The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates that by 2030, the number of air travelers will reach six billion, which is roughly double the levels of 2011[1]. In order to manage such growth with environmental responsibility, the ICAO has set the grand challenge in aviation sustainability to “strike a balance among three pillars of sustainability—social, economic, and environmental.” This challenge relates to the "Healthy and Sustainable communities" impact area of the Polytechnic.
In support of the above grand challenge, the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology is engaged in research projects on the following topics:
- Translating Strategy, Policy, and Innovation into Practices, Products, and Impact
- Cradle-to-cradle Component-through-Enterprise Lifecycle Management
- Alternative Fuels and Emissions (science, technology, and policy)
- Design, Manufacturing, and Repair of Light-weight Composite Aerospace Structures
- Global Data Standardization and Sharing
Faculty Focus Areas
The Faculty Focus Areas are aligned with the school-level long-term research focus areas such that the faculty members are fully supported by the School to pursue research in the pre-identified areas, and these faculty members are internationally-renowned experts in those areas. Some faculty members focus on research methodologies as their area of expertise.
[1] https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/Documents/Rio+20_booklet.pdf
Chad Laux received an international book award for "Lean Sustainability," a coauthored work of practical scholarship that seeks to bring innovative, environmentally-conscious efficiency into the world of industry.
Our senior students in aviation are generating novel methods to detect greenhouse gas levels during normal commercial flights, massively increasing the efficiency for making such measurements. Learn all about their invention in our newsroom:
Blueavion f1, an airport sensor system co-developed by John Mott, associate professor of aviation technology, is now available commercially. The product was tested at the Purdue University Airport.
Our Focus on Quality Sustainability