Over 500 students from East London schools participated in London City Airport’s ‘STEM in Aviation Day’. The event, held on Friday, 24 November at the ExCeL, gives students an insight into the current and future applications of the latest innovations in the aviation sector and aims to inspire them to choose Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects in school.
The theme of this year’s event was ‘fuelling our future’, focusing on the production and use of alternative fuels – including green hydrogen and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) – to help decarbonise the aviation sector.
London City Airport was joined at the event by a number of partner companies including British Airways CityFlyer, Boeing, GKN Aerospace, AtkinsRéalis, UK Power Network Services, NATS and Accenture – who hosted presentations and interactive sessions with the students, showcasing the importance of STEM-based skills in the workplace and to the future of the sector.
The school groups also faced an aviation-themed STEM business challenge, where they were tasked with exploring how to power London City Airport with alternative fuel to help it decarbonise. Students proposed and designed an airport including its infrastructure, operations and aircraft, using both green hydrogen and SAF for its future energy use.
Eight finalists were selected and the winning group from Mossbourne Victoria Park school in Hackney were highly successful in showcasing, in front of a panel of judges, how alternative fuels can be used efficiently at an airport and help to drive down emissions and meet sustainability goals. The students will be awarded vouchers, as well as a special airside tour of London City Airport. Runners up from Kingsford Community School in Newham will also be awarded a prize.
The UK Government has set out an ambition to become a ‘science and technology superpower’ by 2030. Encouraging more STEM skills in schools will help meet this goal and ensure the continued success of the aviation sector, which is one of the UK’s most successful industries, contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy and supporting over 200,000 jobs.
Andrew Hodges, Chief Commercial Officer, London City Airport, said: “We’re delighted to have hosted our sixth successful ‘STEM in Aviation Day’ for students across East London.
“The students showed great interest and initiative in addressing some of the challenges facing our industry, including how to deliver a more sustainable future.”
Ian McNeil, Engineering Director at Boeing Defence UK, said: “Boeing is committed to building the skills and expertise needed to grow the aviation industry.
“We’re delighted to support this event which engages students in STEM through practical consideration of sustainability challenges, which are critical to the future of our planet. Through this we hope to encourage more potential engineers to pursue future careers in aerospace.”
Max Brown, VP Technology at GKN Aerospace, said: “GKN Aerospace is thrilled to contribute to this STEM event, emphasising our support for green hydrogen.
“Our commitment lies in pioneering Net Zero flight, particularly through our ongoing 5-year H2GEAR research program that could revolutionise the aviation industry. Our mission is to become the most trusted and sustainable partner in the sky, and we’re excited about the opportunity to involve future engineers, scientists, and technologists in hydrogen’s potential for emission-free aviation.”
