On 3 December, we’re rallying the aerospace community to join us in an act of generosity. With your help, we strive to raise $100,000 to inspire and support the next generation of aerospace professional. You’re invited to give generously and spread the word! After you donate, share on social media and engage with AIAA Foundation Day of Giving posts on LinkedIn and Instagram with a like, comment, and share.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 29, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2024 International Student Conference winners in partnership with the AIAA Foundation. During the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum in January, 21 technical paper first-place finalists from all seven 2023 AIAA Regional Student Conferences and the PEGASUS – Europe Conference presented their research papers related to aeronautics and astronautics.
“Congratulations to these exemplary students on their accomplishments. The AIAA Foundation is committed to preparing the next generation of aerospace innovators through events like the International Student Conference,” said Basil Hassan, chair, AIAA Foundation. “We are pleased to welcome so many AIAA student members to AIAA SciTech Forum. They will be our industry’s next leaders and problem-solvers and we look forward to seeing how they shape the future of aerospace.”
The International Student Conference is an invitation-only event contained within the annual AIAA SciTech Forum, where first-place winners from each of the previous year’s AIAA Regional Student Conferences present their winning papers. They are judged by a panel of AIAA professional members in the undergraduate, master’s, and team categories. AIAA Foundation awards a $1,000 cash prize to each category’s first-place winner. All participants’ papers are published as part of the AIAA SciTech Forum proceedings and become part of the enduring aerospace industry technical archive found in AIAA’s.Aerospace Research Central (ARC).
2024 International Student Conference Winners
1st place: “Development and Testing of a Stereo Photogrammetry System for Multi-axis Optical Tracking of Free-flight Models” by Georgia Warren, University of New South Wales
Master’s Category
Team CategoryMedia Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270 cell
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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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Today, AIAA Foundation was selected to receive a $1 million grant from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future. This generous grant will allow the AIAA Foundation to fuel the next generation of space professionals who will create our off-world future. The AIAA Foundation will engage students and educators with new, innovative, and creative STEM education opportunities, as well as expand the robust K-12 and university programs we have enabled for the last 25 years.
“Our recent auction for the first seat on New Shepard resulted in a donation of $28 million to our non-profit foundation, Club for the Future,” said Bob Smith, Blue Origin CEO. “This donation is enabling Club for the Future to rapidly expand its reach by partnering with 19 organizations to develop and inspire the next generation of space professionals. Our generation will build the road to space and these efforts will ensure the next generation is ready to go even further.”
“The AIAA Foundation is honored to receive a $1 million grant from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future,” said John Langford, chair, AIAA Foundation. “This is a perfect example of what we mean when we talk about paying it forward. We are excited by the momentum they have created with these generous donations. Congratulations to all the partner organizations! We applaud Blue Origin’s dedication to igniting student’s imaginations as they help usher in a new era of commercial spaceflight for space tourists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses. This gift allows the AIAA Foundation to multiply our impact on young hearts and minds who see space as more than a dream – rather, a place where they will live, work, and play. We can’t wait to see how the students we reach together will lead space innovation in the 21st century!”
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional, student, and corporate members of AIAA, we are thrilled to receive this generous grant from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director. “We are energized at AIAA about this opportunity to impact today’s students – who will make up the teams – who will become the most technically proficient, professionally equipped, and culturally diverse workforce on the planet. Our STEM education programs focus on outreach to students of all backgrounds, especially from underserved and underrepresented groups, helping ensure space is available for all. Today’s students will tackle tomorrow’s challenges of living and working in low Earth orbit, on the moon, and beyond. Our off-world future is looking bright!”
About Club for the Future
Founded by Blue Origin in 2019, Club for the Future is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and to help invent the future of life in space. The Club and its collaborators are doing this through Postcards to Space, space-focused curriculum, and access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets. For more information visit, ClubforFuture.org.
About Blue Origin
Blue Origin was founded by Jeff Bezos with the vision of enabling a future where millions of people are living and working in space to benefit Earth. To preserve Earth, Blue Origin believes that humanity will need to expand, explore, find new energy and material resources, and move industries that stress Earth into space. On July 20, Blue Origin will fly its first astronaut crew on board New Shepard to space and back. To watch the launch live on July 20 or sign up for updates visit BlueOrigin.com.
