Academic joins US aero body

Professor Kevin Massey, Discipline Head of Aerospace and Aviation at RMIT University, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The AIAA is the largest professional society in the field of aerospace science, engineering and operations. It has more than 30,000 members worldwide, with almost 20 per cent outside the US.

The mission of the AIAA is to advance the state of aerospace science, engineering, and technological leadership and provide members of the global aerospace community with opportunities to exchange information, network, and collaborate on topics of interest.

Professor Massey's appointment to the Board reflects the society's commitment to focus more strongly on the Asia-Pacific region.

"This will provide an avenue for RMIT to further extend its global engagement with the aerospace industry and to develop aerospace educational projects, such as an international Design Build Fly student competition, in which RMIT Aerospace students can participate," Professor Massey said.

Professor Aleksandar Subic, Head of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and a Director of the Australian Association for the Aerospace and Aviation Industries, said Australia's aerospace industry was international and export-oriented and this was reflected in its relationship with AIAA.

"RMIT researchers have significant expertise in advanced aerospace structures and composites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), aerodynamics, and other key areas of interest," Professor Subic said.

"The appointment of Professor Massey to the Board of AIAA is of strategic importance and will help extend our collaboration with the global industry in these areas of research."

Other Board members of AIAA include leading US academics in the field, aerospace industry leaders from Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon, and representatives from NASA, US Army, Air Force and Sandia National Labs.

The AIAA is the leading source of aerospace journals, with five of the top 10 aerospace journals referenced by Scopus. It holds 26 technical conferences annually, with total attendance of close to 10,000 aerospace professionals.

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