Events Category: Events

The Space Workforce Forum

The Space Workforce Forum is a structured, facilitated listening event organized by the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), Policy, Advocacy & International Division (PAID), as part of the Commercial Space Policy & Industry Strategy programming. It is designed to establish a shared state of awareness across the space ecosystem by combining structured listening with curated workforce perspectives. This phase is intentionally accessible and inclusive, enabling broad situational understanding of workforce considerations shaping the space sector.

AIAA CEO Clay Mowry

The forum will be conducted in-person with a live stream option for broader ecosystem awareness. Remote participants may observe proceedings and submit questions through a moderated Q&A channel.

AIAA is pleased to be a sponsor of the program and AIAA CEO Clay Mowry will present remarks between 12:00 – 12:20 p.m. to provide an overview of AIAA and his insights on the aerospace workforce.

Learn More and Register to Attend

Robert Goddard: First Launch Centennial

Thousands of adults and young people (students, parents, engineers, technical professionals, and more) will celebrate the centennial of Robert Goddard’s first successful liquid-fueled rocket launch on 16 March 1926.

To acknowledge the pivotal role that both Robert and his wife, Esther, played in shaping our modern world, AIAA is working with dozens of aeronautic, rocketry, and aviation organizations to jointly celebrate and recognize the advancements made by these brilliant people. Between 16–22 March, join thousands of other rocketry and space enthusiasts of all ages in honoring the Goddards by launching a rocket and sharing it on social media using the hashtag #Goddard100Launch.

No matter where in the world you are, you can be a part of this celebration by posting pictures and descriptions of your experience with rocketry at any level. Whether it’s a stomp rocket in the backyard, or a high-powered rocket launched by a university team – join the mass of people saluting and remembering (or perhaps learning about for the first time) Robert and Esther Goddard.

Available Resources
  • Exploration Generation Free Rocketry Lessons (elementary, middle, and high school content). Learn More
  • You can purchase the new Robert Goddard Rocket by Estes Rockets for a hands-on connection to the moment modern rocketry began. Purchase a Robert Goddard Rocket
  • The Robert Goddard Rocket STEM Toolkit is a downloadable PDF resource that extends the build and launch experience through hands-on activities, reflection prompts, and historical context. The toolkit includes student challenges such as quizzes, science writing exercises, engineering design activities, and simple experiments that explore liquid-fueled rocketry, cause-and-effect in launches, and iterative problem-solving. Designed to be flexible, the activities can be used individually or together to help students connect Robert Goddard’s early innovations to modern STEM concepts and engineering practices.
  • Download the Robert Goddard STEM Kit

Robert Goddard Illustration1
Robert Goddard (1882-1945). American physicist. Goddard’s first successful launching of a liquid-fuel rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts, 16 March 1926. | Credit: Clark University Archives and Special Collections

Goddard With First Liquid Propulsion Rocket Pic Credit Clark University Archives And Special Collections 1
Goddard With First Liquid Propulsion Rocket. | Credit: Clark University Archives and Special Collections

East Coast Space Settlement Design Competition

2026 East Coast Space Settlement Design Competition High School students join 25-person teams that function as mock aerospace companies. Guided by mentors from the space industry, each team responds to a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) by developing and presenting a comprehensive 30-minute design proposal to a panel of judges with real-world engineering experience. The top-scoring team earns the opportunity to advance to the International Finals held at the Disney & the Kennedy Space Center, where they’ll compete with winners from around the globe. Last year the East Coast Students were on the winning international team!

High School Freshmen – Senior: Bring your pen, notebook, Chromebook and charger.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Check-In Breakfast: 7:15 – 8:00 a.m. ET
Closing Ceremony: 8:30 – 9:00 p.m. ET

Registration Fee:

  • $20
  • Scholarships are available

Learn More and RSVP

Hosted by
Southern New Jersey Section 400

Engineer’s Week: Networking Event

Indiana Section Joint Societies (SAE, AIAA, IEEE Central Indiana & Women in Engineering) Annual Engineers’ Week Networking Dinner

Qrcode Indiana 2026engweekFor Engineer’s Week, AIAA, IEEE, and SAE are coming together for a meet and greet networking event at Centerpoint Brewery!

Cost:

  • Member of SAE, AIAA, or IEEE:  $10
  • Non-Member: $15
  • Students: FREE

Learn More

2026 AIAA Fellows Induction Ceremony and Dinner

All AIAA Fellows and Honorary Fellows are cordially invited to the 2026 AIAA Fellows Induction Ceremony and Dinner

Monday, 18 May 2026
Reception: 6–7 p.m.
Dinner: 7:15–10 p.m.

“Congratulations to each member of the Class of 2026 AIAA Honorary Fellows and Fellows for their remarkable accomplishments. They are among the most respected names in the aerospace profession,” said Dan Hastings, AIAA President. “These distinguished individuals have earned the respect and admiration of the global science and engineering community. We are in awe of their creativity and exceptional contributions that have advanced aerospace.”
Please help us celebrate the Class of 2026 AIAA Honorary Fellows and Fellows.

