Community-youth, Youth

SUTD at OneAviation Career Fair

08 Aug 2023
Text by Jarell Lim, SUTD EPD Year 2

Despite the Aviation Studies Institute (ASI) at SUTD engaging in extensive research and development to enhance air traffic management efficiency, the interest in aviation within the student body remains relatively low. Consequently, most of the aviation industry remains unaware of SUTD’s potential and the capabilities of its students. However, a positive turn of events came when CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) allowed universities to set up booths at the OneAviation Career Fair 2023, providing ASI and the Aviation Interest Group (AIG) with the opportunity to showcase aviation at SUTD to the rest of the industry and vice versa.

SUTD Booth at OneAviation Career Fair

The focal point of SUTD’s booth was an impressive holographic flight planner, designed to swiftly create flight plans during emergency or unexpected airspace situations. ASI researchers and staff effectively manned the booth, atracting numerous visitors intrigued by the holographic display. Notably, industry professionals from various other booths, including representatives from CAAS, Bombardier, Inmarsat, and more, sought out further explanations from Director of ASI, Professor Peter Jackson and ASI Translational Research and Industry Engagement Lead, Mr. Jamie Bloomfield.
Throughout the event, many students from different schools came together to learn more from each other. Youths from Temasek Polytechnic and Changkat Changi Secondary School expressed keen interest in SUTD’s undergraduate programs at the booth. Similarly, aviation club student leaders from the academic institutes present at the fair, came together to discuss on how they conducted club activities for the community.

Photo with students from all universities and polytechnics present

An important milestone was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SUTD and CAAS, officiated by Minister Chee Hong Tat on stage. The MOU aims to create more aviation-related internship opportunities for students, facilitate knowledge exchange on air traffic management, aviation operations-related cybersecurity, and emerging unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology. After the signing, Minister Chee Hong Tat took time to visit SUTD’s booth and engage in a brief conversation with ASI researchers. They discussed past aviation collaborations between the government and SUTD while reaffirming their commitment to future collaborative efforts in aviation.

MOU between CAAS and SUTD

Beyond the booth, an SUTD alumnus from the class of 2021 actively promoted sustainability in the aviation industry. He shared insights into several innovative sustainable solutions, including the application of small electric vehicles for transporting airport staff and the increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in airlines. Overall, it was a very productive event for SUTD as ASI and AIG networked with industry professionals, reconnected with alumni, and promoted SUTD to potential students.