A spiderweb's
mechanical intelligence
How a spider's design principles could improve aerospace structures.
Get caught up
Why Aero & Astro?
We are the only full aerospace engineering program in the Pacific Northwest, and we sit among Boeing, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Amazon Leo and PrimeAir, and dozens of smaller satellite and launch companies. That proximity puts internships, capstone sponsors, actionable research and employment close by. Here you can run tests in the Kirsten Wind Tunnel or work on fusion propulsion and composite structures alongside the faculty leading that research.
Explore Aero & Astro at UW
News
Shumlak first recipient of Lai/Yudkovsky fellowship
Alumnus Gary Lai and his wife, Natalya Yudkovsky, have established a fellowship to support faculty research in space exploration.
Google award for fusion energy research
Alan Kaptanoglu to lead optimization in a three-year project that will build neural network models to explore new stellarator designs and lower the cost of future fusion power plants.
Shake and release
One small motor can take a whole structure apart, which will be especially useful for disassembly in space.
Events
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Oct 19, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with ISE's Ashis Banerjee
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Oct 26, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with Carbon Robotics' Ryan Crompton
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Nov 2, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
Community Learning Webinar: Nathan Curtis / A&A Monday Seminar
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Nov 2, 2026 @ 4:00 pm
A&A Monday Seminar with NASA's Nathan Curtis (with WA Space Grant)
Plasma Science research
Alan Kaptanoglu joins A&A faculty
Alan Kaptanoglu returns to the UW where he will study plasma modeling, scientific machine learning and nuclear fusion.
Explore his work
Expanding the future in our labs
Our six research areas span everything that flies, from UAVs to spacecraft. Structures and fluids determine what a craft is made of and how efficiently it moves. Controls and integrated flight sciences govern how it flies. Plasma science and space systems look past the atmosphere. Much of it comes back down to earth, in applications to energy, manufacturing and transportation.
Explore our research
Subscribe to The Highflight magazine
Highflight is the department's alumni newsletter. Published annually, it features stories about students, faculty, research, alumni and more.