Every other week, we follow a student from one of our Interdisciplinary Thesis Labs. This week: Elena Peters, master student Management of Technology (MoT) at TU Delft from our Circular Aviation Lab organised together with NLR.
With my study I hope to contribute to a more sustainable aviation industry, while increasing the awareness that sustainability goes beyond environmental aspects.
My name is Elena Peters, I am 25 years old and originally from Germany. At the moment, I am in the 2nd year of the master’s program Management of Technology (MoT) at the TU Delft. My background is in the field of composite materials and I have almost 5 years of work experience in the aircraft manufacturing industry. In my personal life I already try to become more sustainable, for example by supporting the food sharing network in Delft. Therefore, the interdisciplinary thesis lab seemed to be the perfect fit to combine my interests in sustainability and aviation. Additionally, it offers the great opportunity to get in contact with likeminded students as well as with academic and business professionals who have expertise in circular economy and/or sustainability.
Within my thesis I focus on increasing the social and economic aspects of sustainability assessments within the development of aircraft parts and processes. At the moment the emphasis mainly lays on 
environmental aspects, leaving out the other two sustainability pillars. Starting from the currently used methodology (Life Cycle Assessment) I am going to reach out to various stakeholders and business professionals to answer the following research question: „How to develop an integrated framework for the sustainability assessment in the aircraft manufacturing industry?“ With my study I hope to contribute to a more sustainable aviation industry, while increasing the awareness that sustainability goes beyond environmental aspects.
Last week’s session was a workshop about science communication at the Leiden University. Within the interactive sessions we learned a lot about how to inform and inspire others about scientific knowledge. My biggest takeaway from the workshop is the use of metaphors and props to grab the audience’s attention or to explain complex concepts.
Apart from being incredibly helpful for our thesis and its defence, the knowledge gained within the workshop will also be valuable for our future careers. Something else I really enjoyed was the exchange with the students of the other interdisciplinary thesis labs, as we usually stay within our own groups (in my case the circular aviation lab). Generally, I am really satisfied and grateful for everything the interdisciplinary thesis lab offers and to be part of it.