Innovation touches down at Concordia
With Concordia at the forefront of aerospace research in Montreal, it’s no surprise that a special visit from Bell Helicopter Textron drew a standing-room-only crowd. The presentation (a combined effort from the Montreal-Ottawa Chapter of the American Helicopter Society, Concordia’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, as well as its Office of the VP Research) saw Jeff Lowinger and Catherine Ferrie, two executives from the commercial helicopter giant, fly in from Texas to deliver a timely talk on the future of rotorcraft design and production.
As the company’s Executive Vice-President of Engineering, Lowinger’s focus is making – and selling – tomorrow’s helicopters today. He explained that the work going on in industry was dependent on advancements in academia. “Your challenge,” he said, addressing the rapt group of students and faculty members, “is to figure out how we make today’s technology faster, cheaper and more reliable.”
For Catherine Ferrie, Director of the company’s “Xworx” division, the focus is similarly forwardthinking. As they track emerging technologies from a broad range of sources that can benefit the rotorcraft industry, Ferrie and her team develop technologies for integration into Bell’s next generation products. From basic research through concept development, rapid prototyping and testing, the Xworx division interfaces with universities, small businesses and government labs in areas from structures and materials to sensor technology and aeronautics work. Although it was hard hit by the recent economic downturn, she was confident that the future of the aerospace industry is bright: “my job is to envision the art of what’s possible to the market – that’s why we work with universities.”
With a solid history of support for projects and internships within the Concordia Institute for Aerospace Design and Innovation through its Mirabel-based facilities, Bell Helicopter Textron has long affirmed its confidence in Concordia. Robin Drew, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, said that the feeling is mutual. “The great turnout from our students and faculty for this special lecture shows that aerospace research has really taken off at Concordia. This event has helped us strengthen our ties to Bell Textron, one of our most vital partners, by keeping the dialogue between industry and academia open and engaged.”