Tag: AIAA Announces

University of New South Wales Canberra Hosts 2023 AIAA Region VII Student Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Region VII Student Conference, held 27–28 November at the University of New South Wales Canberra and online.

Attendees presented 39 papers and represented 19 universities from 11 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Students presented papers in three categories: undergraduate, masters, and high school. Their presentations were evaluated by experienced aerospace professionals. Additionally, the papers will be published by AIAA and available on Aerospace Research Center (ARC) in January 2024.

For the undergraduate and masters categories, first-place winners received a cash prize of $500 and an invitation to participate in the International Student Conference held during the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum, 8–12 January 2024. Second-place winners received a cash prize of $300 and third-place winners received $250. The high school student winners received $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place.

AIAA student conferences are an opportunity for students to present and publish their work in front or their peers and members of the industry. Each of the AIAA seven regions host one conference each year. The Regional Student Conferences for Regions I-VI will take place in Spring 2024.

Lockheed Martin is the generous sponsor of all seven of the AIAA Student Conferences. Additionally, special thanks to the University of New South Wales Canberra, the Sydney Section, the judges, Professor Graham Wild, Professor Charlie Hoke, Tjasa Boh Whiteman, and Region VII Director Cees Bil for coordinating the conference.

2023 AIAA Region VII Student Conference Paper Winners

High School Category

1st Place: Cheney Wu and Nate Osikowicz, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, MI, “Exploration of Tensegrity Applications in Airfoil Designs”
2nd Place: Baldwin Chen, American International School of Dhaka, Bangladesh, “Regression Rates of Non-liquefying Fuels in a Hybrid Rocket Engine at Atmospheric Pressure”
3rd Place: Zhishan Lu, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA, “The Development and Application of Air-launch Technology”

Undergraduate Category

1st Place: Georgia Warren, University of New South Wales Canberra, Australia, “Development and Testing of a Stereo Photogrammetry System for Multi-Axis Optical Tracking of Free-Flight Models”
2nd Place: Alexandra Stewart and Graham Wild, University of New South Wales Canberra, Australia, “A Historical Analysis of Military Action against Civilian Aircraft”
3rd Place: Johnny Chen and KC Wong, University of Sydney, Australia, “Design of a Span Morphing Wing for a Blended Wing Body UAV”

Masters Category

1st Place: Jiwon Lee and Youdan Kim, Seoul National University, South Korea, “NMPC-based Control Deign for Transition Flight of Fixed-Wing VTOL UAV”
2nd Place: Lok Yan Poon, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia, “Renewable Natural Fibre Reinforcement Development”
3rd Place: Bader Ayran and Abdullah Barakat, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, “Propulsive Landing of a 6DoF Variable Mass Rocket System using Real-Time Nonlinear Model Predictive Control”

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2025 Regional Student Conference Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of six of the 2025 Regional Student Conferences. The first-place university student winners in each of the high school, undergraduate, graduate, and team categories (listed below) receive cash prizes.

Record-breaking crowds of over 1,200 students and professionals attended across all six of the recent conferences. This year marks the first regional student conference held in Canada. The 355 student papers presented will be published by AIAA and available on Aerospace Research Center (ARC) later this year.

“We’re excited to see our university student members gaining real-life experiences,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “For many students, these conferences are their first opportunity to formally present their research and receive valuable feedback from industry professionals. Their creativity and passion for aerospace was on full display. After hearing several presentations, I came away with a renewed enthusiasm for our community—the future of aerospace is bright indeed.”

“We’re grateful to the local aerospace industry and universities in the conference cities for hosting tours and sponsoring the events. The dedication from the many local AIAA section volunteers helps make these conferences a resounding success,” Mowry added.

AIAA holds conferences in each region for university student members at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and in some cases high schoolers. The AIAA Foundation funds the regional student conferences, in addition to contributions from many other regional-level sponsors.

