Staff

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Ben Iannotta

Ben keeps the magazine and its news coverage on the cutting edge of journalism. He began working for the magazine in the 1990s as a freelance contributor and became editor-in-chief in 2013. He was editor of C4ISR Journal and has written for Air & Space Smithsonian, New Scientist, Popular Mechanics, Reuters and Space News.

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Cat Hofacker

Cat helps guide our coverage, keeps production of the magazine on schedule and copy edits all articles. She became associate editor in 2021 after two years as our staff reporter. Cat joined us in 2019 after covering the 2018 congressional midterm elections as an intern for USA Today.

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Paul Brinkmann

Paul covers advanced air mobility, space launches and more for our website and the monthly magazine. Paul joined us in 2022 and is based near Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He previously covered aerospace for United Press International and the Orlando Sentinel.

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Christine Williams

Christine is in charge of the magazine’s AIAA Bulletin section, a compendium of news and information about AIAA’s many initiatives and the important work of its 30,000 members in the United States and abroad. Christine became AIAA Bulletin editor in 2000.

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Keith Button

Keith has written for C4ISR Journal and Hedge Fund Alert, where he broke news of the 2007 Bear Stearns hedge fund blowup that kicked off the global credit crisis.

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Aaron Karp

Aaron is a contributing editor to the Aviation Week Network and has covered the aviation business for 20 years. He was previously managing editor of Air Cargo World and editor-in-chief of Aviation Daily.

Latest articles from Aaron:

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Karen Kwon

Karen is associate editor of Optics & Photonics News. She holds a master’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in chemistry. She was a media fellow at Scientific American in 2020.

Latest articles from Karen:

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Paul Marks

Paul is a journalist focused on technology, cybersecurity, aviation and spaceflight. A regular contributor to the BBC, New Scientist and The Economist, his current interests include eVTOL aircraft, new space and the history of notable inventors — especially the Wright brothers.

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Dan Dumbacher

Dan is executive director of AIAA. In three decades at NASA, he managed the DC-XA vertical landing rocket; served as deputy manager of the X-33 program; and was director of engineering at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Dan capped his NASA career as the deputy associate administrator in charge of the Space Launch System, Orion crew capsule and related ground systems. Astronauts presented Dan with their Silver Snoopy Award in 2014 for his contributions to spaceflight safety. He joined AIAA in 2018 from Purdue University in Indiana, where he was a professor of engineering practice.