Black Students in Aerospace

BSA helps students excel within the aerospace engineering field through hands-on technical and professional development. Our CubeSat Demonstration Program lets students design, build, and fly their own CubeSats, collecting atmospheric data and inertial measurements through a self-paced, independent project fully funded by BSA (about $50 per student). We also cover costs for students to attend national conferences such as NSBE and AIAA SciTech (registration alone can exceed $300), helping them grow their professional networks and secure internships. Donations during Giving Blue Day help sustain and expand these fully funded opportunities, ensuring more students can benefit from these transformative experiences.

About our Organization
Black Students in Aerospace (BSA) at the University of Michigan is a student organization committed to increasing the visibility of Black people in the aerospace and aviation industry. At BSA, we aim to create an academic and social community amongst those already pursuing a space-related education at UMich, as well as to foster participation in the industry for interested outsiders.

From our inception in February 2020, BSA has put on events that speak to the accomplishments of Black engineers and scientists. We have organized multiple panel discussions for members of the College of Engineering featuring the voices and experiences of Black students, professors, and alumni. BSA strives to initiate and facilitate positive dialogue between Black students and the UM Aerospace Department, and we now work in conjunction with the College of Engineering’s Office of Culture, Community and Equity (OCCE) to address issues that Black Aerospace students face at UM.

We also promote our members' professional development skills through hosting events with companies that span from resume workshops to crash courses about various aerospace careers. We sponsor members to attend a number of conferences throughout the year including SciTech, an annual conference put on by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for engineers to learn about advances in aerospace research, development, and technology. Recently, we sent 14 of our members to the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) annual convention in March 2024, to help them secure jobs and build relationships with industry experts.

BSA also strives to develop the technical skills of our members to aid them as they go into industry. In Fall 2024, we launched our CubeSat Demonstration Program, which was designed to enrich the technical skills of underclassmen who have not previously held an internship. Aiming to be a 40-hour semester long asynchronous course, the enrolled students, assisted by BSA upperclassmen that volunteer to be CDP facilitators, create a CubeSat that measures pressure, gyroscope data, acceleration, and altitude. As of Spring 2025, we have successfully put 12 students through the program.

BSA works tirelessly to ensure that Black students feel empowered and confident in their pursuit of an education in the aerospace industry. Students of all races, ethnicities, and majors are welcome to help us bring our vision to life!