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Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 5pm

AIAA San Diego

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AIAA San Diego

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Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from AIAA San Diego, Aerospace Company, 1520 J Street, San Diego, CA.

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.

10/07/2026

Get ready for your close-up! 📸 The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is hosting a Professional Portrait Event on Tuesday, October 20th, 2026. This is your chance to get a high-quality headshot to elevate your professional profile, whether it's for LinkedIn, a resume, or your company's website.

Event Details:
- Date: Tuesday, October 20th, 2026
- Time: Sign up for a 10-minute slot between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM
- Location: SDSU Mission Valley River Park (near Fenton Parkway Trolley Station)

Don't miss this opportunity to capture a polished, professional image. Our photographer will be ready to help you look your best. Sodas and water will be provided.

How to Participate:
Tickets are $10 for AIAA student members, $20 for professional AIAA members, and $30 for non-members. First, buy your ticket here: https://square.link/u/BHk0egSn. Then, use the sign-up sheet to reserve your time slot: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/140pVu9DCGqYq5KqnxrkLsLOB5YOugk4FwBYtjYCPUk4. To ensure a smooth and efficient process, we're doing this by appointment only.

Parking is available along River Park Road. The location is also easily accessible via the trolley for both UCSD and SDSU students.

09/29/2026

Hello San Diego Aerospace Community,

Join the AIAA San Diego Section and like-minded aerospace enthusiasts for a night out at Fillippi’s Pizza Grotto in Scripps Ranch for some traditional Italian food while hearing from our own AIAA Member, Brandon Suarez, as he discusses challenges and opportunities with integrating autonomous aircraft into the national airspace system. Reliable Robotics has integrated an autonomous flight system into a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans and are pursuing an updated type certificate to cover the autonomous piloting.

Date & Time: Friday, October 2nd, 2026 at 6:30 PM

Cost: $35 / $25 / $15 for non-members, members, and students. Your ticket covers admission to the technical talk as well as food/drink

Location: Filippi's Pizza Grotto (Scripps Ranch)

Link to Buy Tickets: https://square.link/u/IDfBUKRs

Speaker Bio:

Brandon Suarez currently serves as Vice President for UAS Integration at Reliable Robotics where he will drive the development and adoption of technical standards and global aviation policy for the company. Brandon is Co-Chair of RTCA Special Committee 228, which is developing technical standards for UAS. He is also an advisor to the U.S. member of the ICAO RPAS Panel.

We hope to see you there!

08/13/2026

AeroArt @ Aero Club Bar
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
5:30 PM 7:00 PM
Aero Club Bar
3365 India Street San Diego, CA, 92103
Join us for a fun night of airplanes and art at San Diego’s finest aerospace-themed bar!
Unleash your hidden artistic talent and join other aero-enthusiasts at this STEAM event where the “A” for ART will be accentuated. Still life drawings by real art students depicting fruit bowls and flower arrangements are so 19th century. We, the AIAA engineering crowd, prefer artistic renderings of 20th and 21st century aircraft!
Assorted aircraft models will be displayed for you to draw and compete for prizes and a chance to have your aero-themed masterpiece displayed at San Diego’s famous Aero Club Bar.All necessary art supplies will be provided, we just need you to join in on the fun and come out and meet some novice, intermediate, and advanced San Diego Aerospace professionals.
Event Costs (which include one b**r or well drink, and pizza):
AIAA Student members: $10
AIAA members: $15
Non-members and guests: $20
Link to RSVP: https://square.link/u/fUkyIkdL

05/28/2026

Join the AIAA San Diego Section and AIAA Aviation 2026 attendees for a post-conference happy hour. Network with colleagues in the aerospace industry and hear about all that San Diego has to offer as an aerospace hub!

Details

Date: Wednesday, June 10th, 2026

Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Location: Dorothy’s W**e Bar (789 Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101). The venue is just steps from the convention hotel!

Cost: $20 /$30 for AIAA Members / Non-Members and Guests (includes w**e, b**r, charcuterie, and appetizers)

Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cJTPz_jklKlK_Wrw4VCTggv1ooeLPhJX/view?usp=sharing

Tickets: https://square.link/u/mBFrKM51

This event was made possible by a generous sponsorship from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

04/06/2026

It’s the time of year again for the annual AIAA San Diego Section Awards and Scholarship Gala. Join us to celebrate outstanding aerospace engineering achievement in San Diego County. Also in attendance will be this year’s winners of the Reuben H. Fleet Scholarship and the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair winners.

Admission includes: access to Allen Airways Flying Museum, taco dinner by La Taquiza, and 2 drink tickets.

When: Saturday, May 2nd, 5pm-8pm

Where: Allen Airways Flying Museum (Gillespie Field)

2020 N. Marshall Ave. El Cajon, CA 92020

Attire: Business Casual

Space is limited, so please RSVP via ticket purchase by Wednesday April 30th

Sponsored Table (8 seats): $300

Non-member: $33

AIAA Member: $23

Students: $18

https://square.link/u/3ceSCSHA

03/14/2026

This technical symposium highlights three cutting-edge graduate research projects from San Diego State University covering aerospace structures, experimental aerodynamics, and autonomous space guidance. Join AIAA members, industry professionals, and students for an engaging evening of presentations and discussion.

Date: Monday 3/23
Agenda: 5:30pm Registration, Social and Pizza
6:15 AIAA Announcements
6:30-7:45 Presentations
Post Social until 8:30pm.

