AAE alumna Dr. Yen Matsutomi (BSAAE 2003, MSAAE 2005, and PhDAAE 2009) represented the Blue Origin New Shepard team at the competition for the 2016 Robert J. Collier Trophy, along with Mr. Jeff Ashby, Chief of Mission Assurance at Blue Origin. The Collier Trophy is presented annually by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) “…for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” The Blue Shepard won the award “... for successfully demonstrating rocket booster reusability with the New Shepard human spaceflight vehicle through five successful test flights of a single booster and engine, all of which performed powered vertical landings on Earth.”

Matsutomi joined Blue Origin in 2010 as a combustion devices development engineer, where she was responsible for developing the injector for the revolutionary BE-3 engine that powers New Shepard. She is currently Lead of the Injector Design and Development Group at Blue Origin, with responsibility for development across different engine program groups.

photo (left to right): Jeff Ashby and Yen Matsutomi with Jim Albaugh, chairman of the National Aeronautic Association