Purdue helps form global aviation education network

Representatives sign the memorandum of undestanding to form ATAERA.

The School of Aviation and Transportation Technology at Purdue University is one of 11 partners from around the world that have agreed to form a new global network for aviation education: the Air Transport and Aeronautics Education and Research Association (ATAERA).

The agreement provides avenues to expand the breadth of knowledge available to students and the opportunities for research and project-based partnerships. For example, the research and educational strengths of each institution can be shared instead of duplicated to provide a more robust educational experience for students.

“The ATAERA partnership provides an instant network of aviation higher education institutions and industry organizations that were previously not accessible on this scale,” said John Wensveen, head of the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology. “Each of the participating universities has its own network that will now be open to all participants. Additionally, students in our program will have opportunities to assist programs overseas developing and implementing solutions to real-life industry challenges on an international scale.”

International experiences will be important in ATAERA. Faculty and students will be able to increase their exposure to global experiences, which will help students prepare for international careers and faculty stay current with industry developments.

The participating institutions will explore joint research and educational programs, focusing on innovative applications. Their partnerships will also reach to companies in aviation industry, including aircraft manufacturers, airports, airlines, air navigation organizations and aircraft maintenance companies.

In addition to Purdue, ATAERA partners include Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands, University of Zilina (Slovakia), Vives University College (Belgium), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), IUBH International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef –School of Business and Management (Germany), Aeronautical University on Querétaro (Mexico), Coventry University (United Kingdom), Instituto Superior Technico (Portugal), Institute of Technology Carlow (Ireland), and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide (USA).

The founding members expect other academic institutions to join the partnership in the future. Students should see the benefits of the partnership beginning with the 2016-17 academic year.