Chairman’s Article – Spring 2012 Newsletter
Hello, I hope the New Year has been going well for all of the Section members.
I would like to congratulate AIAA 2012 Fellows from the RMS. AIAA announced 28 new Fellows for 2012
(see announcement on page _____ for the complete list of AIAA Fellows and Honorary Fellows for
2012). John W. Daily and Jeffrey M. Forbes, both of University of Colorado, Boulder; join 23 other AIAA
Fellows from the Rocky Mountain Section. As defined by AIAA: “The distinction of Fellow is conferred
upon those members of the Institute who have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts,
sciences, or technology of aeronautics and astronautics.” Again, congratulations to John and Jeffrey.
I hope you all have had an opportunity to attend one or more of the exceptional monthly programs
established by Chris Zeller. Recent programs on the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser, NOAA Space Weather,
and Honda Racecar Aerodynamics were well attended. Programs are planned to accommodate the
geographic dispersion and demographic diversity of the membership of the Section. Be sure to check
out the calendar and announcements on the RMS home page:
https://info.aiaa.org/Regions/MW/Rocky_MNT/default.aspx , as well as watch you AIAA email, for
future programs and events.
A full house!—AIAA Section members at the recent
Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser program held in
Boulder, CO
Major near term Section events include the Student Paper Conference and the Section Annual Awards
Banquet.
The _Regional Student Paper will be held April 4-6 in Boulder, near CU, at The Best Western Plus Boulder
Inn. This is an exciting and enlightening event – and a great opportunity to interact with the future
leaders of the industry and get insight into where “we” as a community are headed! More details can
be found at the student paper conference website: https://region5.aiaastudentconference.org/
The Awards Banquet culminates the Section year and acknowledges all the achievements of the Section
and its membership. This year the Section Awards Banquet will be held at ________________, on May
9th. We are excited to have AIAA Distinguished Speaker Bob Winn discussing
“______________________” Watch your AIAA email and check the home page for details and additional
information.
One of the major benefits of membership in AIAA is professional recognition. At the Awards Banquet,
new Fellows and Associate Fellows will be recognized. Prior newsletters have addressed the various
membership levels/grades, and I encourage all members to consider their eligibility for an upgrade. Due
to the nomination schedule, now is a good time to start the process for next year.
The planning for the RMS Annual Technical Symposium is moving along well. A discussion of the
symposium and status is provided on page __. There is also a location on the left side of the RMS Home
Page which includes Symposium and contact information. The initial Call for Abstracts was issued 1
March. The eclectic nature of the symposium theme promises to make this an opportunity for visibility
into some of the technologies, strategies, and organizations that will determine the paradigms that will
shape the future.