AIAA Announces 2025-2026 Section Award Winners

AIAA announced its 2025-2026 section award winners during a virtual awards presentation on 1 September. The section awards honor particularly notable achievements made by members of AIAA’s 58 sections around the world in a range of activities that help fulfill the Institute’s mission. Section awards are given annually in eight categories based on the size of each section’s membership. Each winning section receives a certificate and a cash award. The award period is 1 June 2025–31 May 2026.

“Great things start locally. Our sections and student branches prove that every day. It’s where members connect, learn, and lead. Their activities fuel AIAA’s mission to be the most trusted source of aerospace knowledge exchange. Congratulations to this year’s winners!” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry.

The Outstanding Section Award is presented to sections based upon their overall activities and contributions through the year. The winners are:

The Communications Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding communications outreach program. Winning criteria include level of complexity, timeliness, and variety of methods of communications, as well as frequency, format, and content of the communication outreach. The winners are:

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• First Place: Delaware, Alyssa Lear (Northrop Grumman Defense Systems), communications officer
• Second Place: Melbourne, Brooke Crawford (RMIT University), communications officer
• Third Place: Wisconsin, Brian Pomeroy (Sierra Space), programs officer 

SMALL 

• First Place: Savannah, Kayla Greenfelder (Gulfstream Aerospace), programs officer; Aparna Ravi (Gulfstream Aerospace), career and professional development officer  
• Second Place: Long Island, David Paris, section chair
• Third Place: Northwest Florida, David Mazzeo, section chair

MEDIUM

• First Place: Illinois, Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), section chair
• Second Place: Indiana, Hannah Snyderburn (Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane), communications officer
• Third Place: Phoenix, Eric Nichols (Northrop Grumman Space Systems), section chair

LARGE

• First Place: Northern Ohio, Edmond Wong (NASA Glenn Research Center), communications officer
• Second Place: Albuquerque, Robert Malseed, communications officer
• Third Place: St. Louis, Mario Santos (The Boeing Company), communications officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place: (tie) New England, Krystina Waters-van Rossum, communications officer; Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer
• First Place: (tie): North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair
• Second Place: Los Angeles, Kenneth Lui, website editor & programs officer
• Third Place: Pacific Northwest, Chelsea Johnson, communications officer

The Membership Award is presented to sections that have supported their membership by planning and implementing effective recruitment and retention campaigns. The winners are:

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• First Place: Southern New Jersey, Danielle Stephens (FAA), section chair
• Second Place: Wisconsin, Todd Treichel (Sierra Space), section chair
• Third Place: Delaware, Joseph Zebleckas (Northrop Grumman), membership officer

SMALL

• First Place: Twin Cities, Kristen Gerzina (Northrop Grumman Defense Systems), section chair
• Second Place: Northern New Jersey, Raymond Trohanowsky (Picatinny Arsenal), section chair
• Third Place: Northwest Florida, John Fay (Torch Technologies), student branch liaison

MEDIUM

• First Place: Illinois, Andrew Touvannas (Woodward, Inc), honors & awards chair; David Carroll (CU Aerospace LLC), vice chair            
• Second Place: Indiana, Anand Nageswaran Bharath (Cummins Inc), STEM K-12 officer
• Third Place: Wichita, Mary Drouin (Spirit AeroSystems Inc), membership officer

LARGE

• First Place: Saint Louis, Miguel Olvera (The Boeing Company), membership officer
• Second Place (tie) Northern Ohio, Jonah Sachs-Westone (NASA Glenn Research Center), membership officer
• Second Place (tie) San Diego, Joel Perez (Solar Turbines Inc), regional advisory committee representative
• Third Place: Cape Canaveral, Erik Swenson, membership officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place: Los Angeles, Sherry Stukes (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), membership officer; Kenneth Lui, website editor & programs officer
• Second Place: North Texas, James Sergeant, section chair
• Third Place: New England, Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer

The Public Policy Award is presented for stimulating public awareness of the needs of aerospace research and development, particularly on the part of government representatives, and for educating section members about the value of public policy activities. The winners are:

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• First Place: Wisconsin, Todd Treichel (Sierra Space), section chair
• Second Place: Adelaide, Patrick Neumann (Neumann Space), section chair

SMALL

• First Place: Oklahoma, Imraan Faruque (MAE), public policy officer; Jamey Jacob (Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education), newsletter editor officer; James Grimsley (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), member and volunteer
• Second Place: Palm Beach, Kevin Simmons (BLUECUBE Aerospace | Wolfpack CubeSat Dev Team), vice chair
• Third Place: Northwest Florida, Michael Kelton (U.S. Air Force), public policy officer

