University of Arizona professor Hermann F. Fasel is seeing green. As the inaugural 1885 Society Presidential Chair, the professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering has money in his pocket for exploratory research in alternative energy and biomedical fluid mechanics.

The chair is the first initiative funded by the 1885 Society, a UA donor group whose members commit to providing annual, unrestricted cash gifts of $10,000 or more to meet the changing needs of the University.

“The generous gifts from members of the 1885 Society allow us to leverage our resources to reward faculty members during these challenging times,” said UA President Robert N. Shelton. “Dr. Fasel is precisely the type of faculty member who embodies The University of Arizona’s reputation as a world-class research institution.”

Dr. Shelton appointed Fasel to the rotating chair in April. Fasel will receive $40,000 annually for the extent of his appointment.

“I was totally surprised and I am deeply honored to be selected for this prestigious award,” Fasel said. “I see this as an investment in new ideas that I would like to pursue. I plan to apply my experience and knowledge in aeronautical engineering to research in solar tower power plants, wind turbines and cardiovascular medicine.”

Fasel heads the Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (CFDL) at AME. The lab uses the world’s fastest supercomputers to conduct scientific research for various agencies including the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and industry.

Since 2002, he has secured dozens of research grants and currently has active grants totaling more than $6 million. He leads a team of graduate and undergraduate students in research areas including laminar-turbulent transition, flow control, aerodynamics and dynamically scaled flight-testing of aircraft. His efforts are helping to create airplanes that are safer, more fuel efficient, and have less impact on the environment.

“Hermann is an outstanding College of Engineering faculty member in all phases of the job – teaching, research and service,” said Jeffery Goldberg, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “He works on problems that are important to society and he has a great ability to show how things are interrelated. He has high standards for himself and his colleagues, which is why he is so well respected around the world.”