Four Eagles Selected for Aviation Week’s Prestigious 20 Twenties List

Four Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students have been named to the Aviation Week Network 20 Twenties Class of 2025, which recognizes top aerospace-bound university students.

The awards program — which identifies talented students who are on course to change the face of the aviation, aerospace and defense industries — chose Embry-Riddle students Liz Bosch, Henil Patel, Vikas Patel and Trevor Simoneau to be among its 20-member 2025 class. With four students named, Embry-Riddle had the most students selected from any university.

Trevor Simoneau, a master’s student in Aviation, says he is “delighted and honored to be included in this year’s 20 Twenties class.” (Photo: Simoneau Photography)

“Every year, the number of nominations grows, and the competition becomes more intense,” Greg Hamilton, president of Aviation Week Network, said in a news release.

Students from 46 universities and colleges across 14 countries competed to be named to the 20 Twenties Class of 2025. Winners are selected based on their academic record, the value of their research and design projects, their ability to overcome personal struggles and their record of giving back to their communities.

“We are always thrilled when one of our Eagles is recognized among the talented students in Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties Class,” said Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D. “To have four students named to this year’s class is a testament to the fact that Embry-Riddle is accomplishing its mission to cultivate the next generation of aviation, aerospace and defense leaders. Congratulations to these four outstanding students.”

Honoree Liz Bosch grew up in Puerto Rico and had little exposure to the technology or engineering aspects of STEM education before starting at Embry-Riddle. She is now earning a master’s degree in Systems Engineering and beginning her career at Axiom Space as an on-orbit maintenance and repair engineer for the space station the company is developing. While a full-time student, Bosch has taken on jobs to support and further her education. This includes work as an airport passenger service agent, a tutor, a drone payload developer, a physical/occupational therapy technician, a researcher in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a two-time NASA intern.

As a student researcher, Bosch has developed a space-safety curriculum that refers to past accidents, such as the Columbia and Challenger disasters, in an effort to keep such accidents from reoccurring. Her work has resulted in an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference paper that will be expanded and published this year as an article in the Journal of Space Safety Engineering.

Bosch said the most valuable part of being named to the 20 Twenties class is being able to set an example for her fellow Puerto Ricans.

Henil Patel, a senior studying Aerospace Engineering, stands with Embry-Riddle alumnus Chad Douglas (right). (Photo: Embry Riddle/John Frankie)

“I want to show the youth of Puerto Rico they can pursue their dream careers,” she said. “I wish to show them that with passion and hard work, they too can reach for the stars.”

Honoree Trevor Simoneau, a master’s student in Aviation, was recognized for his project studying drone safety and regulatory enforcement.

“This project showed me the value of research as a mechanism to help make positive, real-world change and educate others about crucial issues — work I intend to continue throughout my career in many ways,” he said.

A resultant article — which he collaborated on with Dr. Ryan Wallace, associate professor of Aeronautical Science; Dr. Tyler Spence; and Jonathan Rupprecht, aviation attorney — was published in the International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics and Aerospace.

Simoneau, a graduate research assistant at Embry-Riddle’s Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety and a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Aeronautical Science, said he was “delighted and honored to be included in this year’s 20 Twenties class, and to have the opportunity to meet fellow students who are uniquely driven, generous with their time and talents, deeply passionate about many topics, and are already making positive changes in our industry.”

Honoree Henil Patel, a senior studying Aerospace Engineering, had to persevere to secure internships as an international student. However, he has managed to secure two at The Boeing Company. Boeing has also supported his research into addressing a problem involving lithium batteries that generate heat and even cause fires, which occurred on two aircraft in 2013, resulting in temporary aircraft groundings.

Patel has also volunteered extensively, including with Embry-Riddle’s Career Services and the Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships, as well as a physics tutor.

Vikas Patel, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in December, kneels behind the aircraft that his team won second place for in the 2022 Design, Build, Fly competition. (Photo: Joseph Nicolich)

He said being named to the 20 Twenties is “a validation of my hard work in academic research and volunteering, and it puts me directly on the radar of top recruiters, boosting my career prospects.”

Honoree Vikas Patel, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in December, worked on the student-designed and -built LLAMAS camera, which was mounted inside the SpaceX Dragon capsule to record the astronauts during the recent Polaris Dawn mission. As part of that project, Patel developed a testing procedure for the batteries used in the camera during spaceflight, which can subject the batteries to degradation at cold temperatures and vibration-induced failures. The testing procedure was published as an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SciTech conference paper and won the AIAA Power Systems Best Student Paper award.

Patel said he is grateful to have been named to the 20 Twenties.

“I think the main value of this award is to reflect on and recognize all of my mentors, professors, friends and colleagues who put their effort into making me the person I am today,” he said. “I have had some incredible opportunities to work on various projects, and this would not have been possible without them.”

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