Aerospace Summit crosses the border
Nearly 180 delegates from universities in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick touched down at Concordia for the Canadian Summit on Student Aerospace, held Feb. 10 to 12.
Concordia became the first university outside of Ontario to host the three-day event, now in its fifth year.
The student-organized conference was a joint project between the Concordia chapter of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI) and the Concordia Institute for Aerospace Design and Innovation (CIADI) in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.
“I have to admit, I was involved with a couple of these conferences before, and this was by far the best so far in terms of organization and attendance,” said Hany Moustapha, Director of CIADI.
Over the course of the weekend, delegates were whisked from tours of aerospace facilities to a plenary session featuring big names from companies such as Pratt & Whitney and Bell Helicopter.
Karyn Ip Lun Shu, a third-year engineering student and CIADI vice-president, said tours to homegrown companies Bombardier, CAE Electronics and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) were a hit.
“There was a lot of praise from delegates, especially those who went to the CSA because it’s so rare that you’re actually allowed to go on tours there.”
Isabelle Dostaler, acting director of Concordia’s Aviation MBA Program in the John Molson School of Business, gave a presentation on that program. She said, “Holding the conference in Montreal makes a lot of sense. It’s the aerospace capital of the country.”
Many visitors took full advantage of the career fair, which showcased six major players in the Canadian aerospace industry.
“It was very busy — there was a lot of recruiting going on. A lot of people brought their CVs with them,” Ip Lun Shu said.
Moustapha, who is also the Director of Technology at Pratt & Whitney Canada, said the aerospace industry offers graduates some of the most cosmopolitan career opportunities around.
“Our industry is international, so they have to be able to deal with cultural issues and travel.”
He said that 20 of the 110 students enrolled in the CIADI will start to build those skills in placements at NASA in the United States and other aerospace agencies in several European countries during the Institute’s summer program.