• Read more from the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
• Read more about the current program and its participants.

The oldest Douglas DC-3 airplane still flying, the Flagship Detroit DC-3, will be on display at the Purdue University Airport Monday, June 24.

The Purdue University community is invited to the airport between 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m to tour the airplane and learn firsthand about its important history.

The tours will open to the public from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is available in the parking lot near the airport terminal and the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building (campus parking map).

After it began active service in 1936, the Douglas DC-3 was credited with helping passenger-carrying flight become profitable for the first time. As World War II started, many civilian DC-3s were converted to military aircraft.They were used along with the military version of the airplane, the C-47, during many successful Allied campaigns during the war (D-Day, Guadalcanal, Battle of Bastogne and others) and later as part of the Berlin Airlift.

The Flagship Detroit DC-3 is owned and operated by the Flagship Detroit Foundation. Purdue alumnus Tom Taff, who graduated from the professional pilot program in 1971, will pilot the aircraft to Purdue from the Dayton, Ohio, Airshow. The airplane rolled off the production line 76 years ago on March 2, 1937, and it has been restored to its original American Airlines 1937 form.

The Flagship Detroit is a non-profit membership organization and will be selling memberships ($150) during the public viewing.

Flagship Detroit Foundation

The mission of the Flagship Detroit Foundation is to honor the men and women who built, maintained and flew these early commercial aircraft during the dawn of passenger aviation. The Foundation believes that its mission is best accomplished by maintaining the Flagship Detroit in flying condition; taking Detroit to the people and allowing them to experience the sight and sound of this aircraft in flight.

Photo gallery:

Purdue will field one of 14 collegiate teams during the 2013 Air Race Classic, which takes place June 18-21. The team will attempt to complete the “perfect cross-country” flight during the four-day event. Amanda Keck is this year’s pilot, Rachel Borsa is the co-pilot, and Haley Myers serves as ground crew coordinator.

The ground crew consists of Hannah Bahney, Natalie Butler, Andy Stuff, Rachel Lamb, and Jim Campbell.

Each year’s route is different. The 2013 race starts in Pasco, Wash., and ends in Fayetteville, Ark., with eight stops in between. Forty-seven teams will vie for several awards, including some specifically for collegiate teams. Purdue has competed in the race since 1994.

Advisors for the group are Pascal Nguyen and Jamie Poppe.

• Follow the team’s progress on Facebook and Twitter.
• The team is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company.
• Read the official release from Purdue News Service, including information about the new Cirrus-22 airplane for the team.

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The Race

Each Air Race Classic team flies a stock aircraft with no modifications. The teams are then assigned a handicap based on their airplane’s predetermined average cruise speed.

Teams in the Air Race Classic win based on the efficiency and accuracy they exhibit in every aspect of the race. A team is rated based on its performance compared to its airplane’s handicap.

Because of the nature of the scoring, it is impossible to gauge a team’s performance in relation to other teams until the competition is over. It is even possible that the team that completes the course last could actually win based on the expected performance of its plane.

The Air Race Classic is the longest-running all-female airplane race in the world. Its roots date back more than 70 years when the Women’s Air Derby brought pilots such as Amelia Earhart, Bobbi Trout and Ruth Elder to an air race from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland.

Hosted by the Department of Aviation Technology at Purdue, Able Flight is in its fourth year at the University. The program includes five weeks of intensive and ground training that leads to a pilot certificate. The Able Flight participants train with Purdue flight instructors in Sky Arrow LSAs adapted with hand controls.

Wesley Major, a 2012 Able Flight participant, is now a graduate student at Purdue and is active in coordinating this year’s program.

Read bios of the five 2013 participants.

The Able Flight program at Purdue is supported in part by Dial Doncaster – Disability Advisory Service and its RIAT Flying Scholarships for the Disabled Fund.

The 2013 student leadership honors were awarded to Erika Healy and Jennifer Kirschner.

Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leadership award

Associate Dean Jamie Mohler congratulates Erika Healy on receiving the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leadership Award.

Erika Healy, a junior from Hammond, Ind., is majoring in manufacturing engineering technology. She has been a member of the CoT Ambassadors, vice president of the Minority Technology Association and a member of the Dean’s Undergraduate Advisory Council. She served as a tutor in the BEST program and was mentor chair for Women in Technology. Outside of Purdue, Erika volunteers at the YWCA.

Outstanding Graduate Student Leadership award

Associate Dean Jamie Mohler congratulates Jennifer Kirschner on receiving the Outstanding Graduate Student Leadership Award.

