LOCAL SECTION SUPPORT OF THE REGION II AIAA STUDENT CONFERENCE
by Pat Connor

The Region II AIAA Student Conference was held in Savannah, Georgia from 13 to 15 April. Nearly 200 aerospace engineering students from various universities around the southeast participated in this year’s conference. The
Savannah AIAA Section played a very significant part in success of this year’s event as detailed below.

  1. Our section contributed $1500 from our general operating funds and we successfully solicited a matching contribution of $1500 from Gulfstream.
  2. Twenty eight technical papers were reviewed by 16 Section members. This task was coordinated by Don Freund
    and the following Gulfstream and AIAA section members participated in the review: Paul Taylor, Andy Slater, Bob Mills, Charlie Osonitsch, Doug McKissack, Frank Simmons, Tom Rothermel, Mark Ray, Lloyd Morgan, Don Howe, Bill Stevens, Jimmy Hancock, Larry Hanson, Scott Maher, Kortney Ringel, and Pat Connor.
  3. Paul Taylor, Doug McKissack and Don Freund served as judges for the oral presentations.
  4. Mike Foster took an active part in securing needed audio-visual equipment for the presentations.
  5. On Thursday evening, our section made arrangements for a field trip to and dinner at the Eighth Air Force Museum. As part of the museum tour, local section members showed the students the section’s mini wind tunnel and radio-controlled flight demonstrator and discussed ways for them to get involved in local educational activities.
  6. Local section members Paul Taylor, Dick Johnson and Capt John Carson (F-18 fighter pilot stationed at Beaufort) participated in an industry panel discussing aerospace career experiences and opportunities on Friday afternoon.
  7. Dick Johnson, Pat Coulter, Pat Connor and their wives attended the awards banquet on Friday evening where
    former astronaut Norman Thagard was the guest speaker.
  8. On Saturday morning, 11 section members served as guides for a tour of the Gulfstream and Flight Safety facilities. Approximately 75 students participated in the tour. The following section members graciously offered to spend Saturday morning escorting the students around: Don Freund, Doug McKissack, Larry Hanson, Mike Foster,
    Andrew Blakeslee, Charles Roberts, Mark Moss, Joe Salamone, Lloyd Morgan, Tony Briotta, and Pat Connor.

 

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