Dr. Heinz Erzberger joined Ames Research Center in 1965 after receiving his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Cornell University. During his career at Ames, he pioneered several concepts for improving the safety and efficiency of aircraft and air traffic control operations. Early in his career, he developed the basic algorithms for four-dimensional guidance and for fuel-optimum flight management. In recent years, he designed the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) to help controllers improve the efficiency and safety of air traffic control. The FAA has deployed the CTAS tool for managing arrival traffic, the Traffic Management Advisor, at major airports in the US. He has published more than 100 papers and has received numerous honors and awards for his research. He holds two patents in the design of air traffic automation tools. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and a Fellow of Ames Research Center. He was awarded the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Holley Medal in 2001 and the AIAA's Reed Aeronautical Award in 2004, the AIAA's highest honor for achievements in aeronautical science and engineering. In 2005, he received the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Senior Professional from President Bush. Dr. Erzberger was inducted into the Ames Hall of Fame in 2008. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering of the United States in 2010. Recently, Dr. Erzberger has focused on developing concepts and algorithms for a future air traffic management system that can handle higher traffic levels safely and with increased energy efficiency. After retiring from NASA in February 2006, Dr. Erzberger became an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz and at Stanford University, where he continued his research in air traffic management with support from several NASA research grants. In early 2010, he returned to NASA Ames as an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) transferee from UCSC, assuming the position of Senior Advisor in the Aviation Systems Division.
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