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����Ӱ�� is now home to the state’s first chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

“It is the society for aerospace engineering,” said Jeffrey Doom, an associate professor in mechanical engineering and a professional member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for 15 years. He is also the coordinator of the aerospace engineering minor and specialization in the Lohr College of Engineering and the chapter’s adviser.

Doom and Turner Marr, the student branch chair, were notified Jan. 21 by the national organization that the application for a provisional charter was approved.

It will be granted full AIAA student branch charter status in three years, provided it maintains at least 15 members and remains active. Marr, a senior mechanical engineering major, said, “We expect it only to grow.”

Doom said the stars seem to be aligning at SDSU in terms of aerospace engineering. The aerospace engineering minor was created five years ago, the number of students involved in NASA competitions continues to grow, and the Aerospace Club at SDSU, which was launched last year, has 45 members.

The Aerospace Club, which has had its charter approved by the SDSU Students’ Association, is actually part of the student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Rocket contest draws club members

One of the chief missions of the Aerospace Club is participation in the International Rocket Engineering Competition. Last year, the club had some observers, but this year, a team will be at Midland, Texas, June 15-20 to compete in the 10,000-foot altitude division with 99 other collegiate teams.

Building such a rocket, about 4 inches in diameter and 10 feet high, to compete in the commercial, off-the-shelf category, is an attraction enough to bring some students into the group.

Dylan Gruenes, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he is interested in aerospace in general, but he finds the engineering involved in building a rocket particularly intriguing. It requires understanding avionics (the electronics), aeronautics (the flight operation), the rocket’s structure and its payload, he said. 

Building a presence on a national stage

While most of the club’s members are mechanical engineering majors, there are some exceptions, including Becca Nicholson, a nursing major.

She joined the club last year because of the fun experience she had in high school with rockets. “It gave me a different outlet beyond the medical field. I feel a part of this group, and it’s nice to have that different group of friends,” Nicholson said. The rocket team meets three times a week in Crothers Engineering Hall to work on the project.

In order to attend the Texas competition, participants must be certified by the event’s insurer. Marr said almost 20 students have attained Level 1 or Level 2 safety certification.

Tyler deCesare, another sophomore mechanical engineering major, is used to working on planes capable of going well above 10,000 feet in altitude.

He is a member of the Air National Guard in Sioux Falls and works on F16 fighter jets. “I get a lot of real-world experience and then can apply it in a student-led operation like Aerospace Club,” he said.

In addition to competing in the rocket contest each year, the club has a goal of sending at least two students per year to a national meeting of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Presenting peer-reviewed papers at the AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando, Florida, Jan. 12-16, were graduate students Caden Fischer, math; and Dylan Stephens, Liam Murray and Delaney Baumberger, all mechanical engineering.  

Marr and Baumberger will present their peer-reviewed paper at the AIAA Aviation Forum 2026 in San Diego, June 8-12.

‘A lot of passion for aerospace’

SDSU is part of Region V of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, so there are also regional student conferences that the chapter can attend, such as the March 26-27 gathering in Ames, Iowa.

As an approved charter, the group also has access to a wide variety of speakers who can make virtual presentations, for example, including astronauts and the chief engineer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in California.

Doom said he is excited by the work of older students like Marr and Baumberger and the enthusiasm of a host of younger students.

Marr said, “This is a pivotal moment for SDSU. There is a lot of passion for aerospace here now, and we’re really excited the chapter got started.”