La Foundation Dassault Systèmes’ Announces New Project to Support Ocean Preservation

Marie-Pierre Aulas, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes' General Manager, spoke with AECCafé Voice about the La Foundation Dassault Systèmes’ steps to preserve our planet and encourage sustainable solutions through innovative technology. La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, which announced a new project to support the preservation of the world’s oceans. The announcement coincides with World Oceans Day, celebrated annually on June 8.

The project has two goals: improve the experience of learning science for children and students while helping them to be better prepared for new jobs involving sustainability, and contribute to finding solutions for sustainable development. Applications are open for researchers, students and communities to submit their ideas for preserving ocean habitats.

What companies besides La Foundation Dassault Systèmes are also taking steps to preserve the planet and encourage sustainable solutions?

Regarding our project, some organizations are already collaborating with la Fondation, such as the Ifremer (the French institute that undertakes research and expert assessments to advance knowledge on the oceans and their resources, monitor the marine environment and foster the sustainable development of maritime activities), and French Public organizations for education, such as the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Can you explain how the project’s goals are being approached?

The goal of our project is twofold: improve the experience of learning science for children and students while helping them to be better prepared for new jobs involving sustainability, and contribute to finding solutions for the sustainable development of our world. This program is planned to be in time for the next ‘United Nations Decade of Oceanic Science for Sustainable Development’.

What sorts of environmental projects has La Foundation Dassault Systèmes been supporting around the world?

We supported more than 90 projects in Europe, US and India in a very large range of topics (health, geology, STEM education, heritage, etc.) since the creation of the program 3 years ago. Below are examples of environmental projects:

Smart Flowers

A pedagogic experimentation is held at the High School lycée Julliot de la Morandière, Granville, France, in close collaboration with a researcher of the French Center of National Research Center (CNRS), in order to better comprehend the questions of bees population decrease.

This experiment consists of designing and 3D printing an artificial connected flower in order to study the bees’ foraging behavior. By better understanding them, recommendations will be given to help protect and preserve their species.

Develop drinkable water for clean water deprived villages and communities

This project aims to help rural communities in India living in water-deprived conditions and people with no access to clean drinking water. The aim of the project is to develop desalination bags consisting of specially developed nano-composite polymer hydrogels that can produce clean drinking water from saline water. The research team at the Madanapalle Institute of Technology and Science, Andhra Pradesh, will be using 3D simulation to accelerate their research in this area.

Low cost and efficient composter for converting wet garbage into organic fertilizer

The project aims to support development of a sustainable, affordable, and eco-friendly system to convert biodegradable kitchen waste into organic fertilizer. This project being executed by Vigyan Ashram, Pune, India, aims toward developing a composter and designing a holistic system for waste management, which can be conveniently used in homes, housing societies, and restaurants. Vigyan Ashram will also develop a learning curriculum and “Do It Yourself” kits for village youths, which can provide livelihood opportunities for rural youths.

Powering the world through Artificial Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis by plants for self-sustainable living has always fascinated human beings. Team of environmental researchers at Crucible of Research & Innovation (CORI), PES University, Bengaluru, India, are working on developing artificial photosynthesis process as means for clean energy solution and thereby protect our environment. The aim of this project is to develop efficient and stable materials/molecules for artificial photosynthesis by using simulations to advance research in artificial photosynthesis, to develop clean and sustainable energy alternatives.

What specific approaches are to be used to support ocean conservation?

The project is made of 5 sections:

        Education: for middle and high-school students, via the creation of experiential learning paths, supported by 3D and digital technologies (design, simulation, manufacturing, programming, AR/VR)

        A call for projects dedicated to higher education and research centers, focusing on the ocean’s preservation (Pollution, Transportation, Energy, Biomimicry, Robotics, Coastline)

        Summer camps – workshops with students, teachers, researchers to practice, learn the education paths and define the next ones.

        Careers orientation Lab to identify and match the competencies to be developed throughout the educational pathways with the existing and future jobs that could benefit to the Oceans preservation

        Citizen science projects and challenges to imagine and develop devices, like sensors to collect data from the oceans, thanks to the participation of people / organizations / associations around the globe

What boots on the ground types of efforts might be made in addition to technology or with the aid of technology?

The Citizen Sciences and the Research Call for Projects sections are aiming to develop practical,

tangible actions and product development initiatives led by their project owners or through the experimentation of devices designed in 3D.

What can the students do to conserve the planet and do more to combat climate change and save the oceans?

They can use the power of 3D technologies and virtual universes to innovate a better world. Thanks to these technologies, they will discover and deploy the power of their own growing knowledge capacities and thus will be able to share and replicate the way they have experienced this very specific part of their learning path, in their future jobs.

When will the project ideas be voted on and what is the process for selection?

Submission deadlines for the actual 2019 call for projects are September 20 for U.S. projects, ad September 27 for European projects, and October 18 for Indian projects. A second call for projects will take place in spring of 2020.

Tags: 3D, AEC, architects, architecture, building, Dassault Systemes, engineering, generative design, infrastructure, reality capture, visualization

Categories: 2D, 3D, architecture, BIM, building information modeling, engineering, point clouds, virtual reality, visualization, World Ocean Day

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