2025 Ronald McNair Commemorative Luncheon Celebration

The Ronald E. McNair Commemorative Luncheon Celebration will be Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 11:30 a.m. in the Deese Ballroom at the Student Center.

Capacity is limited and registration is required. RSVP at https://ncat.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8DfTc3rlPhi3c0e   

Special guest speaker is Brandon Sells ‘15, Ph.D., who graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in mechanical engineering-aerospace concentration. 

Sells joined NASA in 2023 as an aerospace engineer working in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch (ASAB). He contributes to ongoing efforts to (re)define aeronautics technologies, evolutionary concepts, concepts of operations, and transportation paradigms with the Intercenter Systems Analysis Team (ISAT).

Sells' interest in aviation began with the fascination of something heavier than air that could fly gracefully through the skies. His passion grew from a young age on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and was evident throughout his academic and professional experiences.

While at A&T and later at Purdue University, where he earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics, Sells centered his aeronautics research around developing system models, analyses, and decision-support tools to advance aviation and improve transportation for all communities. Throughout his academic career, he spent time working on rocket and risk analysis at NASA Wallops Flight Facility; software/hardware integration and testing for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity Rover at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and supporting 747/767/777x programs at Boeing as a design engineer.

Prior to joining NASA, Sells worked in the Aerospace Systems Design, Analysis, and Optimization Laboratory at Purdue University to analyze and develop future aeronautics transportation systems with a system-of-systems framework and a community-forward perspective. The research efforts provided experiences with system analysis and modeling through joint projects with the FAA and NASA.

Outside of NASA, Sells holds membership in both the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA); an aspiring private pilot; and enjoys mentoring aspiring engineers, technologists and creatives.

Chancellor James R. Martin II, Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, several TRiO McNair Scholars, students and leaders also are scheduled to speak during the program, which will feature the Army ROTC and North Carolina A&T Gospel Choir.