Region I Winners

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Design and Analysis of a Self-Propelled Nanosatellite for a Mission Beyond Low Earth Orbit,” Zoë Jaeger-Letts and Jakub Glowacki, Concordia University (Montreal, Canada)
Second Place: “Structural Analysis and Testing of a Student-Designed UAV Wing,” Jack Snyder and Nick Tepylo, Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY)
Third Place: “Visual Exploration with UAVs: Solving the Next-Best-View Problem with Limited A Priori Information,” Coleman Henner, Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Advancing Space Situational Awareness: Using Multispectral Imaging for Space Object Observation,” Lovejivan Sidhu and Gupreet Singh, York University (Toronto, Canada)
Second Place: “IRMA: New Era for Interstellar Travel,” Christina Decker and Felix May, University at Buffalo (Buffalo, NY)
Third Place: “Aircraft Trim Condition Detection Using Flight Test Data and Interval Analysis,” Mouhamadou Wade, École de Technologie Supérieure (Montreal, Canada)

Team Category

First Place: “Design of Morph Wings with Tunable Properties for Ultralight Aircraft,” Serena Dalo, Emre Danabasoglu, Demi Davis, Benjamin France, Fiona Leitner, Maxwell Maria, and James Watson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)
Second Place: “Aerodynamic Performance Enhancement of Co-Flow Jet Airfoil with Metamorphic Wing Mechanism,” Rawsen Mitchell, Andrew Leonard, Eric Doraci, and Haifa El-Sadi, Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston, MA)
Third Place: “Design of a CubeSat Radio Telescope Constellation,” Zevulun Lieberman, Sjoerd Huitema, Mary Laurens, Aquil-li Rodriguez Plassa, and Mark Russo, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA)

Region II Winners

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Experimental Characterization of a Quadrotor’s Response Air Vortex Cannon,” Kyle VanHorn, University of North Carolina Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
Second Place: “Development of a Student-Built LOX/Jet-A Coaxial Swirl Injector,” Dario Zaccagnino, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Third Place: “Design and Fabrication of an EDS-Enabled Brush Prototype for Lunar Dust Mitigation,” Nishant Sood and Julie Linsey, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Evolution of the Biderectional Vortex in a Capped Ellipsoidal Cyclonic Rocket Engine,” Patrick Eid and Joseph Majdalani, Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
Second Place: “On the Multipole Vortex (MpV) Motion in a Circular-Port Hybrid Rocket Engine,” Mitchell Sisk and Joseph Majdalani, Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
Third Place: “Star Elimination as a Means of Resident Space Object Identification for Space Situational Awareness,” Evan Pavetto-Stewart and Thomas Alan Lovell, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL)

Undergraduate Team Category

First Place: “STARGATE: An Undergraduate Experimental Gridded Ion Thruster Student Research Project,” Claude Blue, Peter Summers, Jeffrey King, and Themistoklis Chronis, University of Alabama Huntsville (Huntsville, AL)
Second Place: “Development of a High-Performance Avionics System for Real-Time Guidance and Control in High-Power Vehicles,” Cheng Liu, Mohammed Abdeen, and Kanav Chugh, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Third Place: “Design and Analysis of Axial Turbine Power Extraction from a Small-Scale Rotating Detonation Rocket Combustor,” Corey Thunes, Donovan Ngum, Ellie Murray, Jose Barbeito, Lucas Nicol, Rodrigo Dacosta, Trevor Larsen and James Braun, North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)

Outstanding Student Branch Category

First Place: Auburn University (Auburn, AL)
Second Place: Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA)
Third Place: University of Tennessee Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)

Open Topic Category

First Place: “Advancing Laser Communication for Mars Orbital Missions,” Om Acharya, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL)
Second Place: “The Orbiter: Pushing the Boundaries of Amateur Rocketry,” Yash Malik, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)
Third Place: “A Review of Hypersonic Vehicle Engine Optimization,” Nicholas Pisani and Peter Waszkowski, Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL)

Region III Winners

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Velocity Characterization of a Newly Commissioned Hypersonic Ludwieg Tube Using FLEET,” Rowan Quintero, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Second Place: “Free-Flight Testing of Ogive Flare Geometry in Hypersonic Wind Tunnel,” Ryan Jones, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
Third Place: “Continued Development and Validation of an Exoskeleton Focused Immersive Teleoperation Interface,” Romeo Perlstein, University of Maryland (College Park, MD)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Multi-Sensor Based Adaptive Fusion Scheme for Position Estimation of Multirotor UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments,” Luke Busse, University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH)
Second Place: “Cascading Delay Mitigation with Quadratic Bezier Curve Trajectory Planning,” Michael Variny, Ohio University (Athens, OH)
Third Place: “Optimization of Thrust Vector Direction for Direct Measurement Uncertainty Minimization,” Adam Jones, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

