The first Aero Day was held on campus on 24 Feb with great success. Jointly organized by the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the HKUST Student Branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Aero Day aims to present the development of the aviation industry, both locally and internationally; to introduce aerospace and aeronautical engineering to first-year students and assist with their choice of major; and to allow students, especially those in their final year, to understand the career opportunities offered in the industry.

The Aero Day kicked off with an opening ceremony where Executive Vice-President and Provost Prof Wei Shyy, Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief, and Head of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Prof Christopher Chao delivered welcoming speeches. The Aero Day featured exhibitions and presentations by industrial partners ranging from airlines, maintenance and repair organizations, original equipment manufacturers, to government agencies and professional organizations, which gave students a comprehensive picture of the industry. A highlight of the exhibition was the flight simulator experience, set up by the HKUST Aeronautics Interest Group (AIG), which enabled students to simulate piloting a plane with a flying game and control device. The event concluded with an AIAA Distinguished Lecture by Dr Susan Ying, Fellow of AIAA and VP-International serving on the AIAA Board of Directors, who spoke on “ABC of Commercial Aviation: Technology Insertion Rewards and Challenges”.

The move into Aerospace Engineering has been a major initiative of the School of Engineering over the past few years. A lot of developments have been rolled out, including the Department of Mechanical Engineering being renamed to Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2013, the recruitment of new faculty in aeronautical engineering, increased collaboration with the aviation industry on research, the launch of the Aeronautical Engineering Minor Program in 2013, and the establishment of the Aeronautics Interest Group (2011) and the HKUST Student Branch of AIAA (2013). These two student groups organize activities regularly, such as theme talks and company visits, and participate in international competitions to promote students’ interest in aerospace engineering. In January 2015, the AIG organized a flying program in Philippines where members received five hours of flying in a flight school there. The School of Engineering will continue to advance our development of aerospace engineering in education and research in the future.