2022 Outstanding Faculty Teaching
Don Edberg, Ph.D.
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Professor of Aerospace Engineering
For as far back as I can remember, I’ve been interested in things that fly. My goal is to instill some of the same excitement in my students so they will go on to work in the field of aerospace engineering."
Dr. Don Edberg has rightfully earned a reputation for excellence in teaching throughout his 20-year academic career at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Over the last decade, he earned the Outstanding Teaching Award from the Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering, the Teaching Excellence Award from Northrop Grumman Corporation, and the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching – the highest recognition given by Cal Poly Pomona to a faculty member.
Dr. Edberg’s teaching approach reflects a close working relationship with the aerospace industry, providing opportunities for students to interact directly with practicing engineers. His advising has helped senior design teams frequently place in the top three in design competitions hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Over the years, Dr. Edberg has taught and advised 500 students across 120 design teams in aircraft, spacecraft and launch vehicles, and advised 240 students across 45 senior project teams. Last year, he advised a student team that designed and built Pomona’s first satellite to launch into space, which he did on his own time.
In the classroom, Dr. Edberg has incorporated hands-on activities that have become legendary, such as model airplane and model rocket analyses and construction and flight tests in his “Introduction to Aeronautics and Astronautics” classes. He also arranges student presentations to company-provided judges as part of class field trips and factory tours, which allows students to receive professional advice on their design work as well as witness real-world aerospace engineering projects.
During his tenure, Dr. Edberg has taught capstone courses for students in space launch vehicle design, spacecraft design and aircraft design. In addition, he has advised multiple senior project teams working on rockets, spacecraft and uninhabited aerial vehicles.
Dr. Edberg brings a world of experience into the classroom. The holder of 10 U.S. patents on launch vehicle and microgravity vibration isolation and related engineering technologies, he is also the inventor and chief engineer of the patented McDonnell Douglas STABLE vibration isolation system, and the chief engineer on the AeroVironment Pointer UAV designation FQM-151 electric-powered aerial reconnaissance vehicle.