Timing is immaculate for Aerospace at ANU

The first cohort of Aerospace Engineering majors will graduate ANU this month into a dynamic industry spurred by drones, artificial intelligence, and some out of this world opportunities in the space sector. Read more: https://cecc.anu.edu.au/news/2024/07/...

We’re at a point of real innovation and change at the moment, and that’s exciting to be a part of,” said Dr Zena Assaad, an educator and Senior Research Fellow at The Australian National University (ANU) whose expertise is in emerging aviation technologies.

The first cohort of Aerospace Engineering students from the ANU College of Engineering Computing & Cybernetics (CECC) will graduate this month with an abundance of career paths before them.

The integration of drones and artificial intelligence has “softened the rigidity of the industry”, Dr Assaad said, while the launch of Australian Space Agency and the recent success of private space technology companies portend decades of growth and innovation.

Early adopter reflects on Aerospace choice

Josh Mercer prepares to test an ion thruster, technology that can be used to pilot satellites.
Market trends were not top of mind when Josh Mercer became the first CECC student to study an Aerospace Engineering major. A dedicated leader of the student-led ANU Rocketry team, his passion for aviation dates to early childhood.

He switched his major from Mechatronics to Aerospace after reading about the new major’s required courses, as well the world-leading academics lined up to teach them.

“The lecturers were really passionate and engaged,” he said. “Almost all the courses, if not all of them, had some sort of practical lab, whether it’s simulation, or from designing a glider or a plane to making an ion thruster.”

Josh described symbiotic relationships between the new major, the overarching Systems Engineering program, and the 90-member ANU Rocketry team.

“The university provides support for the Rocketry team in terms of staff, knowledge and funding while Rocketry and other student teams provide projects and knowledge back to the lecturers that they can integrate into their courses.”

In group projects, students studying for other Systems Engineering degrees have contributed to ANU Rocketry’s goals, which include building a liquid propulsion rocket engine capable of leaving Earth’s atmosphere.

More info: https://eng.anu.edu.au/study/bachelor/