New center to focus on global aviation research

A new center at Purdue University will harness the expertise of aviation faculty and students to focus on research that will address global aviation issues. The Advanced Aviation Analytics Institute for Research-Center of Research Excellence (A3IR-CORE) is headquartered in the Department of Aviation Technology in the College of Technology. The research group explores traditional and emerging methodological and analytical techniques that will promote interdisciplinary research in several areas, including aviation and aerospace, domestic and international policy, management and leadership and applied engineering technology integration.

Current projects include: analysis of how students involved in the Able Flight program have been impacted, a statistical investigation of airline performance during a recession, and a mixed-methods look at airline consumers’ attitudes toward flying their air carrier of choice.

Six College of Technology faculty are affiliated with A3IR-CORE:

  • Brent Bowen, director, professor and head of the Department of Aviation Technology
  • Erin Bowen, assistant professor of technology leadership & innovation
  • Thomas Carney, professor of aviation technology
  • Chien-tsung Lu, associate professor of aviation technology
  • John Mott, clinical assistant professor of aviation technology
  • Michael Suckow, clinical associate professor of aviation technology

Graduate and undergraduate students are also involved with the research projects. They will assist faculty and other researchers with project management, statistical software consultation and publication ideas and research.

“The flagship function of this revolutionary institute is to immerse faculty and students at all academic levels in a technologically rich research environment,” said Brent Bowen. “When students become involved with faculty-led projects, students often benefit by learning research methodologies, writing styles and the process by which research must be performed, published and presented.”

The center faculty plan to submit completed research to conferences, symposiums, and peer-reviewed journals.

In addition, the center manages the publication of the Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering (JATE), a refereed journal for scholars in aviation technology, engineering, and human factors.

A3IR-CORE is funded in part by the James D. and Sherry Raisbeck Foundation.