# Student Groups

**Source**: https://aa.stanford.edu/our-culture/student-groups
**Parent**: https://aa.stanford.edu/academics-admissions/undergraduate-program

**Student Advisory Committee (SAC)**

The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) focuses on enhancing the academic experience within the Aero/Astro Department and acts as a liaison between faculty, staff, and students. Recent achievements include revisions to the M.S. Program structure, Ph.D. Qualifying process, the organization of the Annual Student Survey, and the upkeep of a fellowship resources page on our website.

The SAC convenes once a month for approximately 2 hours during the academic year. Members are appointed to one or two ongoing projects dependent upon the time commitment of each specific undertaking. We expect each member to commit for the entire academic year, (and hopefully longer!). The total time commitment, including meetings, averages around 4-5 hours per month. Additionally, we hold quarterly meetings with our Department Chair, Professor Alonso, to discuss departmental matters, upcoming initiatives, and directly address student concerns.

If you are interested in attending a meeting, please reach out to Patrick Ferguson at [patrickf@stanford.edu](mailto:patrickf@stanford.edu).

**Comments? Questions? Suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!**

[Feedback form (SUNetID required, but is anonymous)](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJusRr4-j_ic8ot0LeY_fVJ_xmGS1-7IIkY2Q-ADa3iAR92Q/viewform?usp=sf_link)

**American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)**

The Stanford student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) organizes a variety of activities throughout the academic year. These events are open to all students in the Aero/Astro department, as well as those from other departments with an interest in aerospace. While membership in AIAA is optional, student memberships are available and come with numerous benefits beyond those offered at Stanford.

To stay updated on upcoming events, you can join our AIAA email distribution list by signing up at [aiaa@lists.stanford.edu](mailto:aiaa@lists.stanford.edu).

**President**: Grace Kim

**Vice President of Professional Development**: Yuji Takubo

**Vice President of Social**: Emily Ellison

**Treasurer**: Michelle Ho

**Officers**: Gabriela Ayala, Lauren Simitz, Maximilian Adang, Nishant Shah

**Undergraduate Reps**: Oliver Szavuj, Nolan Nguyen, Angie J Castro

**Women in Aeronautics & Astronautics (WIAA)**

WIAA is part of Stanford's Student Chapter of AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics). WIAA aspires to both support female and nonbinary students in Aero Astro as well as foster broader community within the discipline through professional, educational, social, and outreach events. All are welcome!

**President**: Michelle Ho

**Vice President:** Kaila Coimbra

**Financial Officer:** Riley Tam

**Professional Development Director**: Lauren Simitz

**Graduate Community Director:** Grace Kim & Alina Santander

**Graduate Outreach Director**: Zahra Ahmed

**Undergraduate Outreach Director:** Callista Skye Holleschak & Angela Sifuentes

**Current Events & Programs:**

- WIAA Mentorship Program:
  - We pair new and returning AA students to have conversations about grad school, Stanford, and/or just life more generally.
  - If that wasn't incentive enough, we pay for you both to grab coffee/beverages once a quarter.

While membership in WIAA is optional, student memberships are available and come with numerous benefits beyond those offered at Stanford. To stay updated on upcoming events, you can join our WIAA email distribution list by signing up at, [wiaa-members@lists.stanford.edu](mailto:wiaa-members@lists.stanford.edu). We also have an **Instagram (@wiaa\_stanford)** if you want to follow along what we are up to! We love to showcase the events we run and feature our members.

**Young Astronauts Program**

The Young Astronauts program supports the local elementary schools. It relies on enthusiastic graduate student volunteers to interest young students in science and engineering. To subscribe to the email distribution list, **[young-astronauts@lists.stanford.edu](mailto:young-astronauts@lists.stanford.edu),** go to <https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/young-astronauts>.

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