Team Category

First Place: “Design and Implementation of a High-Powered Rocket to Investigate Flight Performance and Fin Flutter During Transonic Flight,” Sam Zieba, Cesar Martinez, Ian James, Tari Himelhoch, and Cole Christopherson, Milwaukee School of Engineering (Milwaukee, WI)
Second Place: “Mars Autonomous Resupply Constellation (MARC), Raymond Bertke,” Hayden Brown, Nicholas Gomori, and Jake Ferris, Ohio State University (Columbus, OH)
Third Place: “Design and Manufacturing of FANG (Fabric ANchoring Gadget) for Fabric Repair on the International Space Station,” Zoe Surles, Saanvi Kunisetty, Lillian Hunt, Gabriela Zabiegaj, Ryan Smith, Tiana Foreman, Casimir Palowski, Taranpreet Singh, Alana Falter, Denver Haslett, Andrew Jace Bernando, Kate Pactol, Parker Lenkaitis, Jennifer Ren, Emma Held, and Julia Kalil, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Urbana-Champaign, IL)

Region IV Winners

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Efficiency of Bio-Inspired Blades for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines,” Smruthi Ahashidhar and Kiran Bhaganagar, University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
Second Place: “Development of a Bimodal Ammonium Perchlorate Cast Propellant for 54-mm and 76-mm Solid Rockets,” Alex Earnhart and Jacob Robinson, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Third Place: “Frequency Response of Fast-Responsive Pressure-Sensitive Paint, Andrew Cervantes and Alexandria Lopez-Boor,” University of Texas at San Antonio, (San Antonio, TX)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Tailoring Metal Particle Deposition on Non-conductive Woven Fabrics for Multifunctional Applications using an Electroplating Process,” Isaac Carney and Isaac Williams, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Second Place: “Development of a Micro-Turbojet Engine Control Unit for Component Level Efficiencies Monitoring,” Zachary Wattenbarger and Kurt Rouser, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)
Third Place: “An Analytical Model for Thin Film Heat-Transfer Gauges,” Emirhan Bayir, University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX)

Team Category

First Place: “Optimization of Wheel Design for NASA TSGC Lunar Personal Electric Vehicle (LPEV): A Mechanical Engineering Approach,” Akash Musale, Swaid Alrashed, Easton Duplichan, Silas Hill, and Nourouddin Sharifi, Tarleton State University (Stephenville, TX)
Second Place: “Application of Neuromorphic Attitude Control to High-Powered Rockets,” Daniel Bluedorn, Kaiden Kiracofe, Brian Davis, Kimberly Perez, and Stefan Fountain, New Mexico State University (Las Cruces, NM)
Third Place: “Development of a 2-Dimensional, Variable-Area Nozzle for Small Unmanned Aircraft Micro-Turbojets,” Noah Greeson, Andrew Knotts, Sue Ellyn Corbett, Alexandra Boyko, Ryan Berzas, Alexandra Boyko, Tyler Rogalski, and Kurt Rouser, Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, OK)

Region V Winners

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Modeling Trajectory and Attitude to Optimize Baffle Design for the Optical Navigation System of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt,” Christopher Michael O’Neill Jr., University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
Second Place: “Predictive Station Keeping of Areostationary Satellites Using Natural Motion Trajectories,” Nathan Gall and Ryan Caverly, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
Third Place: “Machine Learning Optimization of Model Following Control for Resilient Microburst Attenuation on Final Approach,” Nathan Aldridge and Samuel Stanton, United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Academy, CO)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Long Short-Term Memory Networks to Improve Aerodynamic Coefficient Estimation for Aerocapture,” Dominic Rudakevych and Stephen Becker, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
Second Place: “Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Trajectory Design Using Constrained Energy Maneuverability,” Sam Jaeger and Maziar Hemati, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
Third Place: “Human Spaceflight Graduate Projects: Recommendations for Project-Based Aerospace Systems Engineering,” Lynnette Wilde and Lynzee Hogger, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)

