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Gene Lin |
Modeling a "Green" Effort
Gene Lin
December 2009
Over the past year Gene Lin has focused on developing models to find methods for reducing the environmental impact of air travel. Lin, a modeling and simulation engineer at MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) in McLean, Va., is the primary researcher and project leader of an exploratory research project called Green Airspace Design.
"Simply put, the Green Airspace Design research looked at how the layout of arrivals and departures around airports affects the amount of fuel they use," says Lin. The goal was to find ways to safely adjust flight paths in the airspace above the terminal area in an effort to minimize fuel consumption. The research effort was one of more than 75 projects that make up MITRE's internally funded research program last year.
The green airspace design research (see "Green Air Space Design: Reducing Fuel Burn") examined several different factors including: reducing fuel burn in the airspace above the terminal area; modifying aircraft level-offs and crossings in the airspace near the airport; and increasing the use of crossing runways for aircraft departures and arrivals. Because all these factors can have multiple—possibly conflicting—effects, the research also takes into consideration the trade-offs involved.
While the green airspace project took the bulk of his time this past year, Lin has also used his modeling and simulation expertise to support a number of other aviation projects. "I use several MITRE-developed simulation tools to model airport capacity—to figure out the maximum sustainable number of arrivals and departures a particular airport can have," he says.
"In addition, I've done some work related to aviation economics: some with economic forecasting, some with economic modeling, and some with aviation statistics. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to learn even the littlest bit of economics. It's so basic to our lives, and yet was mostly alien to my work experience."
Aviation Models: A New Challenge
Unlike many of his CAASD peers, Lin had never worked for or within the aviation industry before joining MITRE in 2004. He came here from ExxonMobil where he developed and implemented computer models to improve the management of the company's oil supply chain.
"I've had to learn a lot about aviation," he says. "It's been very interesting, and I love the complexity of it. I think the most fun parts of my work are the ‘preprocessing' and ‘postprocessing' that you often need to do for using a model. But those are also the hardest and occasionally most frustrating parts. A model, in its mathematical sense, is a simplified view of the world that lets you get to details you care a lot about, at the expense of details you care less about. So when you take information from the real world to use as starting points for a model, you have to select and interpret the data so that the real world looks more like the model. When the modeling is done, you have to do that in reverse."
However, models alone don't always tell the whole story. "In using models, it's helpful to ask if the numbers—derived numbers, modeled results, or even the raw data—make sense," says Lin. "It's like looking at a gemstone, or a good story or poem—there's always something else if you know how to look."
Tourist, Volunteer, and Parent
Lin, who has lived and traveled across the nation and the globe, enjoys both the temperate climate and historical relevance of the D.C. metro area. "I've lived in Fairfax County since November 2000 and I love the mild climate we have here," he says. "I also love visiting the Lincoln, Jefferson, and FDR memorials—they represent, to me, some of our highest human ideals, and they're accessible to people of all ages."
He feels fortunate that that his job allows him to give back to the community. "Since coming to MITRE, I've been able to volunteer at Career Day at my old high school in Wilmington, Delaware, and to serve as an election officer for Fairfax County. It's fascinating to me to listen to kids' questions, and to see the technology—rules and artifacts—behind a free and fair election."
The personal benefits to Lin and his family have been significant as well. "MITRE's flexible work day policy has also allowed me to see my kids somewhat more than I think my parents got to see me. As a parent, that's priceless."
—by Kay M. Upham
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