John Junkins

This article is about the American academic. For the English actor and writer, see John Junkin.

John L. Junkins
Interim President of Texas A&M University
In office
January 1, 2021 โ€“ May 31, 2021
Preceded byMichael K. Young
Succeeded byM. Katherine Banks
Director of the
Hagler Institute for Advanced Study
Incumbent
Assumed office
2011
Preceded byOffice established
Personal details
Born (1943-05-23) May 23, 1943 (age 81)
Oakman, Georgia, U.S.
Spouse
Elouise Click
​
(m. 1965)​
Children2
AwardsSee list
Academic background
Education
ThesisOn the Determination and Optimization of Powered Space Vehicle Trajectories Using Parametric Differential Correction Processes (1969)
Doctoral advisorSamuel Herrick
Academic work
DisciplineAerospace engineering
Sub-disciplineDynamic systems
Institutions

John L. Junkins (born May 23, 1943) is an American academic and a distinguished professor of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University[1] specializing in spacecraft navigation, guidance, dynamics, and control.[2][3] He holds the Royce E. Wisenbaker Endowed Chair at Texas A&M University and also serves as the Founding Director of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, since its founding in December 2010.[4] On November 24, 2020, Junkins was announced as the interim President of Texas A&M University starting January 2021.[5] He was the interim president until May 31, 2021.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents on March 5, 2021, named M. Katherine Banks as the sole finalist to be president of Texas A&M University. On May 27, 2021, Junkins issued a farewell message welcoming his successor as the 26th President of Texas A&M University. After his term as interim president, he returned to his positions as professor in the College of Engineering and continues as the director of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.

Early life and education

John Junkins was born on May 23, 1943, in Oakman, Georgia, to George Manley Junkins (1917โ€“1986) from Carter's Quarter, Georgia, a World War II veteran, machinist, mechanic, and welder, and Alice Lenell Junkins (nรฉe Searcy; 1922โ€“2008) from Gordon County, Georgia, who worked in the textile industry.[6] He is one of five siblings, and one of his sisters, Faye Gibbons, is an author and an inaugural inductee of the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. Although both his father and mother dropped out of school at the sixth and fourth-grade, respectively, they were bright, and understood education was vital for their children to succeed.[7]

Junkins grew up near the town of Dalton, Georgia, on his family's five-acre mini-farm, where he later attended North Whitfield High School and participated in the football and track and field teams.[6] He began to be interested in Aerospace Engineering after watching the artificial satellite Sputnik make history during his Freshman year of high school in 1957.[7] This interest was reinforced during the spring of his senior year after his high school track coach, Crossland Clegg, told Junkins that while he was talented at football and track, he could tell Junkins had more unrealized academic potential than as an athlete.[6][7] Also, later the next year, after hearing President John F. Kennedy's "We choose to go to the Moon" speech, Junkins elected to pursue aerospace engineering.[6]

After high school, he wanted to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology but was lacking some required classes that he was not able to take at his rural high school. He initially attended Berry College in Rome, Georgia, where he was active on the track team, winning the GIAC championship in pole vault. In the spring of 1962 he was accepted to transfer to the Georgia Institute of Technology. His college roommate Spiros Pallas, who was also on the Berry track team, convinced him to come along on a visit to Auburn University, where Junkins was instantly impressed. During his initial visit in August 1962, Junkins called the registrar on a Sunday afternoon, after looking for his number in a phone book. After explaining his desire to attend Auburn, he was invited to the registrar's home where he was invited to submit his application on the spot.[7]

He was accepted soon after, and began the Aerospace Engineering program in September 1962, later on receiving a degree in Aerospace Engineering (B.AE. 1965)[3][8] at Auburn. He then pursued his graduate studies at University of California, Los Angeles (M.S. 1967 and Ph.D. 1969).[3][8] His dissertation was on a novel gradient projection technique.[9] Junkins was advised by Samuel Herrick.[10]

Career

While an undergraduate at Auburn University, Junkins began his career at the age of 19 as a co-op student during the Apollo program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Huntsville, Alabama, working with Wernher von Braun.[7] He also supported the final three Apollo missions (Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17) during the early 1970s and his inventions have led to commercial products including navigation sensors for autonomous aerial refueling of aircraft, and for pointing navigation of spacecraft based on star pattern recognition.[11]
While he attended graduate studies at UCLA, he maintained full-time employment at McDonnell-Douglas, where he supported numerous launches of satellites aboard Delta rockets.[7]
At the age of 26 and after receiving his doctorate from UCLA, Junkins went to work at the University of Virginia as an assistant professor.[3][8]
At 34, he left UVA to join the faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as a full professor.[3][8]
In 1985, Junkins accepted an offer from Texas A&M University to become the first endowed professor in the College of Engineering.[3][8] Junkins was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1996 for contributions to flight mechanics and flexible vehicle control.[2] He is also a member of the International Academy of Astronautics[12] and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.[13] A prolific graduate student mentor, he has directed over 60 PhD students. Half of his PhD students became professors, giving rise to several generations of PhD descendant offspring.[14] In addition to seven technical books (see Works below), he has about 600 journal and conference publications.[15]

After being recommended by the Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp on November 24, 2020,[16] Junkins released a statement.[5]

"My job will be to help navigate Texas A&M safely along our presently planned course and work with existing senior leadership and the faculty to solve problems as they arise until our new president takes the helm, hopefully by June."

