"Fly your ideas" - this was the title of a competition organised by Airbus last October to find new ideas for the aircraft of the future, in which 225 teams from 130 universities worldwide took part. The first round has now been completed and the Oldenburg team of four Engineering Physics students is one of the 86 teams still in the running.
They are competing with teams from Institutes such as Stanford University, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Imperial College London.

The group of students called "Lightweight Noise Killers", supervised by Oldenburg acoustics expert Prof Dr Volker Mellert, has developed significant improvements to sound insulation in the laboratory. They are particularly suitable for lightweight construction in aeroplanes, as better sound insulation is achieved with lighter material than usual. Another positive effect: less weight means less fuel consumption and therefore less environmental impact.

The second round of the competition will end on 31 March 2009. By the end of April 2009, experts from Airbus will select five teams to present their ideas and developments to a panel of experts in Paris. The first-placed team will receive 30,000 euros and 15,000 euros for second place.

Info: www.airbus-fyi.com

Contact: Prof Dr Volker Mellert, Institute of Physics, Tel.: 0441/798-3569,
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