thrust Earth-Mars Trajectories Found Via a Genetic Algorithm,” J. of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 28, No. 5, 1027-1031, Sept-Oct 2005.
  • Conway, B. A., "Optimal Interception and Deflection of Earth-Approaching Asteroids Using Low-Thrust Electric Propulsion", in Scientific Requirements for Mitigation of Hazardous Comets and Asteroids, pp. 292-312, M.J.S. Belton, T. Morgan and D. K. Yeomans (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  • Horie, K and Conway, B. A., “Genetic Algorithm Pre-Processing for Numerical Solution of Differential Games Problems”, J. of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 27, No. 6, 1075-1078, 2004.
  • Conway, B. A., “Near-Optimal Deflection of Earth Approaching Asteroids”, J. of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 24, No. 5, 1035-1037, 2001.