Kings Norton Medal winner Frank Noppel
Cranfield University Aerospace PhD student Frank Noppel has been awarded the 2008 King’s Norton Medal for research into greener aerospace technologies.
Each year the University bestows the award to an outstanding Doctoral student and is the only prize for which students compete across the whole University.
Frank’s thesis titled ‘Contrail and Cirrus Cloud Avoidance Technology’, investigated various technologies to reduce the formation of condensation trails and thereby minimize the aviation industry’s impact on global warming. The research, sponsored by Rolls-Royce, enabled Frank to file three patents on contrail avoidance technologies, one of which covers a new jet engine concept with potential for reduced emissions.
Frank said: “I know there are a lot of very good PhD theses every year, so being awarded the King’s Norton Prize is a great honour for me. I am very thankful to all those who have played a part in enabling me to win the prize, particularly my supervisors in the Department of Power and Propulsion.”
As well as his studies Frank has spent the last few years devising a number of different inventions, winning first prize at the national start-up competition Environment YES (Young Entrepreneurs Scheme), and second prize in the 2007 Whittle awards. He was also president of the Cranfield School of Management’s Student Entrepreneurship Association and was presented with the Young Scientist Presentation Award at the International Conference on Transport, Atmosphere and Climate, Oxford, 2006.
Continuing his passion for aviation Frank has now launched his own start-up company Ambeo Ltd – an ‘on demand’ air-taxi company offering new solutions for executive air travel, utilizing technically-advanced very light jets (VLJs).
Frank received his award at the Cranfield graduation ceremony on 5 June 2008 and is pictured here with Lady Kings Norton after the presentation.
