Tony England
A.W. (Tony) England, a former NASA scientist-astronaut, is dean of the University of Michigan-Dearborn College of Engineering and Computer Science. He has served on UM-Dearborn’s campus since 2012.
England joined NASA as an Apollo astronaut in 1967, where he completed Air Force pilot training and served as mission scientist for Apollos 13 and 16, and co-investigator on the Apollo 17 Lunar Surface Electrical Properties Experiment.
He moved to the U.S. Geological Survey in 1972 as a research geophysicist and, eventually, as deputy chief of geochemistry and geophysics, where he used radar to study glaciers in Washington, Alaska and Antarctica, and developed new radiometric techniques for monitoring changes in the Earth’s soil moisture, freshwater ice, snow and permafrost as part of climate warming. He was an associate editor for the Journal of Geophysical Research and a member of the National Research Council's Space Studies Board, where he chaired several committees.
England returned to NASA as mission specialist astronaut in 1979. He was assigned to the Space Shuttle flight control test-group, flew as crewman on Shuttle Challenger’s Spacelab 2 — a solar astronomy and plasma physics mission — served as Space Station program scientist and taught at Rice University as a visiting professor. He has logged over 4,000 hours as a pilot of NASA, USGS and private aircraft, and served aboard Shuttle Challenger during eight days in Earth orbit.
England joined the University of Michigan as professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and as professor of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences in 1988, where he also served as associate dean of the Rackham Graduate School for three years and as associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering for five years. His research continues to focus on new radiometric techniques for monitoring changes in the Earth’s hydrosphere and cryosphere, and how these changes relate to climate warming.
Among his many recognitions, England was awarded a share of the President’s Medal of Freedom for contributions to the safe recovery of Apollo 13, the NASA Outstanding Scientific Achievement Medal, the U.S. Antarctic Medal, the NASA Space Flight Medal and the American Astronomical Society Space Flight Award, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, the College of Engineering Excellence in Faculty Service Award, the University of Michigan’s Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award, the UROP Mentoring Award, the IEEE Judith A. Resnik Award, the NCID Exemplary Diversity Engagement and Scholarship Award, and the UM-Dearborn Susan B. Anthony Campus Award for a “longstanding commitment to advancing women and girls in the fields of science and engineering.”
England earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Earth sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in geophysics, also from MIT. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Electromagnetics Academy, and member of the American Society of Engineering Educators and the American Geophysical Union.
