Purdue and Engineering and Technical Management Directorate, Air Force Materiel Command enter into educational partnership agreement
Purdue and the Engineering and Technical Management Directorate, Air Force Materiel Command, have signed a multi-faceted educational partnership agreement to partner in areas such as educational programs centered around advancing learning and research in science, mathematics and engineering; increasing awareness of federal service opportunities for Purdue students in collaboration with the Defense Civilian Training Corps; and increasing their dialogue on digital transformation collaboration between both organizations.
During the agreement signing in October, leaders discussed Purdue-developed workforce training for the Air Force and making expert Air Force engineering and technology personnel available to work with Purdue faculty on developing educational materials and programs.
The partnership also aims to involve faculty and Purdue students in certain kinds of defense-related research projects, make internships available to students and provide highly qualified Air Force engineers and scientists as mentors, project advisors or tutors and as guest speakers in courses, seminars and other educational activities.
The agreement was signed by Dimitrios Peroulis, Purdue’s senior vice president for partnerships and online, and Robert Fookes Jr., director of engineering and technical management, and chief engineer, Air Force Materiel Command. While at Purdue, Fookes also spoke at the dedication of the High Speed Propulsion Lab (ZL9) in conjunction with Zucrow Laboratories’ 75th anniversary celebration and engaged with Purdue’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment, Defense Civilian Training Corps program and Military Research Institute.
Rated as a Top 10 Most Innovative School for seven years running by U.S. News & World report, Purdue is recognized as a global leader in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) research and education.
“This agreement with the Engineering and Technical Management Directorate of Air Force Materiel Command reflects our continued focus on serving those who serve our country,” Peroulis said. “We have an unwavering commitment to national security and defense, and we look forward to expanding our partnership opportunities in this space.”
Headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Air Force Materiel Command manages installation and mission support; discovery and development; test and evaluation; and life cycle management and sustainability for every major Air Force weapons system. The command employs 89,000 military and civilian personnel and manages a $72 billion annual budget.
“The signing of this educational partnership agreement with Purdue represents the importance of building relationships between government, academia and the defense industrial base,” Fookes said. “This partnership will enable us to explore a number of synergies between our organizations to include a talent pipeline, defense related research and opportunities for workforce development.”
Photo caption:
Seated (L-R) Dimitrios Peroulis, Purdue senior vice president for Partnerships and Online, and Robert Fookes Jr., director of engineering and technical management, and chief engineer, Air Force Materiel Command. Standing (L-R) Don Roush, Matt Wagner, John Fassnacht, Searsha Gebhart and Kari Tucker.