Location: Helix Brewing Co., 8101 Commercial St
La Mesa, CA 91942

Costs: Non Members: $15; AIAA Members: $10, Students: $5
Includes: Pizza and (1) drink ticket.
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/DH6RRJ06N5K9G/checkout/AD2EJE3CGA3AT3CC56ASIT3B

03/13/2026

Abstract
Despite over three decades of research, topology optimization (TO) continues to provoke a mixed reception in the engineering design community. Lauded as a natural companion to additive manufacturing (AM), it is simultaneously criticized as impractical for real-world engineering design. What remains clear is this: TO is not a push-button tool that produces perfect, ready-to-manufacture designs on demand — nor was it ever meant to be.
Yet, in an era of generative AI and conversational design interfaces, where "optimal" solutions are increasingly promised with little more than a prompt, the expectations surrounding automated design tools are shifting. Against this backdrop, TO holds a distinct, and perhaps underappreciated, value: the ability to deliver creative, unintuitive solutions in domains where traditional design intuition fails.
This presentation explores the recent advances of topology optimization — not as a universal tool, but as an essential enabler for complex, multiphysics, and multifunctional systems. In simple, single-function applications, optimized results often align with engineering intuition, reducing the marginal value of TO. However, as modern design problems grow in complexity — requiring interdisciplinary integration and multiphysics/multiscale coupling— human intuition alone is no longer sufficient. Upon refection of the current research direction in the context of an ever growing class of complex engineering system, the presentation will highlight its capabilities and the substantial challenges that remain.
Bio
H Alicia Kim is a Professor in the Department of Structural Engineering and Program for Material Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, with affiliate appointments in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her M2DO (Multiscale Multiphysics Design Optimization) lab develops topology optimization and computational methods for multiphysics and multifunctional systems. She also leads the SHAPE center (Simulation & Design of Heterogeneous Architectures for Performance and Energy Absorption) working on multiscale nonlinear material design under the NNSA PSAAP IV program. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and led research projects funded by NASA, DARPA, DOE, and multiple industry partners. Professor Kim has served on editorial boards of several journals including Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, and has been actively engaging with the professional societies, Past Secretary General of the International Society of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization and former chair of AIAA MDO TC.

03/02/2026

AIAA SD Trip to the Palm Springs Air Museum

Come join us for a day of high-flying history as we visit the Palm Springs Air Museum. Established in 1996, the museum has stood for years holding decades of aerospace history. The museum consists of wonderful exhibits including the Lockheed Martin F-117A Nighthawk, Grumman F-14A Tomcat, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and many more! Transportation and admission are included with your ticket (food not provided). Please fill out the RSVP form below to pay and claim your spot.

RSVP and Payment Link:
https://aiaa-san-diego-section.square.site/product/palm-desert-air-museum-tour/GWSRYW5PCVLUPY5RPWCRKBIG

Where:
Palm Springs Air Museum (745 N Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92262)
When:
Saturday, Mar 21st
Timeline:
7am- DEPART from carpool spot (8225 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92126)
10am- Arrive at museum (Meet Around Lobby)
2pm- Depart museum
5pm- Arrive back at meetup spot
(We will be leaving at 7am, however, other times are subject to change due to traffic and other conditions)
Cost:
AIAA Students- $15
AIAA Members- $20
Non-Members- $25

02/13/2026

Join us Wednesday Feb 18th 2026, 6pm at Embolden Brewing for Aerospace Trivia! Meet fellow aerospace enthusiasts and show off your aerospace knowledge! Ticket price includes a fun night of Trivia, and one drink ticket and a slice of pizza, and additional drinks can be purchased at the event.

https://square.link/u/Bvc3PUxO

02/02/2026

Lost in Space: How to Navigate around the Moon and Beyond?
by
Pablo Machuca
Assistant Professor
Aerospace Engineering
San Diego State University

Date: Friday, February 6th, 2026, 6:00PM
Location: Room 305, Engineering Building Unit II (EBU2)
Universty of California San Diego (UCSD)

Abstract:
This seminar will cover on-going research efforts on autonomous optical navigation for deep-
space missions. Applications of interest include trajectories beyond Geostationary Earth Orbit,
lunar transfers, lunar orbits, and missions to asteroids or comets. We explore the potential of
techniques such as edge detection, centroiding, neural network-based feature detection (for lunar
crater and Earth coastline detection), pattern recognition, etc. An overview of our simulation
framework is provided, including image generation, image processing, characterization and
modeling of measurement errors, filtering, uncertainty quantification, and validation through
hardware-in-the-loop experiments. Autonomous optical navigation can enable lower cost, more
flexible, independent, resilient, and sustainable space exploration, and its promise, technical
challenges, expected performance, and limitations are discussed in this talk.

Bio: Pablo Machuca is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering

at San Diego State University. Pablo completed his Ph.D. on “Mission Design for Asteroid
Exploration Using Autonomous CubeSats” at Cranfield University (United Kingdom) in 2021.
He then joined University of California San Diego as a postdoctoral researcher on “Cislunar
Space Domain Awareness” in 2021, and completed a second postdoc at Massachusetts Institute
of Technology on “Space Debris Modeling and Propagation” in 2022.
Pablo’s research interests include astrodynamics in dynamically complex environments and
autonomous guidance, navigation and control, with applications to deep-space exploration, and
small-spacecraft mission analysis and systems design.

Address

1520 J Street
San Diego, CA
92101

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.aiaa-sd.org/

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