Hannah Hajdik and Professor Joaquim R. R. A. Martins Receive Rackham Pace Fellowship
Student-faculty pair receive recognition for improving department climate and student success
Congratulations to Graduate Student Research Assistant Hannah Hajdik and Professor Joaquim R. R. A. Martins on receiving the Rackham Graduate School’s Partnerships for Access, Community and Excellence (PACE) Fellowship. The PACE Fellowship, administered by the Rackham PACE team, recognizes exceptional graduate student-faculty pairs who demonstrate commitment to climate and student success. This recognition includes a one-term fellowship and prize for student awardees and research funds for mentors.
Hajdik is part of the Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) Lab within the University of Michigan Aerospace Engineering Department, headed by Professor Martins. Hajdik’s recent research has focused on aerodynamic shape optimization within the MDO lab, specifically, methods for addressing intersecting surface components in aircraft design to reduce interference drag, leading to performance gains using shape optimization.
In addition to research in the lab, Hajdik is also an active member of the Aerospace Engineering Department’s DEI Committee, the Aero Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) and founding member and President of the newly formed Gender Minorities in Aerospace (GeMA) student organization. Notably, Professor Martins also spent time on the department’s DEI Committee during his tenure as Committee Chair, where he worked to improve department culture and inclusivity for students going through the Aerospace Engineering program.
“Mentoring Hannah has been incredibly rewarding, mainly through our collaboration on DEI efforts. As the founding member and President of Gender Minorities in Aerospace (GeMA), she has played a key and inspiring role in advocating for gender minorities in our department. Together, we restructured the DEI Committee and implemented improvements based on climate survey analysis. Hannah’s leadership helped create a more inclusive environment for all students,” stated Martins upon receiving the Fellowship.