News

The American Cancer Society is hosting Relay for life here at the U on April 18th beginning a 6pm. Form a team and participate in an all night relay to help raise money for cancer research. Visit the Relay for Life website for more information or to start a team.

Also Check out the events section of this website for exciting upcomming events within the aerospace department.

We will be holding an Officers meeting on Wednesday November 7 at 5:30PM in the Undergraduate student lounge.

There is a new batch of people leading the AIAA chapter at the UMN this year!

John Edquist - Co-President
Brian Nackerud - Co-President
Nick Meinhardt - Co-Vice-President
Haftom Dessalegn - Co-Vice-President
Paul Krueger - Treasurer
Erik Semrud - Secretary
Monica Christiansen - Webmaster
Tom Jakel - RC Plane Club Head
Duo Zhou - AIAA Paper Conference participant and question master
Stacy Weisenbeck - General Officer and former President
Professor Ketema - Advisor

In other news, on Thursday October 4th, two representatives from Boeing gave a great lecture on commercial jets and their current and future markets.

More exciting events are planned for the months to come, so keep your eyes and ears open for updates and announcements!

You read right, internships! ATK is looking for internships for this summer. If you want to put that education to practical use before you finish your stay at the U then, by all means, head on over to the ATK Website under the Careers section. They have local and national internship opportunities available. ATK is primarily looking for juniors or better with a GPA of at least 3.0. Along with that they are also looking for students with extra curricular activities under their belt (being an active member of AIAA can't hurt *hint* *hint*) as well as communication and interpersonal skills. Don't forget the U of M's student AIAA chapter links page where we have a brief list of companies involved in Aerospace engineering.

"Still no plans over Spring Break? Since 2004, hundreds of University of Minnesota students have made a difference during their Spring Break on the Pay It Forward Tour. This community service-based road trip involves buses of 40 students traveling the country and serving a new community each day. On March 9, four buses will depart from the U of M, each taking a different route to either San Antonio or Washington D.C.

The Pay It Forward Tour is your chance to meet new people and see the country while having the time of your life! You will join over 600 other college students from across the country, all while gaining confidence in your leadership abilities and your ability to make an impact on our world!

Now is the time to be a part of hte 'pay it forward' movement. Spots are still open on the U of M Challener and Eterprise Routes going to D.C. The Apollo and Explorer Routes to San Antonio are full. Remember to register before February 23, when the cost of the trip increases to $450. We gladly welcome anyone on the tour!

Still don't know what the tour is all about? Come watch the Minnesota premiere of "Everything Intangible: The Pay It Forward Tour 2006 Documentary" at the Bell Museum for FREE on Wednesday, February 21, at 7:00pm and 9:00pm.

The Pay It Forward Tour is presented by Students Today Leaders Forever (STLF), the U of M's only student led leadership development organization."

< Website | Questions to stlf@umn.edu | Brochure | Registration Form >

Nearly 50 years ago on October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite was launched into space. The USC Viterbi School of Engineering has made a webcast entitled "Road to Space. The First Thousand Years." available to the public. It covers the history of the events leading the world into the space age. The webcast can be found here.

There are a number of opportunities available for students interested in internships/experience. Remember, good grades are great but actual experience may get you selected over people with better grades than you.

SMART, a scholarship and employment program from the Department of Defense, is looking for applicants. It is available to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students. SMART scholarship recipients recieve a starting salary/ stipend ranging from $22,500 for undergraduates to $38,000 for doctoral students, health insurance benefits, full tuition and related education fees, book allowance, paid summer internships, and career opportunities after graduation. For more information and availability go to the SMART website here: SMART

The Space Scholars Program is accepting applications for 2007. For applications and more information visit their website here: Space Scholars. Keep in mind applications will be accepted until January 31, 2007.

