If you are interested in joining AIAA, please e-mail the AIAA officers with your name, primary contact e-mail, current class standing, as well as any questions/concerns you may have. After that, you will need to pay $5 dues per semester to remain a member. You can also join AIAA at any event that we host, including AeroFest, speakers, picnics, etc.

As a member of AIAA, you will have access to exclusive networking events, industry tours, field trips, speakers, career workshops, and much, much more. Tours and field trips for the 2009-2010 year include (1) Wright-Patterson AFB and the National Air Force Museum, (2) Williams International, and (3) Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, GA, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Arnold Engineering Development Center.

Active AIAA members will receive first "dibs" at the industry tours (maximum of 30 students), special events, and networking events with speakers- it is very easy to remain "active" within AIAA compared to requirements with other professional societies. To retain "active" status, you can be involved in just one event committee (a meager time committment), help out at our new "Aero Pizza Stand" once a month for an hour, or even assist in prep/clean-up for an event - there are countless options to show your interest in AIAA and the U-M Aero department.

Please let us know if you have any questions! We look forward to meeting you :)


U-M aero students and AIAA members Marco Ceze (left) and Erik Larson (right) inside the flight-test-configured Airbus A380 at Oshkosh AirVenture '09.

National AIAA:

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society (ARS), founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society (AIS), and the Institute of Aerospace Sciences (IAS), founded in 1932 as the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.

As of 2004, the AIAA has more than 35,000 members. Despite its name, the society has members among aerospace professionals worldwide. Universities with programs in aerospace engineering or related fields may form Student Branches. The AIAA publishes nine technical journals, monthly general interest magazine, Aerospace America, and a series of technical books. It also organizes a number of conferences for aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

AIAA Student Branch:

The AIAA recognized that the U.S. aerospace industry is facing a rapidly aging workforce, and recently has begun pushing to recruit new students to the field. Student branches tend to be on the front lines of this task. AIAA currently has over 160 active student branches, including 12 foreign student branches, with a total active membership of over 6,500 students worldwide.

The University of Michigan Student Branch of AIAA seeks "to educate and excite students at U-M about aerospace technologies and science, and to promote fellowship among students interested in these topics." The objective of the U-M AIAA is "to advance the arts, sciences, and technology of aeronautics and astronautics. AIAA fosters the professional development of those engaged in scientific and engineering activities."

Activities/Events: The U-M AIAA holds monthly meetings with high-profile industry speakers, field trips to airshows (i.e. Oshkosh), museums (i.e. Nat'l Air & Space Museum), and industry facilities for in-depth tours (e.g. NASA, Lockheed Martin, GE), resume critiquing and career workshop events, and many networking opportunities. The U-M Student Branch also hosts the fall and spring Aero Dept Picnics, aero social events (e.g. bowling, movie nights, paper airplane competitions), and informal lunches with professors - to name a few.

The U-M AIAA Student Branch is open to all University of Michigan students interested in the aerospace industry - it is not necessary to be an aerospace engineering major. AIAA has members throughout all class standings - from first-year freshmen to PhD students and beyond!