MEDIUM

• First Place: Phoenix, Michael Mackowski, public policy officer
• Second Place: Michigan, Pradip Sagdeo, section chair
• Third Place: Illinois, Mordechai Levin (Masterflight Foundation), public policy officer

LARGE

• First Place: Cape Canaveral, Amir Yahyaeian (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), public policy officer
• Second Place: Northern Ohio, Michael Heil (ML Heil Consulting LLC), public policy officer
• Third Place: San Diego, Mike Curtin, public policy officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Steven Dunn (Amentum), public policy officer
• First Place (tie): Los Angeles, Daniel Scalese (University of Southern California), public policy officer
• Second Place: Greater Huntsville, Christopher Kitson (nou Systems Inc), young professional officer; Terri Tramel, membership officer; Nancy Wade Donahoo (NASA with Amentum ESSCA contractor GeoControl Systems Inc), professional society liaison; Joe Bullington (Amentum), vice chair; Robert Travel (Amentum), section chair
• Third Place: Rocky Mountain, Christopher Vigil (Lockheed Martin Corporation), vice chair

The STEM K–12 Award is presented to sections that have developed and implemented an outstanding STEM K–12 outreach program that provides quality education resources for K–12 teachers in the STEM subject areas. The winners are:

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• First Place: Southern New Jersey, Lyndsay Digneo (Federal Aviation Administration), volunteer and member 
• Second Place: Wisconsin, Ruby Kleijwegt (Sierra Space), communications officer
• Third Place: Delaware, Kirstin Walz (Northrop Grumman Mission Systems), STEM K-!2 officer

SMALL

• First Place: Palm Beach, Shawna Christenson (Aerospace and Innovation Academy), STEM K-12 officer
• Second Place: Northwest Florida, Crystal Pasiliao (Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office), STEM K-12 officer
• Third Place: Northern New Jersey, Raymond Trohanowsky (Picatinny Arsenal), section chair

MEDIUM

• First Place: Antelope Valley, Rene Marchiano (AFFT Museum), STEM K-12 officer; Steve Sterk (NASA Dryden Flight Research Center), Outreach officer
• Second Place: Illinois, Pamela Greyer (NASA Aeronautics Education Laboratory), STEM K-12 officer
• Third Place: Indiana, Peter Schenk (Rolls-Royce Corporation), treasurer

LARGE

• First Place: Saint Louis, Jackie Blumer (Greenville Jr High School), STEM K-12 officer
• Second Place: Orange County, Binay Pandey, STEM K-12 officer
• Third Place: Cape Canaveral, Melissa Sleeper (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy), STEM K-12 officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place: Los Angeles, Arpie Ovsepyan (Herbert Hoover High School), STEM K-12 officer; Kenneth Lui, website editor and programs officer
• Second Place (tie): New England, Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), stem K-12 officer; Krystina Waters-van Rossum, communications officer
• Second Place (tie): Hampton Roads, Karen Berger (NASA Langley Research Center), STEM K-12 officer; Drew Turbeville (NASA Langley Research Center), young professionals officer
• Third Place: National Capitol, Susan Bardenhagen (Prince William County Public Schools), communications officer

The Section-Student Branch Partnership Award recognizes the most effective and innovative collaboration between professional section members and student branch members.

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• First Place: Adelaide, Zehao Liu (University of Adelaide), student branch liaison
• Second Place: Melbourne, Kaustubh Dongre (The Boeing Company), section chair
• Third Place (tie): Southern New Jersey, Joseph Burns, member and volunteer; Mike Paglione (Federal Aviation Administration), honors & awards chair
• Third Place (tie): Wisconsin, Trent Cybela (Sierra Space), vice chair

SMALL

• First Place: Twin Cities, Geoffrey Nkansah-Baah, young professional officer
• Second Place: Oklahoma, Kursat Kara (Oklahoma State University), technical symposium advisor; Andrew Arena (Oklahoma State University), section secretary and website editor officer; Kurt Rouser (Oklahoma State University), faculty advisor
• Third Place: Sydney, Nimish Shete (IBM), section chair

MEDIUM

• First Place: Illinois, Laura Villafañe Roca (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), section chair
• Second Place (tie): Southwest Texas, Christopher Combs (University of Texas at San Antonio), section chair  
• Second Place (tie): Tucson, John Allen (University of Arizona), young professional officer)
• Third Place: Indiana, Anand Nageswaran Bharath (Cummins Inc), STEM K-12 officer

