Description
The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is a national student run and student led non-profit organization that represents the 27,000 architecture students across the country. As a chapter, we represent the 350+ graduate and undergraduate architecture students at Iowa State University. In addition we host events, lectures, and discussions that help enrich education and connect students to the professional practice. Iowa State University and AIAS do not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, ethnicity, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a U.S Veteran. Membership shall be open to ALL registered students in good standing at Iowa State University.
Affiliations
Constitution / Tier
Membership Information
| Student Members |
12 |
| ISU Members |
1 |
| Non-ISU Members |
0 |
| Allowed Members |
Unlimited |
| Allowed Officers |
8 (but open to change) |
| Membership Qualifications |
Must have registered at aias.org. |
| Membership Restrictions |
There are no restrictions on membership except payment of dues. |
| Elections/Selection |
Elections take place at the end of each school year. See Constitution for more details. |
| Meetings |
Look for emails containing location or on our Facebook page at facebook.com/AIASisu. |
Description of Regular Meetings/Activities
| General meetings are typically held once a month. In a general meeting we will cover a brief overview of the club and our goals, upcoming events, architectural tours, guest speakers, and upcoming fundraising opportunities. |
Description of Special Events
| Some events we commonly do are host guest speakers, firm crawls in Des Moines, attend AIA Iowa Conferences, portfolio reviews, lunch and learns with local architects, and AIAS National Conferences. |
| PechaKucha Night is our annual kickoff event in September where we host six firms from Des Moines to come and give brief presentations in a format where presenters prepare 20 slides which are displayed for 20 seconds each. This creates a fast-paced and exciting event that promotes a wide range of topics in a condensed and manageable time frame. Firms are encouraged to talk about anything that they feel passionate about and believe would be beneficial for students to hear. Topics may include studio culture, unique personal experiences, recently competed projects, urban planning, or even The Poetics of Space, just to name a few! |
| The AIA Iowa Fall Conference is each October in Des Moines. It is an opportunity for students to connect with professionals and to learn more about the profession of architecture itself from world renown speakers and workshops. Because the event is in Des Moines, we are sure to host carpooling to provide transportation for our members. |
| Portfolio Reviews are a great chance for students to prepare portfolios or spreads and bring them to be critiqued by local architects and professors. This helps guide students in portfolio presentation for the career fair, and ultimately, an internship. |
| Lunch and Learn events give us the opportunity to invite architects to campus for lunch where we get the opportunity to sit and have lunch together. This setting allows for a more casual environment in which to ask questions and learn more about the day to day life of the profession. |
| Firm Crawls allow students a chance to experience several firms in Iowa, particularly in Des Moines. There are many fantastic firms right here in Des Moines and firm crawls give us a taste of many of them in a short amount of time. The amount of firms visited in one trip can range anywhere from two to five. |