Press Release

AIAA Science and Technology Forum to Focus on Aerospace at a Crossroads

By SpaceRef Editor
December 16, 2013
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December 16, 2013 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will hold its 2014 Science and Technology Forum (SciTech 2014), January 13 – 17, 2014, at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel and Conference Center in National Harbor, Md.

SciTech 2014 will bring together more than 3,000 attendees from industry, government and academia for five days of meetings and dialogue. Featuring ten discussion tracks and more than 1,800 individual sessions, SciTech 2014 will examine the current state of the aerospace industry, advancements in aerospace technology, and the future of space exploration. Specific topics will include: NASA R&D policy, NASA aeronautics policy, designing future spacecraft for affordability, and 3-D printing.

“At SciTech 2014, we will tackle several important issues facing aerospace: Supply-chain questions, R&D support, budgeting, design cost, and the future workforce,” said AIAA President-Elect Jim Albaugh.  “These discussions between business and government representatives are critical to our industry’s future. SciTech 2014 will be a great venue for these conversations and I expect that they will be fruitful and give our community the assurances it will need to keep our great track record of innovation and leadership moving forward.”

Keynote speakers for SciTech 2014 include:  Richard F. “Rick” Ambrose, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company; The Honorable Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics; and C. D. “Dan” Mote Jr., president, National Academy of Engineering.

Other speakers for the event include: Carl Avila, director, advanced weapons and missiles, Boeing Defense; Marion C. Blakey, president and chief executive officer, Aerospace Industries Association; Robert Braun, David and Andres Lewis Professor of Space Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jason Dun, co-founder and chief technology officer, Made in Space; Antonio L. Elias, executive vice president and chief technical officer, Orbital Sciences Corporation; The Honorable Chaka Fattah (D-PA, 2nd); Michael Gazarik, associate administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA; Edward Hoffman, chief knowledge officer, NASA; Mark J. Lewis, director, Science and Technology Policy Institute’s Institute for Defense Analyses; Gen. Lester Lyles, U.S. Air Force (retired); Scott Pace, director, Space Policy Institute, Elliot School of International Affairs, The George Washington University; Arati Prabhakar, director, Defense Advanced Projects Agency; Jaiwon Shin, associate director, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, NASA; and David W. Thompson, chairman, chief executive officer, and president, Orbital Sciences Corp.

The premier sponsor of SciTech 2014 is Lockheed Martin. Other sponsors include: Airbus, The Boeing Company, and Dunmore Corporation.

For more information on the AIAA 2014 SciTech Forum, please contact Duane Hyland at 703.264.7558 or duaneh@aiaa.org. Conference registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the press.

AIAA is the largest aerospace professional society in the world, serving a diverse range of more than 35,000 individual members from 80 countries, and 100 corporate members. AIAA members help make the world safer, more connected, more accessible, and more prosperous. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org

SpaceRef staff editor.