Created in 2017, at the initiative of 4 students, the ENSTAqua student club aims to take action with a view to raising the awareness of a wide audience to the issues of marine pollution and draw up an overall picture of its progression. Some twenty students are now mobilized in this club in connection with 3 main projects: sparkling sea, beach cleanup and public awareness.
Chemical pollution (oil spills, toxic waste discharges, etc.), noise pollution, light pollution, etc.: the oceans are exposed to many anthropogenic upheavals. In the immediate vicinity of the Brest harbor, a group of ENSTA Bretagne students wanted to commit themselves to protecting the oceans and the ecosystems living there.
For 5 years, their actions have increased in number and the group has grown. It is now organized around 3 main projects:
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BEACH CLEANUP PROJECT
This project involves recurrent actions during the year to clean up the beaches. Each action generally mobilizes some thirty student volunteers who, provided with gloves and fabric bags (in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation), collect waste and discharge from the sea for several hours.
The cleaning up takes place on the Kernisi beach, in Plougastel Daoulas: returning to the site on a regular basis allows an assessment to be made of the quantity and type of waste found. At the end of the collection, waste is recycled or sorted for the purpose of reusing it.
This action has several advantages: cleaning up a natural area and protecting the ocean, raising students' awareness, group cohesion and measuring the progression of pollution.
AWARENESS RAISING PROJECT
The actions carried out regarding this project take various forms: exhibitions, actions in schools, participation in public events, etc.
Led by Judicaël Gendre, who founded ENSTAQUA, the "l’Appel des Océans" (Call of the oceans) exhibition proposed a journey based on 5 themes organized as 5 islands: ecosystems, plastic pollution (micro and macro), noise pollution and chemical pollution.
During 2021, the exhibition took place on the ENSTA Bretagne campus, as well as at Cedre, IsBlue and the Ateliers des Capucins in Brest as part of the 2021 Science Festival.
Its contents associating art & science were both extensive and instructive: several artists contributed to the spaces (sculptors, visual artists and photographers), as well as committed professors and students. Several podcasts were also produced in this context.
To continue the awareness raising momentum initiated by this exhibition, work is in progress to allow the reuse of a part of the material for actions in primary schools. The resources could also be recycled as part of the "Cordées de la réussite" (keys of success) program in order to lead workshops with middle school pupils (22/23 goal).
Finally, the team attended the Fête de la Science 2021 (2021 Science Festival) in Brest to present its actions and hold educational workshops on noise pollution, ecosystems, etc. They also intend to be at the 2022 edition: the team will also attend the Ateliers des Capucins in Brest on October 8, 2022 !
SPARKLING SEA PROJECT
New for the 2021/2022 school year, the Sparkling Sea project aims to increase knowledge of the oceans.
It is led by two engineering students: Jérémy, an engineering student on a co-operative course in the embedded systems field and Maël, an engineering student in the "Advanced modeling of materials and structures" sector. Other students are also involved in this project as well as professors from the school and Ifremer.
Their project focuses on the development of a low-cost sensor incorporating technology capable of measuring water salinity, water temperature, etc.
Currently being developed, the first prototype is expected to be completed in September 2022. It will then be embarked on the ship of Taïna and Charlotte, two engineering students from ENSTA Bretagne who are preparing to sail across the North Atlantic.
This project is supported by the IsBlue Hub.
In the context of the sustainable development goals set by the UN, ENSTAqua's actions are part of the 14th goal devoted to the conservation and use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
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