Bylaws of the ASEE Aerospace Division

Adopted: 2002
Last Revision: May, 02, 2023

A. Name
The name of this division shall be the Aerospace Division of the American Society for Engineering Education.

B. Objectives
The objectives of this Division are identical to the objectives of the Society as articulated in the ASEE Constitution, with an emphasis on those objectives that pertain to aerospace engineering. Specifically, the Division shall support the development of new aerospace engineers and those who teach them by encouraging the dissemination of information on fundamental educational research and application of new teaching methods in aerospace engineering classes.

C. Membership
Membership in the Division shall be limited to members of the Society who have paid the required membership dues.

D. Organization

The Division shall be administered by an Executive Committee of at least nine elected members.

E. Executive Committee

Five members of the Executive Committee shall serve as the Division Officers: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, Program Chair, and Program Chair-Elect. At least four shall serve as Auxiliary Members of the Executive Committee, including the Webmaster, Past Chair, and at least two additional At-Large members.

Except in extraordinary circumstances, officers shall serve one-year terms in succession in each office in the order of Program Chair-Elect, Program Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, Vice Chair, and Chair. Additionally, the Chair shall succeed the Past Chair.

Vacancies in the succession of offices shall be filled by temporary appointments from Members of the Executive Committee, as approved by a five-member quorum of that Committee. The temporary appointments shall be in effect until the next annual meeting, at which time the vacancies shall be filled through regular election procedures.

F. Executive Committee Duties

Chair – Oversees administration and conducts official correspondence for the Division; leads the Business Meeting and Banquet and/or Division Reception. In overseeing the administration, the Chair shall ensure that all duties and tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Vice Chair – Assists the Chair in the administration for the Division. Chairs the committees for awards. The duties for the J. Leland Atwood Award Committee are described in Article H.I. The duties for the Distinguished Service Award Committee are described in Article H.II. The duties for the ASEE Aerospace Division Student Paper Award Committee are described in Article H.III. The duties for the ASEE Aerospace Division Young Investigator Award Committee are described in Article H.IV.

Secretary/Treasurer – Signs for expenditures, receives account reports, reports at annual Business Meeting. In the event of vacancies in the offices of both Chair and Vice Chair, the Secretary/Treasurer shall act as Chair pro tempore. Serves on the J. Leland Atwood Award Committee.

Program Chair – Organizes and implements the Division’s program for the annual conference.

Auxiliary Members of the Executive Committee – The Auxiliary Members: Past Chair, Program Chair-Elect, Webmaster, and At-Large members, participate in discussions and assist in the conduct of business and programs of the Division. The Past Chair serves as a resource for the Division and serves on the committee for the J. Leland Atwood Award. The Program Chair-Elect assists the Program Chair in preparation for assuming the duties of that office in the following year. The duties of the webmaster are described in Article J.II. At-Large members stand by to complete terms or fill vacancies in the succession of offices.

G. Elections

The Program Chair-Elect and the additional Auxiliary Member(s) shall be elected at the annual business meeting that coincides with the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. Nominations, with a requisite second, may be made from the floor for these positions. The nominations shall be voted on by the members present at the Business Meeting held during the annual conference.

H. Standing Committees

H.I. J. Leland Atwood Award Committee

The J. Leland Atwood Award, established in 1974, is bestowed annually upon an outstanding aerospace engineering educator in recognition of contributions to the profession. The award is endowed by Rockwell International and consists of an honorarium and a certificate. In addition, the AIAA presents a suitably engraved medal and certificate at the annual AIAA Science and Technology (SciTech) Forum. Nominations may be made by any member of ASEE and/or AIAA. The call for nominations is issued in the fall of the previous year. The J. Leland Atwood Award cannot be granted to the currently serving members of the Executive Committee, J. Leland Atwood Award Committee members, or any previous J. Leland Atwood Award winner. The award, which may, or may not be made during any given year, is presented at any Aerospace division meeting during the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

The Committee consists of four members: Vice Chair who serves as committee chair, Past Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and one past winner of the award who will be nominated by the Committee Chair and approved by the Executive Committee. At least one of the four Committee members shall be a past recipient of the J. Leland Atwood Award. At least one Committee member is not a past awardee.

If a current member of the Executive Committee is nominated, their nomination may be held until they are no longer a member of the Executive Committee. Their nomination may be considered by the J. Leland Atwood Award committee at that time.

H.II. Distinguished Service Award Committee
The Aerospace Division’s Distinguished Service Award was established in 1992 to recognize and honor members of the Aerospace Division who have served the Division in an exemplary manner. The Vice-Chair serves as the Committee chair with two other Executive Committee members selected by the Division Chair. The Distinguished Service Award cannot be granted to the currently serving Executive Committee members. The call for nominations is issued in the fall. One or more awards are presented at any Aerospace division meeting during the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

H.III. ASEE Aerospace Division Student Paper Award Committee
Student authored papers submitted to the Aerospace Division and presented at an ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition can be considered for ASEE Aerospace Division Student Paper Award(s). Up to three awards may be presented each year. The lead author and presenter (same or different) must be a student. An award consists of both a certificate and cash award to the student author(s). The Vice-Chair serves as the Committee chair with two other Executive Committee members selected by the Division Chair. Awards are presented at any Aerospace division meeting at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition

H.IV. ASEE Aerospace Division Young Investigator Award Committee

Papers submitted to the Aerospace Division and presented at an ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition by a lead author in the first five years of their professional academic career can be considered for the ASEE Aerospace Division Young Investigator Award. This award consists of both a certificate and cash award to the lead author. The Vice-Chair serves as the Committee chair with two other Executive Committee members selected by the Division Chair. The award is presented at any Aerospace division meeting at the ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition

I. Meetings and Activities
The Executive Committee shall arrange for an annual conference of the Division to be held concurrently with the annual conference of the Society and shall administer such other activities as may be desirable for the purposes of the Division, including the appointment of ad hoc committees. Members of the Society and other interested persons shall be eligible to attend meetings of the committees.

J. Publications

J.I. Papers
In accordance with Article VIII of the ASEE Constitution, papers and discussions presented at meetings of ASEE and the councils or groups therein shall become the property of ASEE and may be published as ASEE series, miscellaneous or occasional publications if authorized by the Board of Directors or its delegated representative. The ASEE Board of Directors, through its delegated representative, may grant permission to publish such papers and discussions elsewhere on condition that ASEE receives proper credit or may waive any property right ASEE may have in the paper or discussion. Papers not accepted for publication shall be returned to the authors and shall no longer be considered the property of the Society.

J.II. Website
The Division Chair shall appoint a Webmaster authorized to maintain the Aerospace Division website.

K. Amendments
Amendments to these bylaws may be made at any annual or special meeting of the Division upon affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members present. Proposed amendments are to be prepared by a committee of three members appointed by the Chair of the Division. The amendments are to be sent to the members no later than thirty days before they are to be voted upon for adoption.

L. Statement on Financial Reserves
The Division strives to maintain a balance equal to approximately 1-year worth of operating expenses in a reserve account maintained by ASEE

M. Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness
The Aerospace Division is committed to promoting the inclusion and education of diverse individuals and embracing diverse ideas in the professions of engineering and engineering technology. The Aerospace Division recognizes that diversity is strength in creativity, broadness of new ideas, and embracing new perspectives to arrive at the most truly innovative, resource-smart solutions possible. More information can be found on ASEE’s Statement on Diversity and Inclusiveness at https://diversity.asee.org/about/.

Download pdf: ASEE Aerospace Bylaws (Revised May 2, 2023)