Junkins became the interim President of Texas A&M University on January 1, 2021. His term as interim President ended on May 31, 2021. He faced three unusual challenges: the COVID pandemic (not a single death), campus unrest following the George Floyd murder and an extraordinary winter storm. After his term as interim president, Junkins returned as distinguished professor of Aerospace engineering and Director of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study.[17]

Career chronology

  • 1970โ€“1977, University of Virginia[3][8]
  • 1978โ€“1985, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University[3][8]
  • 1985 โ€“ present, Texas A&M University[3][8]

Awards and honors

  • 1983 Mechanics & Control of Flight Award, AIAA[18]
  • 1987 Dirk Brouwer Award, AAS[19]
  • 1988 J. Leland Atwood Award, ASEE & AIAA[20]
  • 1990 G. Edward Pendray Aerospace Literature Award, AIAA[21]
  • 1996 Membership, NAE[2]
  • 1997 Theodore von Karman Lectureship in Astronautics Award, AIAA[22]
  • 1999 Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal, IAF[23]
  • 2003 Tycho Brahe Award, ION[11]
  • 2006 Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award, AIAA[24]
  • 2011 Life-Time Achievement Medal, ICCES[25]
  • 2013 Martin Summerfield Best Book Award, AIAA[26]
  • 2016 NAI Fellow, National Academy of Inventors[27]
  • 2019 Robert H. Goddard Astronautics Award, AIAA[28]
  • 2021 Kay Bailey Hutchinson Award, TAMEST[29]
  • 2022 Kay Bailey Hutchinson Award Video, TAMEST[30]

Works

Books

  • Junkins, John L. (1978). An Introduction to Optimal Estimation of Dynamical Systems. Leyden, Netherlands: Sijthoff-Noordhoff. ISBN 90-286-0067-1.
  • Junkins, John L.; Turner, James D. (1986). Optimal Spacecraft Rotational Maneuvers. New York City: Elsevier. ISBN 0-444-42619-1.
  • Junkins, John L.; Kim, Youdan (1993). Introduction to Dynamics and Control of Flexible Structures. New York City: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 1-56347-054-3.
  • Schaub, Hanspeter; Junkins, John L. (2009). Analytical Mechanics of Space Systems, Second Edition. New York City: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. ISBN 978-1-60086-722-4.
  • Puneet, Singla; Junkins, John L. (2009). Multi-resolution Methods for Modeling and Control of Dynamical Systems. New York City: CRC Press - Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-58488-769-0.
  • Crassidis, John L.; Junkins, John L. (2011). Optimal Estimation of Dynamic Systems, Second Edition. New York City: CRC Press - Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-4398-3985-0.
  • Junkins, John L. (2012). Engineering Your Academic Career. Raleigh, North Carolina: lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-105-31585-5.

Conference publications

References

  1. ^ Chang, Kenneth (February 18, 2012). "For Space Mess, Scientists Seek Celestial Broom". The New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "NAE โ€“ Dr. John L. Junkins". National Academy of Engineering. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "MAE Graduate Seminar โ€“ Mission Analysis for Missions to the Resonant Near Earth Asteroids" (PDF). wvu.edu. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  4. ^ "About the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study". Texas A&M University. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Underwood, Hannah (November 24, 2020). "Professor John L. Junkins to serve as interim president of A&M after Michael K. Young's departure". The Battalion. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Anderson, Ryan (April 21, 2021). "Whitfield County native leads Texas A&M through pandemic as interim president". Dalton Daily Citizen. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Winton, Lauren (May 26, 2021). "Auburn Engineering alumnus, interim president of Texas A&M, tells his Auburn story". Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Schnettler, Tim (2011). "Space Junkie". Texas A&M Engineer Magazine. pp. 20โ€“26. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  9. ^ "Curriculum Vitae, John L. Junkins" (PDF). Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station. March 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "John E. Hurtado, Professor of Aerospace Engineering". Texas A&M University Engineering. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "2003 Tycho Brahe Award". Institute of Navigation. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  12. ^ "International Academy of Astronautics โ€“ Membership List" (PDF). iaaweb.org. International Academy of Astronautics. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  13. ^ "AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala To Confer Top Honors" (PDF). aiaa.org. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  14. ^ "John L. Junkins Bio". Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "John Junkins Publications". Google Scholar. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Texas A&M University System [@tamusystem] (November 24, 2020). "2/2 Chancellor Sharp is recommending Dr. John L. Junkins, a Distinguished Aerospace Engineering professor and Founding Director of the Hagler Institute of Advanced Study, to serve as Interim President until the new President is selected. Read more: http://tx.ag/TAMUInterimPresident" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ "Hagler Institute for Advanced Study". Hagler Institute for Advanced Study. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  18. ^ "Mechanics & Control of Flight Award". AIAA. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  19. ^ "Dirk Brouwer Award". American Astronautical Society. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  20. ^ "J. Leland Atwood Award". AIAA. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  21. ^ "Pendray Aerospace Literature Award". AIAA. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  22. ^ "von Karman Lectureship in Astronautics Award". AIAA. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  23. ^ "Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal". International Astronautical Federation. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  24. ^ "Aerospace Guidance, Navigation, and Control Award". AIAA. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  25. ^ "ICCES Lifetime Achievement Medal" (PDF). Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 8, 2018.
  26. ^ "Summerfield Book Award". AIAA. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  27. ^ Cawley, Rusty (December 15, 2016). "National Academy Of Inventors Selects John L. Junkins As 2016 NAI Fellow". Texas A&M Today. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  28. ^ "Robert H. Goddard Astronautics Award". AIAA. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  29. ^ "Kay Bailey Hutchinson Award". TAMEST. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  30. ^ "Kay Bailey Hutchinson Award Video". TAMEST. Retrieved May 23, 2023.