Undergraduate Team Category

First Place: “Countering Balance Impairments in Microgravity and Earth Environments Using a Reactive Balance System,” Sweta Alla, Maya Mital, and Rishab Pally, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)
Second Place: “Sound of Crickets: Design of Experimental System for Analysis of the Effects of Rocket Launch on Acheta domestitcus Cricket Eggs,” Anna Daetz, Bryson Chittum, Aaron Kerber, and William Kilcrease, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs, CO)
Third Place: “Aerodynamic Stability for Optimal CubeSat Drag Sail Operations,” Adrian Bryant, Polly Fitton, Tyler Renken, Shane Billingsley, University of Colorado Boulder (Boulder, CO)

Region VI Winners

High School Category

First Place: “A Novel Low-Cost Zero Mean-Flow Chamber Design and Physics-Informed Neural Network for Astrophysical and Environmental Turbulence Applications,” Aiden Kwon, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Rolling Hills Estates, CA)
Second Place: “A Study of Toroidal Propellers with Comparison to Traditional Propellers,” Bingxuan Cheng, Trabuco Hills High School (Mission Viejo, CA)
Third Place: “Taming the Oblique Wing: Improving Fuel Efficiency by Developing and Flight Testing an Oblique Wing Aircraft Utilizing a Novel Control Method,” Kevin Shen, Olympia High School (Olympia, WA)

Undergraduate Category

First Place: “Modeling a Gliding Turn-Back Maneuver (“Impossible Turn”) Following an Engine Failure,” Nicholas Lototsky, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Second Place: “Computational Model of a Table Top Shock Tunnel for Hypersonic Environments,” Lindsay Feyrer and Tim Linke, University of California Davis (Davis, CA)
Third Place: “Spectroscopic Analysis of Erosion Rate from Electrode Surfaces on the ZaP-HD Device,” Elyse Lian, University of Washington (Seattle, WA)

Graduate Category

First Place: “Aerodynamic Force Characterization of a Novel Variable Amplitude Flapping Wing Robot,” Geourg Kivijian and Nandeesh Hiremath, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Second Place: “Initial Parametric Design of a Torsion Pendulum to Demonstrate Attitude Control using Microoptoelectromechanical System Control of Radiation Pressure,” Jonathan Messer, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Third Place: “Influence of Functionalized Titanium Dioxide Ligant Length on Composite Mechanical Properties,” Ian Holmes and Joseph Kalman

Undergraduate Team Category

First Place: “Design and Experimental Validation of a Gallium Field Emission Electric Propulsion Thruster,” Kylar Flynn, Gabriel Goldman, Connor Storey, and Jose Torres, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Second Place Tie: “Tensegrity Structures for Energy Absorption in Aerospace Landing and Reusable Rocket Systems,” Leire Roma Rubi, Ryan Kuo, and Brennan Birn, University of California Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
Second Place Tie: “Load Testing of a Superelastic Tire Suited for Space Exploration,” Audrey Park, Jacqueline Nguyen, Amanda Lucker, Yashvi Deliwala, University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
Third Place: “Design of a Non-Flapping Morphing Drone Inspired by the Western Gull,” by Jose Aquilera Fuentes, Jeffrey Astorga, Marco Zuloaga, Jeremy LeMaster, Adrian Corral, Jonathan Balan, Joseph Mackey de Zela, Matthew Emil Martin, Harmandeep Gill, Brianna Murphy, and Peter Bishay, California State University Northridge (Northridge, CA)

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

AIAA Announces 2025 Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 14, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA has announced the winners of its 2025 undergraduate scholarships and graduate awards. Through the AIAA Foundation and supported by its nearly 30,000 members, AIAA annually presents over $235,000 in academic scholarships and STEM educational grants to support the next generation of aerospace professionals.

“Congratulations to these remarkable students on earning scholarships and awards to further their education. We are proud to call them AIAA student members,” said Laura McGill, chair, AIAA Foundation. “Preparing the next generation of innovators is part of AIAA’s commitment to the aerospace community. We look forward to seeing how these students make the next breakthroughs to shape the future of aerospace.”

