Dale Lawrence

Dale Lawrence is a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he has served continuously since 1991. He directs research at the Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles (RECUV), focusing on astrodynamics, satellite navigation systems, and autonomous aerial platforms for atmospheric science.

His academic credentials include:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University (1985)
• MS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University (1982)
• BS in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University (1980)

Professor Lawrence's research spans spacecraft attitude control, vibration isolation, and adaptive control systems, with pioneering work in haptic interfaces for scientific visualization and teleoperation. His recent work emphasizes unmanned aerial systems for Arctic atmospheric research, particularly turbulence measurement and boundary layer studies using custom UAV platforms like DataHawk. This work bridges aerospace engineering with climate science through field campaigns such as MOSAiC and LAPSE-RATE.

His publication record reveals a clear trajectory toward Arctic atmospheric science and UAV-based sensing, with increasing focus on turbulence dynamics, sea-ice interactions, and autonomous system validation. The work consistently integrates hardware development (sensors, UAVs) with field deployment in extreme environments.

Selected honors include:

• Best Commercial Potential Award at IEEE Symposium on Haptic Interfaces (2004)
• Best Paper Presentation at American Control Conference (1994)
• Teaching Excellence Awards from University of Cincinnati (1990, 1991)
• Distinguished Publication Award from Martin Marietta Astronautics (1988)

Professor Lawrence has led major field campaigns including MOSAiC and LAPSE-RATE, securing funding from NSF and DOE for projects like ERASMUS and ShUREX. His RECUV team develops specialized UAV platforms (DataHawk, HELiX) for atmospheric research, with recent work focusing on machine self-confidence for autonomous decision-making in complex environments. While student advising details aren't specified, his projects involve extensive student participation in hardware development and field operations.

He maintains active leadership in Arctic atmospheric research through the DataHawk UAV program and HELiX multispectral systems, with ongoing work on gossamer propeller technology for high-altitude applications and machine self-confidence frameworks for autonomous systems.