Beron-Rawdon currently serves as senior design director in MD-11 industrial design at Douglas Aircraft Co., the commercial jetliner division of McDonnell Douglas. She has been responsible for designing the cabin decor of more than 150 MD-11s operated by more than 20 airlines.

Beron-Rawdon's honor comes in recognition of more than 10 years of designing passenger-pleasing aircraft interiors that meet Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations and aircraft structural requirements while being lightweight and easily maintainable. Besides her work on the popular MD-11 trijet, she has also worked on a number of study projects and proposals for advanced design aircraft. She currently also serves as the interior design focal point for interiors on the Blended Wing Body study project.

"She's truly one of our industry's leaders in industrial and interior design engineering for commercial aircraft," said Al Haggerty, Douglas vice president and chief engineer. "We are thrilled that she was named an MDC Fellow. The senior management at Douglas consider her to be a vital asset in all major airline marketing campaigns."

The McDonnell Douglas Engineering and Research Fellow program was initiated in 1982, establishing a standard of excellence for which McDonnell Douglas engineers continue to strive. To qualify as a Fellow, the candidate must have a history of outstanding and sustained technical performance in a specialized field, with a record of creative and original thinking and the ability to translate scientific theory into innovative, practical results.

Beron-Rawdon has been a leader in the introduction of advanced interior materials to comply with new regulations and is a primary driver in the use of computer applications in aircraft interior design. She also is formally involved in mentoring activities and has lectured students in studies of advanced aircraft interior concepts, guiding the students through a series of concept and full-size mockup presentations.