AIAA Houston 2016 Elections

AIAA Houston will have elections for Chair-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Vice Chair – Operations, Vice Chair – Technical, and for 5 Councilor positions during the month of April. In order to hold the vote, nominees for these positions are needed by March 25th with the nominating period opening today. To nominate someone, please send their name, the position sought, and contact information to Michael Frostad, Election Committee Chair, at elections2016@aiaahouston.org by March 25th.

AIAA Houston is one of the most active AIAA sections in the nation. If you find that you or someone you know is excited about Aerospace, wants to help pick our speakers, and wants to develop leadership skills, please consider nominating them or yourself for one of these positions described below:

Chair-Elect

The Chair-Elect shall assist the Chair in performing the Chair’s duties as requested by the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall attend Council and committee meetings to monitor and become familiar with the functions of the Section officers and the Section committees. The Chair-Elect shall coordinate with all officers, Councilors, and committee chairmen to prepare plans for the orderly transition for the Chair-Elect’s term of office as Chair during the following year. The Chair-Elect becomes the Chair after 1 year.

Vice Chair – Operations

The Vice Chair – Operations shall be responsible for conducting the detailed planning in Operations such as managing the officers who help run the section (i.e. Programs, Communications, etc.).

Vice Chair – Technical

The Vice Chair – Technical shall be responsible for conducting the detailed planning in the Technical area such as managing the Technical Committees and their Chairs and overseeing the Annual Technical Symposium (ATS).

Secretary

The Secretary shall be a member of the Council and shall maintain minutes of all meetings of the Section and shall be custodian of all its records not specially assigned to others. The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Section and the Council and send out all meeting notices.

Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be a member of the Council, shall have charge of the funds of the Section, and shall make all required financial reports and such expenditures as may be authorized by the Section or by the Council or by the Bylaws of the Institute.

Councilors (5 openings)

Councilors are responsible for providing advice and recommendations to the Council. They are also responsible for assisting in the coordination and execution of Section dinner meetings. They are encouraged to take an active part in committees and other Section activities. They shall take office at the beginning of the administrative year for terms of two years and shall continue in office until their successors qualify and take office.

Thank you! Please direct any questions about the elections to Michael Frostad at elections2016@aiaahouston.org.

Alan Sisson
2015 Chair, AIAA Houston

RSVP for the Todd Barber Dinner Meeting Today!

Join us
Saturday, January 30
6:00pm
University of Houston Student Center, Space City Room (Room 214)

as Todd Barber, Senior Propulsion Engineer at JPL, discusses a bit on the history of Mars rovers at JPL, the scientific motivation for Curiosity, and the preparations for launch two days after Thanksgiving in 2011.

RSVP on the event page or through the Eventbrite page.

2016 Annual Technical Symposium

The 2016 Annual Technical Symposium will be held on
Friday, May 6, 2016
8:00am-5:00pm
NASA/JSC Gilruth Center.

Submit your abstract today on the following topics:

  • Space Exploration
  • Automation and Robotics
  • Communication and Tracking
  • EVA
  • GN&C
  • In-Space Imaging
  • Space Operations
  • Life Sciences and Human Factors
  • Propulsion and Power Systems
  • SR&QA
  • Systems Engineering
  • Space Commercialization
  • Structural Mechanics
  • Avionics
  • International Space Activities
  • Astrodynamics
  • Climate Change

Important Dates to Remember

Monday, February 29, 2016 – Abstracts due to planning committee (contact us sooner if possible)
Friday, March 11, 2016 – Abstract authors notified of abstract acceptance
Thursday, April 28, 2016 – Luncheon Reservations (pay online at time of RSVP)
Friday, May 6, 2016 – Registration (all day, starting at 8:00 AM)

For more information, see the ATS 2016 page.

Volunteer at the 2016 Mars Rover Celebration

Volunteers are needed for the 14th Annual Mars Rover Celebration, January 30, 2016 on the University of Houston campus. Mars Rover Celebration is an exciting educational opportunity for primary and middle school students to learn how to build a model rover to perform a mission on Mars. For 2016, we expect 700+ children, organized into 200 teams.

Please volunteer to help with one of the following jobs:

  • Judge (Morning Shift – 8:30-11:30 am) (Afternoon Shift – Noon-3:30 pm)
  • Tour Guide [Alumni and Students, please] (Morning Shift – 10:30am-1:30 pm) (Afternoon Shift – 2:30-5 pm)
  • Logistics/Operations (Morning Shift – 7:30am-11:00am) (Noon Shift – 10:30am-2:00pm)(Afternoon Shift – 1:30-5 pm)

The flyer (MS Word) provides details on the event, the volunteer roles and the amount of time required.

Register today as a volunteer!

For more information, please contact MarsRover@uh.edu