During her time as a Purdue graduate student in the Department of Aviation Technology, Jennifer Kirschner, from Windsor, Conn., has established herself as an effective teacher and researcher. She has produced high quality publications and presentations, taught classes that have received very favorable end of course critiques, and provided leadership for a wide variety of student, university and professional organizations. Jennifer is focused on a tenure-track academic career with an active research agenda.

Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development publishes “Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs.” U.S. News and Money Magazine track the 100 Best Jobs.  There is even a list for the Top 10 companies college students want to work for (and Technology graduates do!).

At the root of these lists is an attempt to provide direction and incentive to potential employees and job creators. They highlight opportunities for a wide range of skills, and most agree that the careers College of Technology students are prepared for are some of the most sought after. From computing to construction management, the majors within the College of Technology are proving to be high-demand degrees for the future workforce.

Consider this: the placement data collected by Purdue’s Center for Career Opportunities shows Technology graduates getting hired at a higher rate than the University as a whole. Their starting salaries rank third behind the colleges of Engineering and Science.

With such good news now and on the horizon, the college should be bursting at the seams. Perceptions about a Technology degree and confusion about its relationship with Engineering have led many new students to choose a different major during their first year. The College of Technology and its majors see growth in the second and third year of a student’s college career as they begin to understand the value of the college’s offerings.

Jobs forecast

The academic departments within the College of Technology use a variety of sources to help them gauge the needs of the workforce. The main organization is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks careers and attempts to gauge demand for employees and skill sets. Most of the careers Technology graduates are prepared for stand to see growth through at least 2020, and a few can expect very rapid growth.

In addition, the Department of Aviation Technology relies on the Current Market Outlook released by Boeing. It tracks potential aviation careers globally, and the outlook is rosy, especially in the international markets. With larger airline fleets and increased traffic, the entire aviation industry is expected to see growth. That means great demand for workers at all levels, including those who graduate from Purdue’s aviation programs.

The introduction of technology into many processes also bodes well for new graduates. Because they have been exposed to several technologies as students and as early adopters, they are well-versed in using technology in many formats and scenarios. That extra knowledge is a great selling point for today’s employers who are trying to replace a slew of retirees in the next few years.

Perhaps the brightest spot in the CoT career outlook is for graduates of the computer and information technology program. Every “best jobs” list includes multiple careers that require the skills garnered from the degree program. The continued growth of all things computer means there will be continued demand for these workers for years to come.

External factors often make it hard for at least one department to have a clear picture of future jobs. Changes in tax laws, elections, natural disasters and insurance companies all influence supply and demand of construction services, according to Robert Cox, former head of the Department of Building Construction Management and now associate dean for engagement and globalization.

“We get most of our career outlook from our Construction Advisory Council,” he said. “We can also look to our recent graduates. You get a good sense of which sectors are hiring based on what companies they are concentrating in.”

Recent graduates are seeing a lot of interest from more of the heavy construction areas, such as power, highways and other infrastructure. The bulk of 2012 graduates went to companies specializing in healthcare construction and electrical or mechanical contracting, three of the six concentrations the department offers.

Overcoming perceptions

One challenge Purdue and the College of Technology has is educating the public and prospective students about the career possibilities available to a CoT graduate. Whether it is a mistaken perception about the nature of the degree or lack of information, it is often difficult to attract students to the academic programs that lead to these in-demand careers.

For example, because of degree names that include the words “industrial” or “building construction”, students don’t realize that the skills they gain are applicable in a wider setting.

“For example, we have students who are going into the healthcare industry. When they came here, they didn’t know that their skills were applicable in that field,” said Ragu Athinarayanan, head of the Department of Technology Leadership & Innovation. “They thought they would be working for an automotive company or another manufacturer. Many of the skills we foster have a broader impact on society, so our graduates can go look for a government job or healthcare industry job as well as the traditional manufacturing positions.”

In Aviation Technology, the faculty have adjusted the curriculum to provide a fuller picture of the aviation industry. Individual majors see where they fit into the larger system, and they gain a better understanding and appreciation for the skills others bring to the team. The department has adopted a six-course core that all majors must take.

“We have learned, for a given program, that students from the other programs can make valuable contributions from a learning and research standpoint,” said John Mott, assistant department head for academics. “Now, students get cross-pollination of ideas and input across all three programs. Each program has become stronger as a result.”