LARGE

• First Place: San Diego, Gary Fogel (Natural Selection Inc), student activities coordinator
• Second Place: Atlanta, Gaurav Sharma (Kennesaw State University), section chair
• Third Place: Cape Canaveral, Eric Swenson (Florida Institute of Technology) university liaison officer; Ebenezer Gnanamanickam (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), technical officer; Jaxon Strank (General Dynamics Electric Boat) young professionals officer; Kendra Mobley, membership officer; Jesus Delgado (Florida Institute of Technology), career & professional development officer; Amir Yahyaeian (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), public policy officer; Katherine Campbell (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), program and public policy officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place (tie): New England, Shreyas Hedge (Pratt & Whitney), section chair; Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer; Durgesh Chandel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), publicity officer; Krystina Waters-van Rossum, communications officer; Elizabeth Romero (MIT), student branch liaison
• First Place (tie): North Texas, Mi Vo (University of Texas at Dallas), student branch chair; Lincoln Gammage (University of Texas-Arlington), student branch chair; Ashlan Benson (Tarleton State), student branch chair
• Second Place: Los Angeles, Ian Clavio (Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, vice chair
• Third Place: Dayton-Cincinnati, Troy Hoeger (U.S. Air Force), section chair; Yashvi Srivastava (University of Cincinnati), young professional chair

The Young Professional Activity Award is presented for excellence in planning and executing events that encourage the participation of the Institute’s young professional members, and provide opportunities for leadership at the regional, or national level. The winners are:

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• First Place: Adelaide, Daniel Kilonzo (University of Adelaide), vice chair
• Second Place: Melbourne, Reza Aliakbari (RMIT University), membership officer
• Third Place: Delaware, Taylor Coleman (Northrop Grumman), young professional officer

SMALL

• First Place: Twin Cities, Robert Halverson, university liaison officer
• Second Place: Savannah, Sean Taylor (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), honors & awards officer; Catherine Heaton (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation), secretary
• Third Place: Oklahoma, Anthony Comer (Oklahoma State University), young professional officer

MEDIUM

• First Place: Greater Philadelphia, Karenna Buco (STC, an Arcfield Company), young professional officer
• Second Place: Southwest Texas, Christopher Combs (University of Texas at San Antonio), section chair
• Third Place (tie): Antelope Valley, Ben Ashby (U.S. Air Force), young professional officer
• Third Place (tie): Indiana, Krishnamoorthi Sidharth, young professional officer

LARGE

• First Place: Cape Canaveral, Jaxon Strank (General Dynamics Electric Boat), young professional officer
• Second Place: Northern Ohio, Sai Satya Charan Malladi (LTA Research), young professional officer
• Third Place: Atlanta, David Ramsey (Air Force Research Laboratory), young professional officer

VERY LARGE

• First Place: Los Angeles, Luis Cuevas (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics), section chair
• Second Place: North Texas, Liang Sun (Baylor University), student branch chair
• Third Place: New England, Shreyas Hedge (Pratt & Whitney); Peter Dentch (Pratt & Whitney), STEM K-12 officer; Durgesh Chandel (MIT), publicity officer; Elizabeth Romero (MIT), student branch liaison; James Wetzel (Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.), vice chair

The Outstanding Activity Award allows the Institute to acknowledge sections that held an outstanding activity deserving additional recognition. The winners are:

VERY SMALL (tie): Melbourne, AIAA Australia Gathering: Pamela Melroy – From Artemis II to the Next Era of Human Spaceflight
The AIAA Melbourne Section delivered high-profile, internationally relevant aerospace content to audiences in Australia, Oceania, and Asia-Pacific time zones, where access to major AIAA-style events is often limited. Organized for the Australian aerospace community while remaining accessible to international participants, the event attracted attendees from Australia, Japan, Korea, and other countries across Asia and Oceania, as well as Europe.

The keynote with The Hon. Pamela Melroy, retired USAF colonel, NASA astronaut, Space Shuttle commander, and former NASA Deputy Administrator, provided exceptional insight into Artemis II, lunar mission pathways, Mars readiness, workforce skills, and international partnerships. Artemis II is especially relevant for Australian aerospace professionals as Australia expands its role in space capability, exploration support, advanced manufacturing, mission operations, and international collaboration.

