AIAA Announces Recipients of 2026 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship Written 7 May 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, 2026 – Reston, Va. – AIAA is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Roger W. Kahn Scholarship. The four $10,000 awards go to the following high school seniors:

Aya Elamrani-Zerifi
From: Maryland
Attending in the Fall: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Vishal Manikanden
From: Virginia
Attending in the Fall: Princeton University

Aoqi Xu
From: Georgia
Attending in the Fall: Georgia Tech

Madison Nation
From: Colorado
Attending in the Fall: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida

Read their full profiles on the AIAA website.

The Roger W. Kahn Scholarship was created to honor the memory of Roger W. Kahn (1907–1962) and his passion for aviation and entertainment. Kahn spent the latter part of his career at Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation as a test pilot and then managed the technical service and sales division. In the 1940s, he was actively involved with the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (one of the predecessor organizations of AIAA) and later served as its vice president.

Kahn also was an accomplished jazz musician as early as the 1920s, composing songs often featured in stage productions and early films, as well as leading numerous orchestras. He became a recording artist for some of the first record labels including Victor, Brunswick, and Columbia.

Kahn left a legacy gift to AIAA – a song called “Crazy Rhythm” – that he wrote in 1928. AIAA used the proceeds of his trust to establish the scholarship in 2020. Since then, 16 students have received the scholarship to pursue university degrees in engineering.

“AIAA is thrilled to honor the memory of aviation pioneer Roger W. Kahn with such a powerful investment in the future of aerospace. The scholarship that bears his name will support four more bright minds driving the next technology breakthroughs. His enthusiasm for aviation nearly 100 years ago will remain relevant in the next 100 years of innovation,” commented AIAA CEO Clay Mowry.

Laura McGill, chair of the AIAA Foundation, added, “The AIAA Foundation is pleased to use part of Roger W. Kahn’s gift to identify, mentor, and promote promising young aerospace talent on their first steps from classroom to career. We can’t wait to see them shape the future of aerospace.”

Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

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