Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation launches an online training program on sustainability

Decarbonizing aerospace has quickly become one of the industry’s most critical goals. But putting it into practice has proven to be both challenging and complex.

The Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation (CIADI) is ready to address this growing demand by creating a green aerospace training program for working professionals. The new online course, called the Certificate in Decarbonization of Aerospace, will be offered by Concordia Continuing Education this November.

According to the institute, the program is the first of its kind in Canada and offers a unique learning opportunity for the aerospace sector.

“We created this program to match the industry’s current priority areas,” says Carole El Ayoubi, CIADI’s director of education. “Approaching aerospace from a sustainable lens is important, but to do so, appropriate professional training is needed.”

The course targets engineers, aerospace professionals, new graduates, companies and organizations looking to gain more exposure to sustainable aerospace. Participants will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to advance their aerospace careers by contributing to the industry’s sustainable and environmentally conscious efforts.
'Our aim is to make integrating sustainability in aerospace more manageable for working professionals'

Held over a 15-week term, the program features a mix of real-time, hands-on lectures and self-guided learning and online activities. Students will be guided through four modules:

• Introduction to sustainability and life-cycle assessment
• Sustainable aviation fuels
• Hydrogen production, storage and use
• Energy storage and conversion

The program has a three-to-four-hour weekly time commitment, where students will participate in Zoom meetings, Moodle lectures and knowledge checks. The curriculum includes a combination of synchronous and asynchronous activities to provide participants with more flexibility. Once students complete the course, they will receive a certificate.

The instructors leading the training modules include Melanie Hazlett, assistant professor of chemical and materials engineering. She will work in conjunction with her colleagues Xia Li and Ivan Kantor, both also assistant professors of chemical and materials engineering.

Their collective expertise ranges from sustainable processes and green-fuel production to energy storage and conversion to life-cycle assessment.

“Our aim is to make integrating sustainability in aerospace more manageable for working professionals,” Hazlett says. “We look forward to supplementing the knowledge and skills of organizations, engineers, recent graduates or anyone looking to transition into aerospace.”

CIADI also plans to roll out a secondary training program called Applications of Emerging Cybertechnologies in Aerospace in the winter 2024 term.

Registration for the Certificate in Decarbonization of Aerospace is now open. The program begins on November 3.

Learn more about the Concordia's Certificate in Decarbonization of Aerospace.

Find out more about the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation.

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