This rethinking of programs has received a boost this year as Gary Bertoline, dean of the College of Technology, challenged the academic departments to delve into their curricula to ensure that they are up-to-date and ready for the fast-paced changes of technology careers. Discussions are still taking place about potential new programs, most of which would take an interdisciplinary approach to prepare students for emerging technology careers.

The departments must also challenge perceptions put forth by 50 years of instruction. The needs of employers and students 20-50 years ago are not necessarily the same needs of today or the future. And the departments can learn from each other about how to approach education and marketing of their students.

“Anywhere there is a need for people with systems thinking — the systems approach to problem-solving — that’s where you’ll see a lot of our students go. Their skills are applicable in many other places,” Athinaryanan said. “These are the people who interface between the technology and the business aspects of it. They are really looked upon as the leaders to manage and lead innovation.”

Ties to industry

One key to ensuring continued demand for Technology graduates is continued partnerships with related industries. For accreditation purposes, most academic departments maintain an advisory council of industry leaders. In addition to offering insights into trends and needs, these leaders also become potential employers.

Throughout the college, input from advisory boards influences the types of classes taught, the approach professors take, and the expectations of academic outcomes. Likewise, each department maintains constant contact with industry professionals, whether they are Purdue alumni or supporters of the University. This helps open doors for students who are looking for insights, internships or full-time employment.

According to Purdue’s Center for Career Opportunities, a recent survey indicated companies plan to hire about 13 percent more new college graduates this year compared to 2012. Many of those companies are focusing a lot of their efforts on Purdue.

Tony Denhart, region manager of university relations for General Electric and a 1989 Technology alum, says Purdue is a prime recruiting area for the corporation.

“There are endless reasons why Purdue continues to be one of GE’s top universities,” he said. “The education Purdue provides is one the of reasons that GE has historically hired more students from Purdue than any other university. The education, coupled with the soft skills, sets Purdue students apart. GE knows that the Purdue students will arrive with the leadership, communication and critical thinking skills needed to compete in a global world.”

Shared reputation for excellence bonds Purdue, Rolls-Royce.

By Eric Nelson

Most people associate the Rolls-Royce brand with luxury automobiles, evoking memories of such classic models as the Ghost and the Phantom.

As the world economy changed, however, so too did the legendary carmaker, shifting its primary business to the aerospace, marine propulsion, energy and defense industries while licensing its iconic nameplate to other auto manufacturers.

Today, you’ll find Rolls-Royce engines driving everything from commercial and military aircraft to nuclear submarines and offshore oil-drilling platforms, making it one of the world’s leading providers of power systems and services. And just as these engines require many parts working together to run smoothly, the Rolls-Royce company requires employees with a variety of academic backgrounds and skill sets to come together as a team to push the company forward. That makes Purdue University a natural partner to Rolls-Royce, a top employer of Purdue graduates, including a growing number of College of Technology alumni.

More than 100 alumni representing most of the college’s majors and departments work at the company’s sprawling Indianapolis location. Acquired from Allison Engine Co. in 1995, the complex is now home to Rolls-Royce Aerospace, which includes the Civil, Defense and Helicopters aircraft engines groups, LibertyWorks advanced development group and Marine and Energy groups. Scores of other alumni are employed at one of more than 150 Rolls-Royce manufacturing and operational sites worldwide.

Among the Indianapolis-based grads is Scott Baier, who began his career at the former Allison location in 1984 as a technical writer after receiving his bachelor’s degree in aviation technology. “We were in the midst of a recession at the time and jobs were scarce,” he says. “I’d taken a technical writing course as part of my Technology classes at Purdue, so that got my foot in the door.”

Other opportunities soon followed, including positions of increasing responsibility in product training and service engineering. Baier, who also earned an associate degree in applied science (AAS) in aviation maintenance and an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic’s license at Purdue, credits that early career success to the broad range of skills he developed in the College of Technology.

“The Purdue AT program isn’t just about developing the technical skills needed to become a licensed aircraft mechanic, but also about understanding how a system operates on a larger scale,” he says. “You have the opportunity to learn systems engineering and operations theory and apply it to business and project management outside the classroom, which in turn promotes team building and leadership development. That’s a combination other universities don’t offer.”

Baier became a Purdue student again after being promoted to manager of business development, earning a master’s degree in technology through a College of Technology program offered on-site at the Rolls-Royce training center in Indianapolis. He now serves as senior manager of fleet operation services, leading a team that supports 16,000 engines and 13,000 helicopters in the fleets of more than 5,400 individual customers worldwide.

