Virginia Tech alumni and friends recently hosted a special commemorative session honoring Joseph Schetz, celebrating his influential career and enduring impact on the aerospace community. 

The special session, A Commemoration of Dr. Joseph Schetz, took place during the proceedings at the 2026 AIAA SciTech Forum at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Florida.

For more than five decades, Schetz’s reputation for research and distinguished leadership has stretched wide across the aerospace and ocean engineering communities. Although he officially retired in 2022, he is regularly seen in the office and has been mentoring a new faculty member in hypersonics. Over the course of 50+ years at Virginia Tech, he has advised 80 Ph.D. graduates.

The program offered remarks and reflections from distinguished colleagues whose careers and research have been shaped by Dr. Schetz, including:

  • Rodney Bowersox, Texas A&M University

  • Ryan Meritt, Ahmic Operations

  • Ed Kush, General Applied Science Laboratory (GASL)

  • David Van Wie, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

  • Rakesh Kapania, Virginia Tech

  • Abdi Nejad, Aerojet Rocketdyne

  • Luca Maddalena, The University of Texas at Arlington

  • Corry Johnson, Aerojet Rocketdyne 

The session aimed to highlight Schetz’s influence through research insights, program perspectives, and personal memories. Following the session, the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering hosted a celebratory dinner for Schetz, the presenters, friends and colleagues.