Each year the Young Professionals Committee of the AIAA Hampton Roads Section holds the Laurence Bement Young Professional Paper Competition to recognize outstanding on-the-job technical accomplishments of our young members. The award for the winning paper, judged on technical merit, clarity, and relevance by an independent reviewing committee, will be presented at the Section Awards Banquet later this year. The winner will receive a certificate, a FREE one-year membership to AIAA, and their name will be engraved on a plaque permanently on display in the H.J.E. Reid Center at NASA Langley. Prizes for second and third place will also be given.
To be eligible:
- The first-authored paper must have been either published or accepted for publication without further revisions in an archival and refereed publication in the past 6 years (such as the Journal of Fluid Mechanics).
- The paper must be originally submitted while the first author was an AIAA member 35 years old or younger.
Please note that papers that are published in conference proceedings are not eligible for this contest and that papers previously entered in this competition, which did not receive first, second, or third place can be resubmitted this year. Young professional members are limited to one paper submission. Young professional members interested in participating in this year’s papercompetition will submit a digital copy of the manuscript, a digital copy of the publication acceptance letter, and author information (including eligibility and AIAA membership number). Submissions for this competition will be collected electronically via the online submission website.
Submission website: https://tinyurl.com/2025-HRS-YP-Paper-Competition
Eligible submissions must be received by Monday, March 24, 2025.
If you have any questions, please contact the AIAA Hampton Roads Section Young Professional Committee Chairs:
Kyle Thompson, e-mail: kyle.b.thompson@nasa.gov
Drew Turbeville, e-mail: franklin.d.turbeville@nasa.gov
About Laurence Bement
The annual AIAA HRS Young Professionals Paper Competition is named in honor of Laurence “Larry” John Bement. Larry was a member of the AIAA HRS and was a pyrotechnic engineer at NASA Langley Research Center for 37 years. Born in Missoula, Montana, and raised in Frannie, Wyoming, Larry earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1963. He was the author of more than 100 technical publications, was awarded at least 17 patents, and served on the Colloquium Committee. He received a NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal for significant contributions to pyrotechnic technology, advancing the success of several national and international programs and his Manual for Pyrotechnic Design, Development and Qualification is an Agency standard. His friends and colleagues knew him as an enthusiastic and analytical person, who had earned the reputation of always asking the first question at any meeting. His significant contributions to the field made a lasting impact on the industry, and his technical inquisitiveness motivated the HRS to name the Young Professional Paper Competition, which aims to recognize innovative technical research, in his honor.