Applications for the 2026 scholarships and graduate awards are being accepted from 15 October 2025 to 31 January 2026. Visit the AIAA Foundation’s Undergraduate Scholarships and Graduate Awards website for more information.

The 2025 undergraduate scholarship winners are:

The $10,000 David and Catherine Thompson Space Technology Scholarship, named for and endowed by former AIAA President David Thompson, retired chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Orbital ATK, Dulles, Virginia, and his wife Catherine, was presented to Paige Rust, Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
The $10,000 Daedalus 88 Scholarship, endowed by former AIAA President John Langford, founder and chairman of Electra.aero, was presented to Abigail Frank, Purdue University.
The $10,000 Mary W. Jackson Scholarship, honoring the late NASA mathematician and aerospace engineer, Mary W. Jackson, was presented to Joshua Kassel, University of Colorado Boulder.
The $5,000 Vicki and George Muellner Scholarship for Aerospace Engineering, named for and endowed by the late Lt. Gen. George Muellner, U.S. Air Force, former AIAA President, president of advanced systems for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and his wife Vicki, was presented to Ishaan Kalanadha Bhatta, Purdue University.

Additional AIAA Foundation scholarships were presented by AIAA technical committees (TC) to students performing research in the TC discipline:

The Space Transportation TC presented a $1,500 scholarship to Avah Cherry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The Digital Avionics TC presented four scholarships of $3,000 each:

The Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Geenadie Rathnayake, University of Washington.
The Ellis F. Hitt Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Karsten Caillet, Georgia Institute of Technology.
The Dr. Amy R. Pritchett Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Karson Schaefers, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
The Dr. James Rankin Digital Avionics Scholarship was presented to Julianna Schneider, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The AIAA Rocky Mountain Section, comprising AIAA members located in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut presented a $500 scholarship to Titus Smith, Colorado School of Mines. The scholarship is presented to a student studying at a school that sits within the section’s geographical boundaries.

The 2025 graduate award winners are:

Patrick Bailey, University of South Carolina, received the Neil Armstrong Graduate Award. This $10,000 award honors the character and achievements of the late astronaut, military pilot, and educator, Neil A. Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon.
Veera Venkata Ram Murali Krishna Rao Muvva, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, received the Orville and Wilbur Wright Graduate Award. This $10,000 award is given to a full-time graduate student in memory of the Wright brothers’ contributions to the evolution of flight.
Stephen West and Andrew Strawn, both from North Carolina State University (NCSU), are the recipients of the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan Graduate Award in Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Hassan established the award shortly before his death in January 2019 to entice top NCSU aerospace engineering seniors, who also are AIAA members, to earn their graduate degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in aerospace engineering at NCSU. Two $8,000 awards are presented each year.
Marwa Yacouti, University of Colorado Boulder, received the $1,250 John Leland Atwood Graduate Award. Established in 1999, the $1,250 award, sponsored by endowments from Rockwell and what is now The Boeing Company and named in memory of John Leland “Lee” Atwood, former chief executive officer of Rockwell, North America, recognizes a student actively engaged in research in the areas covered by the technical committees of AIAA.

Five AIAA TCs also presented graduate awards:

Akshaj “Akku” Kumar, Texas A&M University, received the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) TC’s $3,500 Guidance, Navigation and Control Graduate Award.
Cole Nielsen, Purdue University, received the Liquid Propulsion TC’s $2,500 Liquid Propulsion Graduate Award.
Ari Jain, Georgia Institute of Technology, received the Propellants and Combustion TC’s $1,500 Martin Summerfield Propellants and Combustion Graduate Award.
Kaurab Gautam, University of Cincinnati, received the Propulsion and Energy Group’s $1,000 Gordon C. Oates Air Breathing Propulsion Graduate Award.
Aayush Bhattarai, Auburn University, received the General Aviation TC’s $1,000 William T. Piper, Sr., General Aviation Systems Graduate Award.

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.

AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 to Break Barriers Together

Registration Is Open for the World’s Largest Aerospace R&D Event

October 9, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA announced registration is open for the premier aerospace R&D event of the year, AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, 12–16 January, Hyatt Regency Orlando, Orlando, Florida.

