Student AIAA Chapter Takes Flight New Organization Is Already Making a Huge Impact
L
ast summer, Department Head Nadine Aubry led the creation of a new student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) at Carnegie Mellon. Less than a year later,
the organization boasts more than 40 members—and recently hosted some high-impact events that brought MechE students together with global leaders in this field. “With 31,000 members around the world, AIAA is the
largest international society dedicated to the aerospace industry,” notes Aubry, an AIAA Fellow who serves as Faculty Advisor to the student members. “I believed it was critical to bring a chapter of AIAA to the Carnegie Mellon campus, so we could connect our students with industry leaders for educational and networking opportunities. I’m delighted at the number of students who have already embraced this idea. There’s an incredible level of energy and excitement about the new chapter.” MechE junior Jayon Wang, who was elected Chair of the student group, immediately recognized the value of creating an AIAA chapter. “There is no formal aeronautics program at Carnegie Mellon, yet so many MechE students are focusing on research topics that are central to aero- space initiatives, including fluid dynamics and heat trans- fer,” says Wang. “The new student AIAA chapter provides a formal way for us to come together in a group setting to discuss aeronautics topics, as well as create long-lasting connections with some global thought leaders. It’s created a real aeronautics and astronautics community here at MechE.”
Other elected officers of the newly formed chapter include Emerson Mello Silva
(Vice Chair), Ketaki Shashank (Secretary), Krystina Calfo (Treasurer), Siri Amrit Ramos (Webmaster), and Margaret Hall (Events Chair).
HIGH-VISIBILITY EVENTS PROPEL CHAPTER Two recent events sponsored by the student AIAA chapter have created a high level of visibility for the organization at Carnegie Mellon. In February, the organization hosted a “Breakfast with the Recruiters” where MechE students met with representatives from Boeing, BMW, Caterpil- lar, and Sandia National Labs. According to Wang, this informal event provided an invaluable way to get conver- sations started between students and recruiters—and several job interviews and offers followed. Later in February, the AIAA chapter hosted a visit by NASA astronaut Catherine “Cady” Coleman, who has logged more than 4,330 hours in space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia and the International Space Station. Coleman’s visit to Pittsburgh was highlighted in a Febru- ary 24 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called “Astro- naut Gives Down-to-Earth Lecture.” “We were very honored to meet such a prestigious
aerospace leader who has traversed the world and be- yond,” says Wang. “She is a pioneer and someone we all wish to emulate. Without the new chapter of AIAA here on campus, we would not have had the means to arrange this kind of inspirational meeting.” “The two events already hosted by the student chapter have generated even more interest in this dynamic and growing organization,” adds Aubry. “I’m looking forward to more exciting developments as our AIAA chapter continues to gain momentum.”•
MechE students join NASA astronaut Cady Coleman (center) and Department Head Nadine Aubry (right). Students shown (left to right) are: Molly Hall, Emerson Silva, Siri Amrit Ramos, Jayon Wang, Erin Hurbi, and Krystina Calfo.
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