Home>Paul Gourtay and Laora Malet, winners of the USAIRE Student Awards 2023
07.02.2024
Paul Gourtay and Laora Malet, winners of the USAIRE Student Awards 2023
Paul Gourtay, a M2 student in the Master in Public Policy, Public Administration stream, and Laora Malet, a M2 student in the Master in Public Policy, Security and Defence stream, together won first prize in the USAIRE Student Awards.
On 24 November 2023, they attended the prize-giving ceremony for the 19th USAIRE Student Awards at the Cercle de l'Union Interalliée. For six months, they have been working on a forecast, using their knowledge of the aeronautical world, the geopolitical context and, above all, their imagination, to propose their vision of the Paris Air Show ("Salon International de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace du Bourget") in 2035.
Can you say a few words about the USAIRE Student Awards?
The USAIRE Student Awards were created by USAIRE, the United States and European Aerospace Industry Representative. Created 18 years ago, the Student Awards aim to boost relations between the major players in the aerospace sector and young people.
In 2023, 110 students of 32 different nationalities took part in the challenge. The vast majority of these teams were engineers. 10 finalist teams were selected to produce a report on the Paris Air Show (Salon du Bourget) 2035.
The competitors had the chance to attend special visits to Boeing, Embraer, Airbus and MBDA during the 2023 Paris Air Show. Finally, a jury of professionals from Airbus, Air-France KLM, the Agence de l'Innovation pour les Transports (AIT), the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), Dassault, MBDA, Safran, Raytheon, GIFAS and Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre, among others, awarded prizes to 5 teams.
What was at stake in the competition?
The subject invited reflection on the future of aeronautics and space in the context of the current global climate and geopolitical crisis. As a dual-use industry, both civil and military, the aeronautics industry must at the same time meet the military technological challenges imposed by space exploration, the emergence of new players and new threats, while taking into account its fundamental role in the ecological transition.
The Paris Air Show is a historic meeting place for the world of aeronautics, and has been held every two years since 1909. By bringing together civilian and professional visitors, for business and pleasure, it represents a snapshot of the aeronautics and space sectors in France and around the world. So for us, imagining the Paris Air Show in 2035 meant offering a perspective on what it will say about the aerospace world in 2035, and how it can showcase French and European companies and expertise.
Did your training at Sciences Po help you win this prize?
The multidisciplinary nature of our training at Sciences Po, and its focus on public policy issues, helped us to grasp the challenges of the subject as a whole.
We tried to offer a vision of the world of the aeronautics industry applied to the practical organisation of a trade show, including new technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins. Our aim is to provide technical and commercial solutions, as well as strategic alternatives, to the new challenges facing France, Europe and their industries.
What happens next?
Beyond the exceptional awards offered, the USAIRE Student Awards represent a fantastic opportunity for us to gain recognition in the professional aeronautical world, which is often dominated by more engineering-oriented profiles.
Likewise, being a finalist in the award means being able to join the Organisation des Rencontres Aéronautiques de la Jeunesse (ORAJe), a youth version of USAIRE. The association benefits from numerous partnerships enabling its members to extend their professional network while taking part in prestigious events and meetings.
Paul is now doing his end-of-studies internship in the office of the Director General of the Direction Générale des Entreprises (DGE). As for Laora, she is doing her second year of Master's as an apprentice at MBDA, where she is in charge of international industrial cooperation.
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