The forum’s inspirational theme, “Breaking Barriers Together: Boundless Discovery,” will deliver sessions and presentations envisioning the possibilities for aerospace’s future. More than 5,000 engineering minds from across industry, government, and academia are expected to gather, setting the pace of innovation and connection for the year.

From artificial intelligence and autonomy to high-speed propulsion and quantum computing, the program is designed to engage aerospace professionals in the next breakthroughs. The forum features nearly 3,000 technical presentations, as well as an extensive lineup of aerospace and defense industry leaders and innovators from across industry, government, and academia as speakers.

Confirmed plenary speakers include:

Jonathan Arenberg, Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration, Northrop Grumman, will provide a unique look at NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the premier observatory of the next decade that is studying every phase in the history of our universe. Having served as Northrop Grumman’s chief engineer on Webb, he will share his insights into its origins, development, operation, and lessons learned.
Arbi Karapetian, Director, Innovation and Technology, Formula 1, will share how early-stage science and technology innovation fuels performance across industries. He will draw from his nearly 30 years of aerospace experience, most recently with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

New this year is the intensive Career Accelerator Program for university students. This full-day program will provide practical and actionable strategies to attendees to launch and navigate their careers in aerospace. Planned for Monday, 12 January, attendees will gain insights into what it takes to succeed in the industry with a series of expert-led microsessions offering leadership development tools and the latest career advice. The popular Student Lounge will be sponsored by Lockheed Martin for the next generation of aerospace professionals to network with each other throughout the week.

Premier sponsor Lockheed Martin will deliver sessions during the week on its AI Fight Club™, a head-to-head competitive environment designed to accelerate how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed. Speakers will share insights about this comprehensive testing ground that simulates how AI systems perform across domains – air, land, sea and space – to test models that meet Department of Defense (DOD) qualifications.

Features of the forum include:

60+ Technical Disciplines: The deep technical content sets an AIAA forum apart from other industry events. Technical sessions will cover applied aerodynamics; fluid dynamics; guidance, navigation, and control; intelligent systems; propellants and combustion; and many more.
100+ Exhibitors: With hardware displays to live demos to hands-on experiences, the expanded Expo Hall will showcase the latest technological developments from top companies, universities, and government agencies.
Rising Leaders in Aerospace: Special programming and networking opportunities are scheduled for young professionals, designed by young professionals, including the popular Speed Mentoring session, as well as panels and interactive workshops on a variety of topics.
Meet the Employers and Meet the Universities: These speed networking style events return for AIAA Corporate Members to recruit students and young professionals seeking their next steps in employment or advanced degree programs.
Talks at the HUB: The Expo Hall will feature a series of lightning talks from innovators and inventors, with direct audience engagement from the dedicated HUB stage.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. For the most up-to-date program and registration information, visit SciTech.aiaa.org. Press passes are available by emailing [email protected].

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

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.

AIAA Announces Faculty Advisor Award Recipients

November 7, 2025 – AIAA has announced six recipients of the Faculty Advisor Award, which recognizes faculty advisors at chartered AIAA Student Branches who have made outstanding contributions to their branch and to local, regional, and national activities.

“Faculty advisors are the backbone of our student branches. These six remarkable individuals don’t just advise—they mentor, advocate, and connect students to the university, AIAA, and our broader aerospace community,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “Their passion is igniting the next generation. They are propelling students beyond the lecture halls and labs to achieve the breakthroughs that will shape the future of aerospace.”

Mohammad Ayoubi, Santa Clara University
Danilo de Camargo Branco, Florida Institute of Technology
Wout De Backer, University of South Carolina
Michael Denn, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Mostafa Hassanalian, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Arif Malik, University of Texas at Dallas

The individuals will be recognized at an awards recognition event during AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 in Orlando, Florida, on 12 January. They also will be recognized locally by their AIAA professional sections.

AIAA has 263 student branches, with a total active membership of over 9,000 students worldwide. Student branches foster opportunities for collaboration and serve as a club for engineering students on campus. The faculty advisor plays a critical role in sustaining student branches and encouraging their growth and success.

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

About AIAA

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.