Rich Sinks, an alumnus of both the aviation maintenance and the professional flight programs, has also spent his entire career at Allison and Rolls-Royce, joining the company in 1990 after earning his bachelor’s degree, an A&P, a commercial pilot’s license and a Flight Engineer rating.

Like Baier, Sinks is a licensed aircraft mechanic and began as a technical writer before using his broad skill set to advance through the ranks. He is now senior manager of off-wing service operations for Roll-Royce’s fleet of AE 2100 and AE 3007 civil aerospace engines, including a global network of authorized maintenance centers.

“My degree from Purdue has given me an incredible set of tools and abilities to build upon,” Sinks says. “I might go from a budget meeting to a quality assessment review to network strategy planning and global performance measurement in a single day.

“Because of the base of skills that Purdue gave me, though, I’ve never felt overwhelmed in my career. I’ve always been able to take the next challenge, master it and move on. I don’t think I would have been able to do that with a degree from a different program.”

Another veteran Purdue alum at the Rolls-Royce Indianapolis location is Curt Perry, who earned an AAS degree in 1984.

“Although my degree was in industrial illustration technology (now computer graphics technology), my skills, training and proficiency allowed me to be promoted several times into various roles and disciplines until I found myself working with information technology,” he says.

Today, Perry is the IT administrator for the support engineering area, overseeing the computer systems and software used to produce all the maintenance, repair and overhaul media for Rolls-Royce aerospace turbine engines and power systems.

“Purdue and its faculty helped prepare me for the real world,” he says. “I was able to step from the classroom into a professional office and be productive from the first day. Very little acclimation was required because I already had the knowledge and education necessary to succeed.”

Other College of Technology graduates have taken less direct routes to Rolls-Royce, including James Olsen, BS ’01 (aviation technology), MS ’07, and Patricia Boardman, BS ’78 (organizational leadership and supervision). But both say their Purdue experience was critical to getting there.

“My undergraduate education was invaluable, particularly my internship with Continental Airlines,” Olsen says. “It gave me real-world insight into the day-to-day work being done to manage a large business, and also provided me with industry contacts that I still maintain today.”

Hired by Rolls-Royce in 2005 as a reliability forecaster, Olsen was promoted in 2010 to fleet business manager with responsibility for the company’s growing portfolio of aftermarket business, including cost reduction strategy, new service strategy and operational forecasting.

With more than 25 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, Boardman brought her diverse array of technical and managerial skills to Rolls-Royce in 2006 as director of new product introduction.

“My degree from the College of Technology opened many doors for me,” Boardman says. “It led me to my first job at TRW, and from there my career snowballed. My degree and work experience also led me to my MBA degree, which brought further growth opportunities.”

Boardman’s professional development has continued at Rolls-Royce. After taking on additional responsibilities as a production systems coach, she acquired her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and recently chose to return to a more hands-on role as a technical specialist in support engineering. “It has provided me with new challenges as well as new opportunities,” she says.

New opportunities also await Travis Cash, BS ’03 (aeronautical engineering technology), who is completing his first year at Rolls-Royce as AE lease engine manager.

“The Purdue brand and my degree from the College of Technology have been key to my entire career,” he says. “It began with a valuable internship at Teledyne Continental Motors, which gave me an edge to be hired on at Boeing. That later enabled me to get a job with a major regional airline and eventually led me to a great position at Rolls-Royce.”

Rolls-Royce veteran Rich Sinks, who, along with Scott Baier, serves on the Industrial Advisory Committee for the Department of Aviation Technology, says future Boilermaker alumni can expect similar career prospects with the company.

“Our industry is more competitive than it used to be and hiring is more selective, but the College of Technology has kept step and been very responsive over the years understanding our needs,” Sinks says. “The caliber of students we see today is higher than ever before, and even our new hires from Purdue come into the company at management-level positions with a tremendous amount of upward mobility.”

Also read: Relationship with Rolls-Royce includes research

Heidi Moore, as she describes it, is an advocate for pilots who will fly one of Lockheed Martin’s flagship aircraft. Since she graduated from Purdue’s flight program in 2004, she has worked on Lockheed’s F-16 Pilot-Vehicle Interface (PVI) team as a systems engineer.

“My job is to listen to our customers, hear about their needs in the field and figure out what they need in order to do combat better in defense of freedom,” Moore said.

Heidi Moore

She uses that information to configure the cockpit to help achieve the pilot community’s goals.