If you would like to sit with a newly inducted Fellow, please send your request to Patricia Carr by 25 April 2026.

Honorary Fellow is the highest distinction conferred by AIAA, and recognizes preeminent individuals who have had long and highly contributory careers in aerospace and who embody the highest possible standards in aeronautics and astronautics.

2026 AIAA Honorary Fellows

Laura J. McGill, Sandia National Laboratories
Daniel J. Scheeres, University of Colorado Boulder
Steven H. Walker, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)

AIAA confers the distinction of Fellow upon individuals in recognition of their notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology of aeronautics and astronautics.

20th US Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

Welcome to the 20th U.S. National Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. This conference is held every four years under the auspices of the U.S. National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (USNCTAM) to foster and promote the exchange of ideas and information among the various disciplines of the theoretical and applied mechanics community around the world, and to chart future priorities in mechanics related research, applications and education. The U.S. National Congress on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics is a premier conference for the theoretical and applied mechanics community. It is an excellent platform for scientists and engineers to come together for free exchange of information on all aspects of engineering science. We continue this tradition by promoting the development and strengthening of the interfaces between various disciplines in engineering, sciences, and mathematics.

Learn More

The CAPSTONE Mission and the Future of Spacecraft Navigation & Autonomy

Register Now

Presented By: AIAA Utah Section

Spacecraft orbits seemingly trace out beautiful conic shapes in space, but designing these trajectories is only half of the story; knowing where and when a spacecraft is, and how fast it’s moving, is the art and science of spacecraft navigation. Dr. Matthew Givens, a senior space navigation engineer at Advanced Space LLC, will share historical and technical insights from this field as well as some perilous stories from the journey of his company’s flagship space mission, the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE), which launched in 2022 and has been orbiting in a Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) near the Moon ever since. CAPSTONE has been a testbed for several autonomous navigation and communication technologies and, in partnership with NASA, has pioneered operations and station-keeping strategies in NRHO for future Lunar Gateway space station.

How do we navigate spacecraft? What challenges are there for future human colonization of the Moon? What technologies are being developed to address these challenges? These and other questions will be the subject of this presentation for the AIAA Utah Section.

About the Speaker: Dr. Matthew Givens
Matthew Givens graduated with a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Utah in 2017. He then completed advanced degrees in aerospace engineering from Utah State University (M.S. 2019) and the University of Colorado Boulder (Ph.D. 2023) before joining the navigation team at Advanced Space. His expertise is in satellite orbit determination, cislunar astrodynamics, and computer vision. He also recently taught a new graduate course at the University of Utah, ME EN 6560 – Introduction to Astrodynamics, in the spring of 2025.

AIAA Utah Section
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the largest professional society for aeronautical and astronautical engineering professionals in the world. The Utah Section seeks to connect, engage, and recognize the best and brightest aerospace engineers across the Beehive State.

Other collaborative partners for this talk include Utah Sections of ASME, IEEE, INCOSE, and the University of Utah Department of Mechanical Engineering.

2026 Region VII Student Conference

AIAA is pleasead to announce that the Region VII/International Student Conference will be held from 3–4 December 2026 (TENTATIVE) at Adelaide University Student Branch, Adelaide, Australia & Online. This conference is intended for AIAA Region VII Students from around the world, with the exceptions of Canada and Mexico, which have been incorporated into AIAA’s North America Regions. The conference will also be hybrid with an online component to accommodate students who are not able to travel to Australia to present their paper in-person.

The AIAA Region VII Student Conference is a technical and oral paper competition for high schoolers (grades 9–12), undergraduate and graduate students of all majors! Connect with professionals in the Aerospace industry and also meet other like-minded students who share similar interests, and receive feedback on your work! Students may submit any paper that covers the technical disciplines of AIAA, and will have the chance to compete for cash prizes in a fun-filled two-day event.

*This competition is subject to all applicable laws, including US export laws. US law prevents AIAA from accepting registration fees, awarding prize money to, providing feedback on or publishing entries from, persons residing in Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Crimea, Sudan, or Syria. Additionally with respect to the conflict in Ukraine, AIAA will continue our practice not allowing Russian- or Belarusian-based students to participate in the AIAA Region VII Student Conference.

Charting the Course: Aerospace America’s Editorial Vision

 On-Demand Recording Available

Watch Replay

Aerospace America is entering an exciting new era under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Marjorie Censer. In this webinar, designed for marketing and communications leaders, Marjorie will share her editorial philosophy and vision for the magazine’s future. She will discuss her priorities for advancing Aerospace America’s print and digital storytelling, highlighting the topics and trends shaping upcoming coverage. She’ll outline how organizations can effectively engage with the magazine’s highly connected community of aerospace professionals, government leaders, and innovators.

What You’ll Take Away
  • Learn about Aerospace America’s evolving editorial direction under Marjorie Censer.
  • Discover the topics and trends shaping future print and digital coverage.
  • Understand how to share your organization’s stories with the magazine’s reporters.
Speaker

Marjorie Censer, Editor-in-Chief, Aerospace America

Marjorie Censer
Editor-in-Chief
Aerospace America