Honeywell recently launched an Innovators Scholarship Program. They are accepting applications from undergraduate and graduate students in science and engineering who are entering their final year of study in the second half of 2007. Recipients receive $10,000 compensation for education-related expenses and a paid summer internship at a Honeywell facility. Applications are due by December 15, 2006. For more information follow the link, Honeywell Innovator's Program ( brochure, 1.7MB).

Bad reference aside, NASA recently released a 360-degree panorama of the terrain surrounding the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. As of today, the rover will have survived 1,000 Sols (Martian days). The twin rovers were only designed to last 90 Sols.
Links: NASA

Thanks to everyone who showed up for the last AIAA General Meeting. The turnout was spectacular. The contacts listed at the end of the presentation have been added to our website. Contacts

A Matlab function has just been uploaded for everyone currently in Aerospace Structures who wish to use Matlab on the Truss Solver project. Check out the Matlab Scripts page for more information.

On Wednesday morning, October 12, China plans to launch Shenzhou 6. It will carry two taikonauts on a five day trip. The launch will take place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located near Jiuquan city at the edge of the Gobi desert. China's last foray into manned flight was back in October 2003. Space Daily| Xinhua

The X Prize Cup begins tomorrow, October 6th, and continues until October 9th. This anual event is held at the Southwest Regional Spaceport in Upham, New Mexico. The X Prize Cup is similar to the EAA Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. People can come and check out new technology, talk with astronauts and designers, and see spacecraft test flights

Ansari X-Prize founder Dr. Peter H. Diamandis has launched the Rocket Racing League (RRL). Dr. Diamandis' hope is that the League will boost development in aerospace technology and inspire people to take interest in aerospace again.

Racers will initially pilot X-Racers designed by XCOR Aerospace at races around the nation with finals taking place at the X Prize Cup in New Mexico. Spectators will be able to watch from their seats 5000 feet below. Exaust trails, GPS tracking, and numerous video feeds will give everyone the ability to track their favorite X-Racers. For more information check out: XCOR Aerospace or BBC

It's that time again. Professor Hammer will be giving his industry talk on October 4, 2005 (Time and Place still to be determined). If you've ever had questions about the Aerospace industry (How do I make more money?;When is a good time to look for a job?;How do I advance?) this is the time to have them answered. Professor Hammer is a very funny and knowledgeable man who can back up his answers with many years of experience working in the Aerospace industry and consulting. So come listen to Professor Hammer and find out what the industry is like. Check the events page for updates on time and location

Welcome back to to a new school year! This looks to be a great year. AIAA has a bunch of events planned and many more in the works.

BBQ - AIAA is hosting a BBQ for all Aerospace students, faculty, and staff. It will be held from 11:00AM to 1:30PM on Friday, September 9th between Shepard Labs and the Civil Engineering building. Come and enjoy free food and great company. Candy will also be sold to help support AIAA's future activities.

Firefly/Serenity - Every Friday and Saturday in September AIAA will be watching all of the Firefly episodes up until the premier of the Firefly movie, Serenity. For times, locations, and information about the movie check out the Events page.

Paint the Bridge - Come help promote AIAA by painting a panel on the Washington Avenue bridge with us. We will be painting our masterpiece some time Friday, September 15th between 9:00 and 6:00pm

Nikki's Recital - Want to see whan an Aerospace Engineer does with their "free" time? Come see Nikki at her recital at 5:00pm on Wednesday, September 29. Did I mention there will be free food at the reception afterwards?

Welcome to the newly redesigned AIAA website. This is a work in progress so please bear with us as we add content. We hope this site will be an excellant resource for anyone in the Aerospace Engineering program and in Engineering in general. Among the planned additions to this site include Matlab tutorials and scripts, Company links and information, Senior Design tips and resources, a photo gallery, and an events section to name only a few.

As the next semester approaches please check back regularly for updates on content and events AIAA will be hosting throughout this upcoming year. Feel free to stop by the AIAA office in 305 Akerman as well. There is nearly always someone there and this year's selection of cheap snacks is even greater than last year's. Have fun with the remainder of your summer break and see you all next semester!

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