Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala

When:  Aug 12, 2021 from 17:00 to 19:00 (ET)

On 12 August 2021, AIAA will host an extraordinary virtual evening to inspire and advance the future of aerospace. From the important missions that reinvent our national uses of air and space, to the innovative new applications that enhance everyday living, AIAA recognizes individuals and institutions that are making the world safer, more connected, and more prosperous.

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Join colleagues, peers, and family as we recognize the 2020 and 2021 honorees in the following categories: 

AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award

  • 2020: Robert D. Cabana, NASA Kennedy Space Center
  • 2021: Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, U.S. Air Force (retired)

AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award

  • 2020: Alan C. Brown, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
  • 2021: Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company

Guggenheim Medal

  • 2020: Sheila E. Widnall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

AIAA Distinguished Service Award

  • 2020: L. Jane Hansen, HRP Systems
  • 2021: Merri J. Sanchez, The Aerospace Corporation

AIAA International Cooperation Award

  • 2020: Jaiwon Shin, NASA Headquarters (retired), and Joachim Szodruch, Hamburg Aviation; IFAR, for the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR)
  • 2021: Michael Watkins, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Michael A. Gross, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Frank Flechtner, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences; Albert Zaglauer, Airbus Defence and Space

AIAA Public Service Award

  • 2020: Steve T. Knight, Former U.S. Congressman
  • 2021: Marcia S. Smith, SpacePolicyOnline.com

AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award

  • 2020: Patrick Neumann, Neumann Space
  • 2021: Benjamin Jorns, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

AIAA Engineer of the Year

  • 2020: Andrew Klesh, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  • 2021: Humberto Silva III, Sandia National Laboratories

AIAA Educator Achievement Award

  • 2020: Elizabeth L. Bero, Horizon Elementary School, Madison, Alabama; Beth Leavitt, Wade Hampton High School, Greenville, South Carolina; Scott McComb, Raisbeck Aviation High School, Seattle, Washington
  • 2021: Suzanne Banas, South Miami Middle Community School Miami, Florida; Leesa Hubbard, W.A. Wright Elementary, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Mark Westlake, Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights, Minnesota
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