About AIAA Foundation
The AIAA Foundation inspires and supports the next generation of aerospace professionals. From classroom to career, the AIAA Foundation enables innovative K-12 and university programming, including STEM classroom grants, scholarships, conferences, and hands-on competitions. Founded in 1996, the AIAA Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization connected to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation announced today a partnership with Blue Origin’s nonprofit Club for the Future to provide a $10,000 scholarship each year to one high school senior who has demonstrated an interest in pursuing a career in aerospace engineering. The scholarship is known as “AIAA and Club for the Future’s Resilient Student Scholarship.”
Students can apply here. Applications are due by 31 January 2024.
Any high school senior enrolling in a STEM program at a college, university, or technical institution who matches other qualifying criteria will be eligible. In addition to the $10,000 award, the recipient will be matched with an AIAA professional member to serve as a mentor. The scholarship will be offered to high school seniors who are AIAA members; high school membership in AIAA is free. The scholarship is specifically designed to empower and inspire students who have faced unique challenges, including but not limited to: students with disabilities; from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender minorities, or disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances; and first-generation college students.
Students who apply for this scholarship will be asked to describe why they are interested in aerospace and write about their vision for their future career in the aerospace field. They also must submit a short personal essay on their values of compassion, tenacity, and resilience, and how they have used one or all of these traits to problem-solve or accomplish something in their life.
This scholarship follows other support for aerospace young talent development provided to the AIAA Foundation by Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, including a $1 million grant in 2021 for educational programs.
“Club for the Future is proud to empower future innovators to explore the boundless opportunities of space through STEM careers for the benefit of Earth,” said Heather Nelson, director of Club for the Future.
Basil Hassan, chair, AIAA Foundation, recognizes that the scholarship partnership with Blue Origin’s Club for the Future offers an exciting pathway to develop new engineering talent for the aerospace industry. “Giving students a chance to focus their immediate future on aerospace has been one of the goals of the AIAA Foundation since its inception in 1996,” he said. “We have chosen National Scholarship Month to roll out this new program as a way of bringing extra attention to a life-defining opportunity for a graduating high school student. The recipient of this scholarship will be able to explore aerospace engineering in greater detail and develop their expertise in one of the fastest growing industries in the world.”
For more information, visit aiaa.org/foundation.
AIAA 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, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
About Club for the Future
Founded by Blue Origin, Club for the Future is a foundation whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM for the benefit of Earth. The Club and its collaborators are doing this through Postcards to Space, space-inspired lessons and events, and access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets. For more information visit, ClubforFuture.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2025 International Student Conference winners in partnership with the AIAA Foundation. During the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, 20 technical paper first-place finalists from all seven 2024 AIAA Regional Student Conferences and the PEGASUS – Europe Conference presented their research papers related to aeronautics and astronautics.
“Congratulations to these exceptional students – our future leaders in aerospace. These bright minds are today’s up-and-coming innovators. Their fresh perspectives and critical thinking are working to solve current technical challenges. They will help shape the aerospace landscape for decades to come,” said Laura McGill, chair, AIAA Foundation. “The AIAA Foundation takes great pride in nurturing their development through initiatives like the International Student Conference.”
This event is invitation-only, contained within the annual AIAA SciTech Forum, where first-place winners from each of the previous year’s AIAA Regional Student Conferences present their winning papers. They are judged by a panel of AIAA professional members in the undergraduate, master’s, and team categories. AIAA Foundation awards a $1,000 cash prize to each category’s first-place winner. All participants’ papers are published as part of the AIAA SciTech Forum proceedings and become part of the enduring aerospace industry technical archive found in AIAA’s Aerospace Research Central (ARC).
2025 International Student Conference Winners
Undergraduate Category:
1st Place: “Experimental Investigation of the Impact of Propeller Configuration, Motor Noise, and Sound Reflection on Sound Pressure Level” by Olivia Hilburn, United States Air Force Academy
Master’s Category
1st Place: “Performance Characteristics of a Low-Cost Self-Contained Pressure Data Acquisition System” by Nathan Eller, California State Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Team Category
1st Place: “Lessons Learned from the Launch of a Student-Built LOX/Jet-A Sounding Rocket” by Callum MacDonald, Rithvik Nagarajan, Ethan Heyns, Braden Anderson, Michael Krause, Varun Natarajan, Anthony Otlowski, and Tristan Terry, Georgia Institute of Technology
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804.397.5270 cell
Click images to see larger versions.
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.