The Conrad Foundation today announced that it has formed an agreement with AIAA, The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, to appoint the world’s largest technical society devoted to the aerospace profession as the official Aerospace Advisor of the 2010 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards. As the official Aeronautics Advisor, AIAA will provide the Conrad Foundation with access to their extensive professional network of scientists and engineers, consultation on aerospace-related aspects of the competition, and special membership benefits to the Spirit of Innovation Award winners.
“The members of AIAA paved the path for innovation in aviation technology, and are largely responsible for modern flight as we know it,” said Nancy Conrad, Founder and CEO of the Conrad Foundation. “We’re thrilled to give our participants the opportunity to interact with, and learn from the prestigious members of AIAA.”
Known as the principal society for aerospace engineers and scientists, AIAA’s mission is to address the professional needs and interests of the past, current, and future aerospace workforce and to advance the state of aerospace science, engineering, technology, operations, and policy to benefit our global society. The Conrad Foundation strives to connect today’s brightest young minds with the resources, intellectual and entrepreneurial support they need to usher in a new age of innovation. Together, the two organizations will work toward building a global platform for the advancement of science and aerospace education through the enrichment of human capital.
“AIAA and the Conrad Foundation share many of the same ideals and institutional goals for building a platform for grassroots science education enrichment,” said David Thompson, President of AIAA. “As an organization that is committed to supporting the next generation of aerospace innovators, our partnership with the Conrad Foundation is a big step towards achieving our goals.”
For more information about the Conrad Foundation, or to learn more about the 2010 Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards, please visit: www.conradawards.com
About The Conrad Foundation
The Conrad Foundation is a non-profit organization built upon astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad’s history of innovation and entrepreneurship. Pete’s legacy continues through the Foundation’s rich programs that combine education and entrepreneurship in a revolutionary model of competition. By providing students with the tools, resources and opportunities to innovate in science and technology, we connect the most creative students with real-world entrepreneurial ventures. The Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award challenges students to create product concepts in specific fields of interest that can be taken to the commercial marketplace. For more information, visit www.conradawards.org.
About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. With more than 35,000 individual members worldwide, and 90 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.
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