AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STRATEGIC VISION /// 2022-2027
SUSTAINABLE AIR TRANSPORTATION
Air transportation is essential to the global economy and will increase in demand as advanced air mobility, eVTOL, and other new technologies become regular modes of cargo and passenger transportation. Alarmingly, aviation’s carbon footprint is also increasing and will grow unabated if no action is taken. Aviation contributes over 900 million tons of global carbon dioxide emissions annually, and most of them come from the commercial air transportation industry.
Recognizing the critical need for carbon mitigation, industry is leading the charge in a global commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, through a combination of new aircraft technologies, sustainable fuels, improved operations, and novel aircraft architectures.
Targeting carbon dioxide reductions isn’t enough; we need to focus on reducing all harmful environmental effects of aviation. While air vehicles create particular challenges associated with fossil fuel dependency, we are committed to being leaders that drive innovation and change, protecting our environment and advancing our field through research and education.
WHY MICHIGAN?
Southeast Michigan is a major engineering and manufacturing hub for mobility. Moreover, U-M’s commitment to sustainability and our experts across the College of Engineering, the School for the Environment and Sustainability, and the Graham Institute for Sustainability provide us the opportunity for interdisciplinary advances that move the needle. Being part of this rich ecosystem enables us to leverage diverse technologies to help achieve new innovations.
Engineering net Zero Emission
From sustainable electric/hybrid electric propulsion systems to designing light and multifunctional structures to thermal management systems, we are pursuing the fundamental exploration and development of various aspects that enable net zero emission flights. The exploration of alternative carbon-free fuels like hydrogen is a critical component of driving change in sustainable aviation capabilities.
Vehicle Holistic Focus
The future aircraft needed to carry our passengers and goods will take advanced airframe technologies and advanced software evolving together, along with air traffic management modernization. Our strengths in these fields and collaborations with experts across campus position us to lead in holistic vehicle design and integration.
OPERATION EFFICIENCIES
Understanding that the vehicle is only part of carbon dioxide emissions in air transportation, we pursue interdisciplinary sustainability concepts that impact air transportation systems. Pursuing net zero emissions will influence air traffic management systems through analysis, control, and optimization of networks and networked processes, with an eye towards applications in air transportation systems and other societal-scale networks.