By Mette Hjort Rasmussen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Lasse Møller Badstue

For more than 60 years combined, Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen, Simon Bøgh, and Israel Mayorga have dedicated themselves to promoting students' interest and opportunities to work with space technology at Aalborg University (AAU). Here, they have facilitated an active study environment where students have designed, developed, and constructed satellites, five of which have been sent into orbit around the Earth, as well as a Mars rover used to explore challenges and solutions for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Now, they are awarded a teaching prize by Novo Nordisk Foundation for their efforts.

The three educators facilitate scientific and engineering activities through academic student associations, which lie outside the traditional teaching system. During their education, students acquire skills that match two years of work experience. Since 2001, the team has sparked a fascination of space technology among more than 500 students, including 50 currently active students in areas such as communication, control, embedded software, robotics, and AI.

"The most important thing is to motivate the students to be able and willing themselves. When we trust the students, create a free environment, and define a particular goal, they can do much more than if we push them through the projects with endless reporting meetings and deadlines," says Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen, Associate Professor, Electronic Systems.

The teaching team has achieved this through lectures, teaching, and workshops particularly aimed at the student associations' activities, and as supervisors on over 100 student projects over time. They formulate project proposals based on the satellite and rover, creating motivating and meaningful project courses for the students. Jens, Israel, and Simon also collaborate with external partners such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and Northern Jutland space companies like GomSpace, Satlab A/S, and Space Inventor, providing students with unique course, project, internship, and career opportunities.

"Our students have opportunity and freedom to work independently, and we are ready in the background to help when they need it. It is this trust we can see creates fascination, motivation, and dedication," explains Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen.

The team's commitment and teaching have not only had a significant impact for students but also on the entire region. Northern Jutland has become a business hub for space technology, and many of the companies have been started by students from Electronic Systems. Therefore, the collaboration between these companies and the university is also very strong, and the companies deliberately place themselves close to their place of origin. This creates an interaction – an ecosystem - for the development of space technology, with Aalborg University and the approach to teaching as the core.