I am very excited to see what the next 50 years of space exploration will hold
While looking to the future is fundamental to innovative thinking, revisiting and celebrating historical moments invigorates a new generation of engineers.
"Events like this propel us to believe in our capability as a society and encourage us to continue pushing the boundaries of science and exploration," Kalnay adds.
"I am very excited to see what the next 50 years of space exploration will hold, and particularly the role women in STEM will have in it."
For Yong Zeng, a professor in the Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering (CIISE), the anniversary is both nostalgic and emboldening.
"I was a child then," he says, laughing. "Like most kids at the time it made me want to become an astronaut when I grew up! If I can sum up what that event taught me, it was that what we can reach depends on how far we can dream."
Now, as artificial intelligence advances, Zeng believes that the breakthrough of the next generation will be extending the frontiers of the human mind and expanding creative capacity with new methodologies and interdisciplinary research.
Unlocking creative potential with design thinking
Zeng is the NSERC Co-Chair in Aerospace Design Engineering (NCADE). He and his team aim to understand and improve the creative design process as it relates to aerospace engineering.
Their research connects diverse disciplines, including engineering design, computer science, neurocognitive science, mathematics and epistemology into a new design theory and methodology called environment-based design.
"If I ask you to design a chair, you might first think of what a chair looks like. But perhaps you should first look at the environment that will interact with and impact the chair," Zeng explains.
The NCADE has developed effective experiential learning programs that expose students to various aspects of the aerospace industry. Within its mandate, Zeng concentrates on applying design research to unleash students’ creative reasoning abilities.
Zeng is re-examining the existing knowledge and workload of students in aerospace design and developing innovative methodologies to overhaul the curriculum and design capacity. He hopes to shorten the training time for new graduates to be capable aerospace design engineers, ultimately accelerating progress in the aerospace industry.
‘Concordia nurtures the genesis of innovative ideas’
Concordia’s investment in experiential learning and innovative teaching models in aerospace design is showing professional promise in students like Kalnay.
"My passion for all things space will undoubtedly lead me to work in the space industry. Concordia’s Aerospace Engineering Program allows me to develop practical skills both inside and outside the classroom," she says.
“With a love for both technical and functional challenges, I hope to try my hand at systems engineering and project management for future spacecraft missions, and beyond.”
Zeng says Concordia's flexibility and open-mindedness allow it to provide students and researchers with "a modernized environment that nurtures innovative ideas."
More importantly, while engaging in the combined sense of daring and discipline that put astronauts on the moon 50 years ago, the next generation of aerospace engineers is also focused on safety and social responsibility.
As the advent of the fourth industrial revolution challenges boundaries between human and machine, ethical inquiry is critical to protecting a sense of human purpose.
"With new realities come new value systems," says Zeng. "We need to remain responsible and ethical by making sure that we don’t remove humanity from the process."
Find out more about Concordia’s Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering Department.
Space Concordia is recruiting members for its divisions! This is your chance to make your mark. Space Concordia is open to ALL Concordia students interested in challenging space and aerospace projects. Register here!