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Paying Back to Society

Dr. Amin Hajj-Ali, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the Lebanese International University reveals to Mastermind Corps how the university has been at the forefront of technological brilliance

  Please tell us about the project

The first of its kind in Lebanon and the Middle East, the project was to build a satellite, which is part of capacity building for our university and the country itself. Lebanon is not well versed in the aerospace and aeronautical fields. However, we are working with Istanbul Technological University\Zs (ITU)faculty of aerospace and aeronautical engineering andhave a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with them for the purpose of the transfer of such skills through capacity building courses. The first course was to develop on a CanSat, so called as the satellite is as small as a soda can. Teams of students from a variety of disciplines, such as surveying, computer, and electrical engineers, were given the mission to build the satellite, in order to collect information from sensors and transmit those sensors to a ground station, which they also must build.  

How long was the course for and who was involved?
The course ran from September 20-26 of this year. Apart from the students, one aspect we thought about as a university was paying back to society.  Therefore, we thought of two parties that should be involved: The Lebanese Army and the National Centre for Remote Sensing (CNRS), which is part of the national research center. Mainly the tutors were from ITU in Turkey and professors and lab instructors from LIU assisted.    

Did they launch the CanSat?
Yes, they did in Bekaa. However, satellites are usually launchedbyrockets, but they didn\Zt have time for this, so the alternatives were to connect it to a drone or helium balloon or just drop it from high building.    

What other aspects of satellite building did students learn on the course?
They had to learn about satellite technology in brief and how to work in teams on tight deadlines. They had to think and develop in their designs the liabilities involved. For example, when you shoot rockets into space, such are subject adverse conditions such as temperature and other forces, etc., So, they have to research and look at thesecalculations, and so on.  

Where to from here?
We are planning to develop other capacity building courses along these lines, but within the domain of a CubeSat, which are real satellites.A CanSat isan educational satellite which is fired to a maximum height of 500m floating back to the ground via a parachute. We are now working with ITU and other parties to develop courses along thelines of CubeSats. This said, the entry level course of building a CanSat must be undertaken before moving onto a CubeSat course.  

What was the students\Z reaction?
They absolutely loved it. We received great feedback. Students were totally involved, since they had to start from scratch, understandwhat\Zs going on, build it and then test it.They worked in teams from different engineering disciplines, such as surveying, computer, and electrical engineers to build something new. The experience was new for them.  

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