Dear Sibley School Alumni and Friends,
As we look toward 2026, I am continually inspired by the pace of change in our disciplines and by the role the Sibley School continues to play in shaping the future of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
One of the most significant developments now underway is the transformation of our design, manufacturing and hands-on learning ecosystem. With the launch of the new Autodesk Design and Make Space, we are recreating the environment in which the next generation of engineers will learn to design, prototype and build. This modernization is not just about equipment or space – it is about renewing a philosophy of engineering education that has been central to the Sibley School for decades.
That philosophy has an unmistakable champion in Professor Emeritus Al George. For more than 50 years, Al has shaped how our students learn by doing – insisting that theory becomes real only when placed in the hands of students solving tangible problems. This year, we have a unique opportunity to honor his legacy in a way that will define the school for decades: the creation of the Al George Directorship of the Autodesk Design and Make Space, ensuring that the facilities and programs he championed continue to evolve, thrive and serve as a national model for experiential engineering education.
Fittingly, the cover story in this issue focuses on how we are bringing artificial intelligence into the mechanical and aerospace engineering curriculum. Faculty leaders such as Guy Hoffman and Jian-Xun Wang are weaving AI through the undergraduate and graduate experience so that students learn to apply these tools responsibly in robotics, design and simulation. New faculty member Jake Welde extends this theme in aerial robotics, while alumni on our Advisory Council underscore how central AI literacy has become in modern engineering practice.
You will also meet junior Benjamin Okoronkwo ’27, whose path from theater and choir to mechanical engineering, captures the blend of creativity and hands-on making that defines our students. Across the magazine’s news stories you will see the same spirit at work: Cornell Baja Racing’s “Iron Team” season; student-designed missions like Alpha CubeSat and “Sailing to the Stars” heading to the International Space Station; Lenan Zhang’s sunlight-and-seawater system for producing green hydrogen and clean water; Mostafa Hassani’s alloys engineered for extreme impacts; and Rob Shepherd’s jellyfish and worm robots powered by “embodied energy.”
We also pause to remember Joseph Burns, whose work in celestial mechanics, leadership across Cornell and generous mentorship left a lasting imprint on our community. Finally, this issue’s Awards and Honors section celebrates the many faculty and students recognized this year – underscoring the depth and momentum of the Sibley School.
As always, the continued engagement of our alumni and friends makes this work possible. Your support – particularly as we advance the Al George Directorship and the next phase of the Autodesk Design and Make Space – ensures that future generations of Sibley engineers will have the tools, opportunities and inspiration to explore, create and lead.
David Erickson
SC Thomas Sze Director and Sibley College Professor
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering