Purdue alumnus is Air Force nominee for Arthur S. Flemming Award
Andrew J. “AJ” Metcalf, alumnus of the Purdue University Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is one of two engineers nominated by the U.S. Air Force for the 74th annual Arthur S. Flemming Award. The nominees are among hundreds of scientists and engineers at AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate located on Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Metcalf is the Space Mission Area Lead for the U.S. Space Force (USSF). He earned his MSECE in 2012 and his Ph.D. in 2015 from Purdue, where he was a student of Andrew M. Weiner, Scifres Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Established in 1948, the Flemming Award honors federal employees with 3-15 years of service who have been nominated by their federal agencies, selected through a competitive judging process and have made significant contributions to the federal government. Winners are selected from across the federal government in three categories — basic science; applied science, engineering and mathematics; and managerial or legal achievement.
Metcalf was recognized for his accomplishments in the category of applied science, engineering and mathematics. He is the AFRL space mission area lead in the Office of the Deputy Technology Executive Officer for Space Science and Technology. Metcalf is responsible for a $2.3 billion space technology portfolio. In addition, he manages five other space mission area leads who interface with external stakeholders and are responsible for customer engagement and bringing awareness of programs throughout AFRL and the national space community.
Metcalf said his responsibilities include five space flight experiments totaling $341 million and three ground demonstrations valued at $61 million.
“These state-of-the-art technologies are providing solutions that address top priorities for several of our country’s preeminent strategic systems,” Metcalf said. “They include ICBMs in support of nuclear deterrence, communications and the global positioning system, a service the USSF provides free of charge across the globe."
If selected at the next level of competition, Metcalf will be honored in June at the Flemming Award ceremony held at the George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration in Washington D.C.