Interviewed by Catherine Grace from the Australian Space Agency, Melroy connected global human spaceflight priorities with Australia’s growing aerospace sector. With 223 registrations, 69 live attendees, a YouTube recording, and 1,542 LinkedIn impressions, the event demonstrated strong outreach, accessibility, and regional leadership.

Very Small (tie): China Lake, “Hidden Figures” STEM outreach movie night. 
The AIAA China Lake Section rented a local movie theater to watch “Hidden Figures,” followed by a discussion with attendees afterward.  In particular, girls from BSA Scout Troop 760 were inspired by the tenacity and drive of the women portrayed on screen, illustrating how representation matters.

SMALL: Savannah, Lunch and Learn – Lt. Col. Charlie Gray, Vice President @ Gulfstream
The AIAA Savannah Section lunch and learn represented far more than regular event – it marked the successful return of a section that had been dormant and demonstrated the enthusiasm, commitment, and energy of our membership. Lt. Col. Charlie Gray’s unique combination of military, flight test, and aerospace executive experience provided attendees with rare insights and inspiring lessons that resonated across all career stages. Most importantly, the packed room and strong member engagement showed that our community is energized, connected, and ready to build momentum for the future.

MEDIUM: Tucson, Distinguished Guest Lecture – Dr. Mary Roybal presents “A Perspective of the Future of Composite Structures in the Aerospace Industry”
The lecture hosted by AIAA Tucson Section’s directly advanced AIAA’s core mission to shape the future of aerospace. The event, held at the University of Arizona campus and cohosted with the AIAA UofA Student Branch, addressed the exact structural and material innovations required for next-generation defense and commercial applications (such as hypersonics and lightweight space structures), Mary Roybal’s insights and experiences offered practical value to attendees. For the seasoned engineers in attendance, it provided crucial industry benchmarking; for the students and early-career engineers, it provided a rare look into the real-world manufacturing bottlenecks and engineering triumphs that define modern aerospace programs. This section successfully united a diverse audience for this event, combining the fresh academic perspectives of university students with the seasoned expertise of local defense and aerospace professionals.

LARGE: Cape Canaveral, AIAA Public Policy Outreach Event 2026
The AIAA Cape Canaveral Section public policy outreach event went beyond a traditional technical meeting or networking event and created a new model for section-level public policy engagement. Developed by the Cape Canaveral Section’s newly established Public Policy Committee, the event brought together students, educators, aerospace professionals, industry representatives, government and community stakeholders, and AIAA leaders for a full-day program focused on aerospace public policy, workforce development, education, research, and community impact. By combining speaker sessions, professional engagement, and a Research & Innovation Poster Symposium with 40 student posters, the gathering connected technical aerospace work to the broader policy, education, and community issues that shape the future of the industry.

The section executed a multi-channel publicity campaign that included AIAA Engage, AIAA email communications, social media promotion, paid Facebook advertising, campus postings, and direct community outreach, which expanded the event’s audience beyond the existing membership base and introduced AIAA to students, young professionals, educators, families, and community members who may not otherwise engage with the Institute.

Most importantly, the event demonstrated AIAA’s value as a bridge between technical expertise and public service. It elevated student research, strengthened partnerships with academic and community organizations, supported future member recruitment, and established a repeatable framework for future public policy programming.

VERY LARGE (tie): Pacific Northwest, 18th Annual Pacific Northwest Technical Symposium 
The 18th Annual PNW Section Technical Symposium, held 18 April at the Museum of Flight, exemplified everything a regional AIAA event should be — technically excellent, broadly inclusive, and genuinely inspiring. Twenty presentations spanning supersonic configurations, VTOL propulsion, lunar regolith, radiation-hardened spacecraft, aerospace electrification, and orbital computing showcased the remarkable depth of aerospace innovation happening right here in the Pacific Northwest. Speakers from Boeing, Blue Origin, Amazon, NASA, Agile Space Industries, and others brought both industry weight and cutting-edge relevance to every session. 

What made this year’s symposium truly stand out was the integration of Olympia High School students presenting their NASA HUNCH projects to a room full of seasoned aerospace professionals. Their energy and ingenuity reminded attendees why this work matters – and sparked conversations that crossed every career stage in the room. 

The event brought together over 125 attendees for a full day of learning, connection, and community. Student-professional networking, hallway conversations, and an evening reception created an atmosphere where old friendships were renewed and new collaborations sparked. The Museum of Flight itself elevated the experience beyond any ordinary conference venue. Supported by five distinguished sponsors and promoted across member email lists, social media, and LinkedIn, the symposium amplified the PNW Section’s visibility and reinforced its reputation as one of AIAA’s most vibrant regional communities.

