HAMPTON, Va., Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A materials research scientist who works at NASA's Langley Research Center has been named 2013 Robert A. Mitcheltree Young Engineer of the Year - an award presented by the Hampton Roads Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

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Dr. Hyun Jung Kim, who conducts her research in the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch at NASA Langley, but works for the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), is an internationally recognized scientist in the field of solid-state physics and energy harvesting, including advanced thermoelectric and solar cells.

The local AIAA chapter cites her work as, "a remarkable achievement in the field of thermoelectric material development and a gateway to utilize waste heat recovery technology for the green energy." Her work at NASA Langley includes new material configurations and has led to a number of patent and invention disclosures related to emerging thermoelectrics and solar cell technologies. 

"Dr. Kim is a very intelligent and gifted scientist who consistently has excellent solutions to challenging technical problems, and enjoys exploring new and interesting areas of research," said Robert Bryant, NASA Langley's Advanced Materials and Processing Branch head. "One of the difficulties with her research topics is that the materials and devices do not exist and have to be created from the ground up.  Consequently, the methods and instrumentation to measure and compare their effectiveness against the current technology also has to be developed from the ground up." 

This marks the second consecutive year that a member of NIA's research staff, who works at NASA Langley, has been named Hampton Roads Section AIAA Young Engineer of the Year.The local chapter is one of the largest chapters of the professional organization in the nation, and the nomination process for this award is highly competitive.

As the recipient of this award, Kim is also the HRS nominee for the Peninsula Engineers Council (PEC) 2013 Doug Ensor Award.

For more information about NASA Langley Research Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/langley

For more information about the National Institute of Aerospace, visit:

www.nianet.org

For more information about the AIAA Hampton Roads Section, visit:

https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/NE/Hampton_Roads/default.aspx

SOURCE NASA