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Investing and committing to training and research to meet the challenges of the energy transition

Publication Date

27 September 2019

From awareness-raising to training

Students aware of environmental issues

Caroline BERARD, Director of Engineering Training, reminded the 220 first-year students that “the aeronautics industry has met three challenges: making aircraft fly, making them safe, and making them more accessible to the general public by lowering production costs. There is now a fourth challenge, and it will be up to you to meet it: designing carbon-free aircraft. The tone is set.

The aim of the climate fresk is to raise questions, raise awareness and get the pupils to interact in a situation of collective intelligence. The aim of this creative workshop is to find and explain, in three hours, the links of cause and effect between the 42 cards in the game, and to co-construct a real ‘Fresk’ of climate change.

This innovative teaching approach is part of #Larentréeclimat, a national initiative aimed at training 10,000 students from the grandes écoles in these issues. 80% of first-year students at ISAE-SUPAERO want to be trained in sustainable development.

To meet this demand, ISAE-SUPAERO offers an “Energy transition: what role for the engineer” module as part of the first and second year engineering curriculum . In 3rd year, students can choose the “Energy, transport and environment” module as their field of application.

To take this further, ISAE-SUPAERO’s OSE social outreach programme plans to extend the climate fresco workshop to 22 partner middle and high schools to raise awareness among younger students from the 2019/2020 school year.

Climate change a priority in higher education

More broadly, ISAE-SUPAERO, through its Managing Director Olivier Lesbre, has signed the manifesto issued by The Shift Project, a think tank working to promote a carbon-free economy. Its recent work on the teaching of climate and energy issues in higher education has revealed a strong desire on the part of the higher education community and students for an organised response to climate issues. More than 80 heads of higher education establishments and 1,000 teachers and researchers, leading a list of some 7,500 signatories, are calling on the government to “initiate a transition strategy for higher education that positions the climate as a top priority”.

Alumni get involved

The SUPAERO-DECARBO collective, made up of around twenty engineers who graduated in 2000 and 2001, questioned the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation about its role in the energy transition in the aeronautics industry. In response, the Foundation decided to make the environmental dimension part of its raison d’être by focusing on major issues that go far beyond the short term. “The Foundation works to develop the Institute’s influence and global leadership, by proposing and accelerating innovative projects that contribute to a sustainable world”.

Major initiatives for the air transport of tomorrow

With the help of the Foundation and aerospace manufacturers, several research chairs have been created at ISAE-SUPAERO in recent years to work on new concepts for high-quality air transport, while reducing their ecological footprint.

The Cedar Chair for Eco-Design of AiRcraft, created by Airbus 6 years ago, aims to define disruptive air transport concepts by introducing innovative technologies right from the aircraft design stage. Renewed at this year’s Paris Air Show, it takes up these major orientations by integrating a more global approach to environmental engineering.

In this way, the Chair is helping to raise awareness and train future aeronautical engineers in the sustainable development of air transport. It supports research into innovative concepts to prepare the next generation of transport aircraft.

This is also the aim of the Safran-AEGIS Chair launched in 2016, which aims to reduce the environmental footprint of aircraft propulsion by cutting pollutant and noise emissions. It is working on new engine and airframe integration formulas. From an economic point of view, fuel consumption is a key concern, but operability, maintenance and missions are also taken into account.
Launched in 2019, the Daher Chair aims to conduct research into the design and certification of light aircraft with hybrid-electric propulsion.

“ No student should be able to complete a higher education course without having understood the causes and consequences of climate change and worked on identifying possible solutions. “

Day-to-day initiatives on Campus

Creation of a Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Unit (DDRS), comprising students, teachers, lecturers and staff.
Its purpose is to work on projects, studies and events relating to sustainable development and social responsibility.

Training ISAE-SUPAERO students in animation, to use the Fresque du Climat as a collaborative tool to raise awareness among middle and high schools (In collaboration with OSE l’ISAE-SUPAERO).

A zero waste hostel, student associations involved (SUPAERO for Earth)
The institute’s participation in the European Week for Waste Reduction, air quality, mobility and the promotion of student initiatives.
Innovation and creativity project on sustainable development, ecological vegetable garden, installation of beehives, recycling, etc.
Mobility plan, participation in sustainable development week, the “Allons y a vélo” event, car pooling, etc.