Gregg to Present 2016 Sears Memorial Lecture
Robert D. Gregg III, chief aerodynamicist at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, will present the 2016 William R. Sears Memorial Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 4 p.m. in AME S212. A reception will follow in the AME courtyard.
His lecture, "The Evolution of Winglets to the Max," will investigate the history and refinement of the winglet, a common feature on many passenger aircraft, over the last 40 years.
Gregg has more than 37 years of experience in aircraft development, advanced aircraft and aerodynamic concepts, and technology research.
As chief aerodynamicist for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, a position he has held since 2013, Gregg provides technical leadership on aerodynamic requirements, processes, configuration development and compliance, as well as support of airplane program efforts. He also heads Boeing's enterprise computational fluid dynamics efforts. Previously, Gregg served as chief engineer of flight sciences product development and technology at Boeing, where he led the configuration development for the 737 Max, 787-10X, 767-2C and 777X; and as lead of the advanced design concepts group within Boeing Research and Technology. Earlier work focused on airfoil-wing design and use of CFD tools to improve efficiency of commercial and transport aircraft.
Gregg holds multiple U.S. and EU patents on wing and airfoil design concepts for efficient transonic transports, powered high-lift concepts and short take-off and landing configurations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.
About the Sears Memorial Lecture Series
The William R. Sears Memorial Lecture Series remembers and celebrates the work and life of the late Bill Sears, professor emeritus at the University of Arizona and one of the most renowned aeronautical engineers and academics of the last century.
Sears' technical contributions are firmly etched into the archives of aeronautics. They address, with originality and depth, areas such as wing and airplane design, unsteady aerodynamics and flow separation, aeroacoustics and adaptive wind tunnels. Among his many professional honors were the prestigious Ludwig-Prandtl-Ring, the von Kármán Medal and the Guggenheim Medal. His commentaries on the lighter side of daily activities were warm, witty and insightful, and his musical talent enriched the lives of many.
The Sears Memorial Lecture Series was established by the generous support of the Sears family – Mabel, David, Susan, Colin and Shelby.