Syrian Refugee Invented a Renewable Energy Device for Aircraft

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Shoushi Bakarian was part of a family of four Syrian refugees that fled their homes, hoping to start a new life in Canada.

The family previously lived in Aleppo, a Syrian city which has been torn by war. She lived together with her mother Ani, father Antaranik, and older sister, Meghri. Both girls earned their high school diplomas during the Syrian war, with exploding bombs not far from their school.

“In Grade 10, the big bombs started, by Grade 11, we were without electricity or running water or internet. Some people started to leave but we didn’t know how to get out of Aleppo. We didn’t know who was on the road waiting to kidnap us. Once the missiles started falling, we didn’t know where they were coming from or where they’d land,” Bakarian shared.

Fast-forward 36 months, she is currently studying aerospace engineering in Montreal’s Concordia University, working both in Bombardier Aerospace and Stratos Aviation (a small aviation and flight simulation company), where she’s co-created her invention called The Ventus – a 5-volt accessory charger for Cessna airplanes that runs off the aircraft’s air vents and cools the air by compressing it.

The prototype will probably become an important accessory device for pilots who rely on smartphones and tablets for aviation computation. ““I like clean energy, solar power, wind power, so we developed it further to add onto the charger idea,” she says. “I spent my summer designing, drawing and testing until it worked.”

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Three years ago, Shoushi Bakarian was sitting in Lebanon, part of a family of four Syrian refugees facing an uncertain future with hope of making a new start in Canada. . Fast-forward those 36 months: Ms. Bakarian is in her third year of aerospace engineering at Montreal’s Concordia University. She has learned her fourth language, French – in addition to English, Arabic and Armenian. She’s got two part-time jobs with promising prospects in her field: one in the parts department at Bombardier Aerospace and another at Stratos Aviation, a small aviation and flight simulation firm. There, she’s co-created her first invention in the lab she’s building. . On a recent late fall day, Ms. Bakarian tinkers with the tiny generator fan blades of her latest accomplishment: The Ventus, a 5-volt accessory charger for Cessna airplanes that runs off the aircraft’s air vents and as an added bonus cools the air by compressing it. The simple blue tube prototype seems likely to become a must-have accessory for pilots who rely on tablets and smartphones for aviation computation but fly aircraft that were mostly built long before the smartphone era. . “I want to reach girls and tell them they don’t have to limit themselves to traditional jobs, like teachers. Especially for girls from my community, they have a very limited idea of what’s out there,” Ms. Bakarian says. “I want to become an example.” — Follow the link in our bio for the latest in the Stepping Up series, introducing Canadians to their country’s new sources of inspiration and leadership. . Written by Les Perreaux Photos by Dario Ayala

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