What makes a 20 Twenty?

Aviation Week Network honors 20 students in their Twenties each year currently enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM). The 20 Twenties program was established by Aviation Week Network in 2013 to recognize talented individuals who are on course to change the face of the aerospace and defense industry. Criteria is based on academic performance, public/community involvement and how they communicate the value of your individual research/design project.

Click HERE to learn the qualities that make a 20 Twenty

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Nominations close April 30, 2021

Tomorrow’s Technology Leaders

Ethan Plaehn Purdue University
Graduate Student, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering • Class of 2022 • Purdue University | B.S. Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering • Class of 2019 • Purdue University

Plaehn’s passion for developing advanced propulsion concepts grew from an internship at Aerojet Rocketdyne and a lead propulsion role in a Boeing program to research the fundamental properties of detonation propagation under flow conditions present in a rotating detonation engine (RDE). He is working to design a modular RDE—technology with the potential to improve the efficiency of modern combustion devices. He also has developed and taught classes to high school seniors about subjects such as engineering design, 3D printing and robotics. Plaehn is a member of the Sigma Gamma Tau honor society and a private pilot.
Simon Shuham University of Colorado Boulder
M.S. Aerospace Engineering • Class of 2019 • University of Colorado Boulder | B.S. Mechanical Engineering • Class of 2017 • Harvard College

During his undergraduate research, Shuham completed a project to design and test a deployable 0.5-m (1.6-ft.) radio antenna dish for cubesats for a small-satellite startup company. He has worked as a propulsion systems design engineer at United Launch Alliance and now is a propulsion engineer at Blue Origin, where he is helping to develop and design the BE-3U engine on the New Glenn rocket second stage. Shuham serves on the board of the AIAA’s Pacific Northwest chapter and on the Seattle Museum of Flight’s Future Leaders team. He founded Harvard’s chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space and spent a summer cycling across the country with Spokes America to teach STEM courses to hundreds of students.
Victoria Pellerito Lawrence Technological University
B.S. Mechanical Engineering • Class of 2020 • Lawrence Technological University

Pellerito was the lead undergraduate researcher on a project to develop a flapping-wing robot with three different modes of elastic wing-connections. She also participated in two projects through the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, designing an autonomous flight system for exploration of Titan and examining the effects of heated boundary layers found in nature. She is the captain of Lawrence Technological University’s SAE Aero Design Team, which is working to develop a short takeoff-and-landing aircraft with a 10-ft. wingspan while aiming to carry as much payload as possible. In addition to serving as a mathematics and engineering tutor, she promotes STEM as chapter president of the Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma honor societies.

See all 2020 winners

The Top 20

Universities around the world nominate their top students who are working to solve challenges within the industry. Only 20 exceptional winners are chosen.

Now in its eighth year, the 20 Twenties program received nominations from nearly 50 schools across seven countries, including 17 new ones. Several winners have served as leaders at their universities in helping students from diverse cultural backgrounds achieve better access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and opportunities.

One area of STEM outreach on which this year’s winners are heavily focused is women’s representation in aerospace. Not only were more than half of 2020’s winners female, but many of the students have volunteered their time with organizations and nonprofits devoted to increasing women’s representation and interest in STEM.

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