Photo by Laurie Goosens Brent Vlasman and Juliana Lindner talk over aviation at the Purdue University exhibit.

July 30, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin  - Two years ago, Dennis Depew visited AirVenture for the first time.

“I decided right then that we had to be involved with AirVenture and needed to build a partnership with EAA,” said the Dean of the College of Technology at Purdue University in Indiana.

“If you’re involved in the aviation industry, you can’t overlook EAA.

“We have too much in common, and need to find ways to work together and use the convention to attain mutually beneficial partnerships,” he explained.

“We really want to rise to that new level.”

His institution boasts about 4,000 students with a faculty of about 200. Approximately 600 students are enrolled in the aviation curriculum with half of them pilots and the other half in the technology/avionics curriculum.

“Aviation has a prominent footprint at Purdue, and, as an exhibitor in Oshkosh this year, we’re seeking to expand its ongoing relationship with EAA,” Depew said.

Purdue operates aviation camps at West Lafayette, Indiana, and is looking to work with EAA and its local chapters throughout the rest of the year and stimulate aviation as a career opportunity.

“Our goal is to motivate students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM),” Depew explained. That means getting more youth and alumni involved in STEM and looking for ways to have EAA staff involved at Purdue.

The college is also hoping to start an EAA chapter.

A team of students is at Purdue’s exhibit this week, along with Brent Bowen, head of the aviation department. They’re located in exhibit Hangar C at booth 3069.