The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics has established the Geoffrey Andrews ’15 Aerospace Award to recognize undergraduate students who demonstrate academic excellence and a strong commitment to aerospace engineering. The award honors the legacy of Andrews, a Lehigh mechanical engineering alumnus and visiting lecturer who played a key role in the development of the MS-AERO program.
After earning his BS from Lehigh in 2015, Andrews completed his MS and PhD in aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University and emerged as a rising leader in hypersonic aerodynamics. He worked as a member of the technical staff in the Structural and Thermal Fluids Engineering Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, following earlier roles at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Mechanics. Alongside his research, Andrews volunteered with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and was deeply involved in K–12 STEM outreach.
In 2025, Andrews returned to Lehigh to teach a graduate-level course and support the launch of the new master’s program. His death in a plane crash in June 2025, at age 30, was felt deeply across the Lehigh community.
“Geoffrey helped shape our aerospace program as a student and was poised to do even more as a colleague,” said MEM department chair Arindam Banerjee. “This award ensures his impact will continue through the students he so deeply cared about.”
To support future aerospace students through the Geoffrey Andrews ’15 Aerospace Award, visit here.
