Sonya Smith
Dr. Smith obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from The University of Virginia (UVA) in 1995 and was the first African-American woman to do so. She joined the Howard University faculty in 1995 and is the first tenured female professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She has established an interdisciplinary theoretical and computational research laboratory entitled the Applied Fluids-Thermal Research Laboratory (@FTERLab). Dr. Smith’s research encompasses hypersonic boundary layer transition, unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), thermal management for space systems, and energy storage solutions. She is one of the Co-PIs for the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder on the International Space Station (TIGERISS) which provide the most comprehensive data yet on ultraheavy Galactic cosmic rays (UHGCRs). She is one of the Co-PIs for the Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) and leads it Packaging and Integration Thrust.
Dr. Smith is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. She also served as FY21 President of Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Honor Society. Dr. Smith was elected as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Dr. Smith’s personal goal is to be a mentor and resource to all students and young faculty/professionals, but especially to those underrepresented in STEM.
Contributions to Sigma Xi:
I have been a member of Sigma Xi since graduate school and am a Lifetime member. I have served as the president of the Howard University Chapter, as well as the Society’s national president. My term as President of Sigma Xi occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. During that year, science (and scientists) was under attack, and Sigma Xi was actively involved in defending science. In addition to signing onto national science initiatives, Sigma Xi released a statement supporting science and the scientific method. During my term as Sigma Xi president, the country was also compelled to address racial injustice. Sigma Xi issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to equity and inclusion in scientific research. I am proud of my time as Sigma Xi President and continue to support of the organization, both in terms of time and resources.