“With all of the F-16’s capabilities, we have to get creative. We have to think outside the box and still stay in line with design philosophies,” Moore said.

The process relies heavily on good communication skills as well as an understanding of an airplane’s systems, both of which she worked on as a Purdue student.

It was as a student that she first heard of Lockheed Martin. She and her co-pilot for the Women’s Air Race Classic helped the team become an officially recognized student organization on campus, complete with a ground crew. They also met with Lockheed to discuss team sponsorship options.

After touring facilities in Ft. Worth, Texas, Moore knew she wanted to work for the company. And now that she has been there for nine years, she has been nominated for Lockheed’s Advanced Technical Leadership Program. She is part of a new T-X competition to build the next fighter training airplanes.

“It’s a good fit for me,” she said. “I was a flight instructor at Purdue. We want to help the student pilot think quickly and not have as big of a learning curve transitioning from undergraduate pilot training to advanced jet training. Their first flight in single-seat fifth generation fighters (F-22 and F-35) must be as safe as possible.”

While Moore loves flying – she wishes she could be a full-time aerobat – she only recently had the chance to fly the F-16.  A customer coordinated the event, and she was able to perform a few aerobatic maneuvers and experience 9Gs.

“It was so amazing. It was one of the best days of my life,” she said. “I wanted to stay up in the air as long as possible.

Heidi Moore’s rules for a successful life:

• “God gets the glory for everything good in my life.”
• Always have a teachable spirit. I can learn something from everyone I work with.
• Don’t always look to the people ahead of you to show you the way. Sometimes you have to carve out your own path.
• Your life and experiences are what you make of them. Embrace the things that come your way.
• Good things take time to grow. It won’t all be easy, but the perseverance pays off.
• Learn how to invest and save for future. It’s never too early to start.
• Don’t define yourself by mistakes even if other people do. Keep moving forward because sometimes what seems like a failure can become your greatest success.

Next year, we will celebrate the College of Technology’s 50th year of existence. The yearlong celebration will be more than an anniversary observance, however. It will be a chance to remember the foundations of the college, which stretch to the beginning of Purdue’s existence. And it will be a chance for us to look forward and imagine where the college will be after its next 50 years.

The history of the college is fascinating. Despite higher education’s reputation for creating silos of activity within individual colleges, the first discussions about our existence took place among faculty from across the university. The University Extension Council included senior faculty from several departments, and they “served to bring the engineering technology programs into the University’s mainstream” wrote Calvin Lawshe, the first dean of the School of Technology. He served from 1964 to 1966.

The main mission of the school in 1964 was to offer associate degrees at the regional campuses and in West Lafayette. In fact, the school employed more faculty across the state than it did in West Lafayette. Within the first year, the first faculty council of representatives had approved junior and senior engineering technology curriculum and a four-year professional pilot curriculum. These were the first plans of study to result in a School of Technology bachelor of science degree.

Since that time, the college has worked to meet the ever-changing needs of industry and society. It has gone through program name changes, an upgrade from School to College, four deans, growth to eight locations outside of West Lafayette, and accreditation for all West Lafayette bachelor’s degrees (and some at Statewide). The academic programs now include master’s and doctoral degrees, master’s degrees for the working professional, and millions of dollars annually in sponsored research. And because innovation never stops, it feels like we’re only getting started.

A committee of faculty and staff has laid the groundwork for an event-filled 2013-14 academic year that will educate, inspire, reflect and celebrate. A full list of activities will be released soon. We invite you to join us on campus or online to participate in all or part of the celebration.

Vanessa Buntin and Steven Lincoln
CoT 50th Anniversary Committee co-chairs

(Photo: James Maris, who in 1964 would become the first head of the Department of Aviation Technology in the School of Technology, works with students in the engine lab at the Purdue University Airport. Photo from 1955.)

Faculty who received funding (all are principal investigators unless otherwise noted) were:

• Chien-Tsung Lu (Co-PI), Aviation Technology, Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sustainability (PEGASAS), Federal Aviation Administration, $1,500
• Michael Beyerlein (Co-PI), Technology Leadership and Innovation, CIF21 DIBBs: Conceptualization of the Social and Innovation Opportunities of Data Analysis, National Science Foundation, $24,930
• Thomas Hacker (Co-PI), Computer and Information Technology, NEES Operations:  FY 2010-FY2014, National Science Foundation, $765,000
• Marcus Rogers, Computer and Information Technology, Forensic Seminars, Multi-Sponsored Industrials, $6,000