In AIAA, local sections are where the action begins. We have 62 sections throughout the United States and overseas, all organized into seven AIAA Regions. Each section provides technical programs and activities tailored to local aerospace professionals, students and educators.

What are the benefits of participating in your section?

1. Networking — Meet people who can help you in your career
2. Keeping abreast of the latest aerospace developments
3. Information sharing with other AIAA members
4. Promoting the profession through educational outreach activities
5. Developing leadership skills

What do other AIAA members say?

“I joined AIAA as a freshman at Arizona State University, not really knowing what a huge opportunity it was.  Honestly, I just showed up for the free pizza, and figured $20 per year was pretty good for free pizza every month.  But the more I got involved, the more I realized what tremendous opportunity there was in AIAA for personal and career betterment, as well as to become an active part of one’s field.  As a student, the design competitions, scholarships, pre-career development, and social activities that went along with AIAA student membership made me into the engineer I am today.  And today, as the Section Chairman of AIAA Antelope Valley, I can see that I have just scratched the surface of what immense opportunities AIAA holds for career growth and networking.  The magazine, the conferences, the professional development courses, the technical committees, and the local social and professional web are invaluable to my professional life .... I would recommend AIAA membership to any member of the aerospace profession, especially young professionals; the earlier you get involved with your professional society, the more your career will benefit in the long run.”

Nalin Ratnayake,* Section Chairman, AIAA Antelope Valley
Aerospace Engineer, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center

(*These opinions are my own — I do not speak in any
official capacity for NASA or the United States Government.)

"As an 11-year-old junior high student, I received a science fair award from AIAA. That was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the organization that has helped fuel my ambition. I have been a member for 17 years now. As part of section leadership through college and today, I have gained valuable experience with managing people and organizing technical activities. I have developed a large network of professional contacts, and have increased my marketability. I even have had the opportunity to voice my opinion and discuss aerospace related topics with my congressmen through AIAA's Congressional Visits Day. AIAA has helped me shape my career into something I enjoy doing everyday."

Allison Cash, Mississippi/Alabama Section Vice Chair

Your section wants you! From educational outreach to event planning to technical presentations to public policy involvement — whatever your interest, there is a spot for you!

The time commitment is one or two evenings a month, plus time spent on specific programs of interest to your aerospace community. Resources to help with program activities are available from your local section and from AIAA Headquarters, including an annual leadership training workshop.

Here are some examples of recent section activities:

1. Atlanta Section – The Atlanta Section sponsored Kell High School in the “FIRST Robotics Competition,” an event that challenges young minds and their mentors to solve a common problem and encourages students to become more involved in science and technology. Students get a basic robot kit and then design and build a robot to compete against other teams at regional and international levels.
   
   

1. New England Section – Members toured the MIT/NASA/USAF Haystack Observatory. They learned about the science and history of Haystack Observatory, they saw the 37-meter dish, enclosed in the largest freestanding geodesic dome in the world, and they participated in a Star Party hosted by the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston. Attendees were treated to spectacular views of the Holmes comet, N51 (the ring nebula), and Albireo, the blue and yellow double star in constellation Cygnus.
   
   

1. Delaware Section – Young Professional Event - Young professionals visited Mount Cuba Observatory. A lecture was given on “The Evolution of the Universe,” a presentation was given in the all-digital Sci Dome Planetarium, and there was a post-planetarium happy hour in Wilmington.
   
   

1. Dayton-Cincinnati Section – ABX Air, Inc. conducted a tour of their facility to show how their fleet planes are maintained. They keep these cargo planes going round the clock, 24/7, 365 days a year.