VERY LARGE (tie): New England (tie), AIAA New England student leadership social
The AIAA New England Student Leadership Social successfully brought together the student aerospace community across the New England region for networking, professional development, and collaboration in a way that had never previously been done within the AIAA New England Section. The social created a unique opportunity for students from multiple universities to interact not only with aerospace professionals, but also with peers from neighboring institutions who share similar academic and professional interests. The event was the first regional student branch collaboration of its kind in the history of the section and was considered a major success by both attendees and participating student branches. 

Students from MIT, URI, BU, WPI, UMass Amherst, and UMaine participated in the program, which featured networking opportunities, lunch, games, and several professional speaker panels consisting of aerospace industry professionals from a variety of organizations and technical backgrounds. The event helped strengthen relationships between student branches while also fostering a greater sense of regional aerospace community among students across New England. 

There was a strong level of engagement and participation as students interacted directly with professionals from the aerospace industry in a relaxed, collaborative setting where they asked questions related to career development, graduate school, internships, technical work, and professional growth. Students built connections with peers from neighboring universities, many of whom they had not previously had opportunities to meet despite sharing similar career interests and involvement in AIAA. 

The event also contributed significantly to membership growth and volunteer engagement within the section. A registration and outreach table was set up with AIAA brochures, promotional material, and QR codes for attendees to join the AIAA New England mailing list and learn more about ways to get involved with the organization. The program directly resulted in 34 new student memberships, representing the highest student membership growth associated with a single event in the section’s history. 

Several students also expressed interest in volunteering and serving on section committees, including one MIT student who joined as a volunteer for the 2026–2027 program year. It recharged the AIAA ecosystem in the New England region and made several students in the region aware of opportunities available to get involved and contribute. 

Student officers across participating universities worked together to coordinate logistics, outreach, communication, and planning efforts to ensure the success of the program, demonstrating strong leadership and establishing a foundation for future collaborative regional student initiatives within AIAA New England. Aerospace professionals participating in the speaker panel and networking sessions engaged extensively with students and expressed enthusiasm for supporting future student-focused initiatives. The success of the event demonstrated the value of regional student programming and highlighted the important role AIAA plays in connecting students, universities, and industry professionals within the aerospace community. We look forward to continuing the event for 2027.

VERY LARGE (tie): North Texas, Southwest Aerospace Symposium (SWAS)
The AIAA North Texas Section organized a full-day technical symposium at the University of Texas at Austin where 14 presentations and 110 registrants and sponsors provided a great technical and networking experience that brought together current and future aerospace professionals from high school to seasoned professionals. The program included an excellent and very-timely keynote presentation, with the Artemis 2 launch eminent, by NASA Astronaut Robert Hines on the Artemis program, vehicle design, and goals. Co-chairs James Sergeant, section chair, and Lt. Gen. (ret.) “CR” Davis, current L3 Test Pilot, led a day of distinguished/accomplished session chairs: Kelly Latimer, current SETP President, and Ryan “Cujo” Blake, LM Chief of Developmental Flight Operations. Hines also spent time interacting with all attendees, signing pictures and posing for pictures with students. There was also a gathering afterward where attendees listened to stories of Hines’ time as a test pilot and his six-month stay on the ISS.

Displays at the symposium directly involved the college students with professionals, set up by UTA and UTD to display and discuss their competition rockets and UAVs for the upcoming DBF competition. Other display booths were set up by ITPS and the 586th Flight Test Squadron, NM. The Flight Test Squadron discussed internships they have available while ITPS marketed its flight test education programs.

VERY LARGE (tie): Los Angeles (tie), NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: Origins, Development, Operation and Lessons Learned
The AIAA Los Angeles Section’s event featured Jonathan Arenberg, Chief Engineer of the JWST, offering attendees the rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the principal engineering leaders behind one of the most ambitious and successful space observatory missions in history. The hybrid event setup enabled both strong in-person engagement at the Lomita Library and virtual reach, ensuring accessibility for our dispersed membership, with an impressive 207 attendees – making it one of the most highly attended technical events hosted by our section this year. 

The lecture delivered substantive technical and historical content covering the JWST program’s origins, engineering development, operational milestones, and lessons learned – providing lasting educational value that extends well beyond a typical technical meeting. The combination of a world-class speaker, exceptional attendance, and the cultural and scientific significance of the JWST mission collectively make this event a standout achievement.