Title:

Structures and Materials: Enablers of Continued Innovation in Aerospace

Speaker:

Mr. John Tracy

Affiliation:

Chief Technology Officer, The Boeing Company, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Operations & Technology

When:

Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 3:30:00 PM   Add to Calendar

Where:

Guggenheim Building, Room G442

Host:

Michelle Fields
michelle.fields@aerospace.gatech.edu

Abstract

Among human history’s most awe-inspiring achievements achieved through technology is the capability of powered flight. Generated by discoveries in technical disciplines such as materials and structures, the aerospace industry over the past 110 years has created products that have continuously pushed the envelope of technology and recorded ever-more astonishing achievements. That legacy of continuous, dramatic progress endures today, thanks in part to advances in materials and structures used in today's state-of-the art products such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This presentation will explore aspects of materials and structures that have enabled the industry to reach its current state - and offer perspectives on forthcoming technology advances in these areas that will enable the next generation of inspirational innovations.

Biography

Dr. John J. Tracy is chief technology officer of The Boeing Company and senior vice president of Engineering, Operations & Technology. Dr. Tracy reports to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney and is a member of the Boeing Executive Council. He is responsible for several companywide organizations including Test & Evaluation; Information Technology; Research & Technology; Enterprise Technology Strategy; Intellectual Property Management; and Environment, Health and Safety. He also leads Boeing's Engineering, Operations and Supplier Management functions, which include more than 100,000 Boeing teammates. Dr. Tracy is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is also a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the past chair of the ASME 6,000-member Aerospace Division. Dr. Tracy joined Boeing in 1981, after serving as a high school teacher in Los Angeles. He holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of California-Irvine and received master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Physics from California State University-Los Angeles and California State University-Dominguez Hills, respectively.