2020 AIAA AVIATION Forum Becomes A Virtual Event Written 16 April 2020
16 April 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will hold its first fully virtual event, 2020 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 15–19 June, in response to the spread of COVID-19.
“Meeting in person isn’t possible right now because safeguarding the health of our members, attendees, and staff is the priority during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director.
“While research and technical advancements might be temporarily slowed, progress must continue because what we do today will help the aerospace industry’s recovery,” said Dumbacher, noting the aerospace industry is a major contributor to the global economy. “Continuing to connect with the aerospace community matters—and that’s why we are transforming this year’s AIAA AVIATION Forum into a virtual event to help keep our industry moving forward.”
Technical presentations, engagement, and interaction are at the heart of AIAA forums and will continue in the virtual format at the 2020 AIAA AVIATION Forum, and plenaries, Forum 360s, and technical sessions will be included in the new format.
The following industry leaders have confirmed their intent to participate in AIAA’s first entirely virtual event:
- James Bridenstine, Administrator, NASA
- Walt Odisho, Vice President, Manufacturing, Safety and Quality, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
- Robert Pearce, Associate Administrator, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, NASA
- Jenette Ramos, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Operations, The Boeing Company
- Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer, Airbus
While the AIAA AVIATION Forum has moved online, papers will still be presented and published. Presentations will be recorded so they can be accessed during the forum and in the future, opening up aerospace research to a wider audience. Sharing ideas and technical information and meeting potential new collaborators are some reasons why more than 10,000 aerospace professionals attend AIAA forums every year.
The exact format and other details are still in progress. AIAA staff is updating a What You Need to Know page on an ongoing basis. Please email questions to conferences@aiaa.org.
“Being an aerospace professional means we are skilled at adapting and succeeding in challenging environments,” Dumbacher said. “This is an unsettling time for the world and our industry. We will work together to make it better. We hope you and yours are safe and healthy during this time.”
Media Contact: Michele McDonald, 703.264.7542, michelem@aiaa.org
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 85 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.