Summer is now in full swing, and in addition to the normal camp getaways that are part of the season, around 40 high school students from across the country began a week-long session to learn about career opportunities in aviation and space at Purdue University. The students are spending the week at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus for the inaugural program, where they will be introduced to unmanned aerial systems, flight operations, air traffic control, and more.
The program is a collaboration between the United States Space Force and Purdue’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology in the school’s Polytechnic Institute, as well as the Office of Summer and Winter Sessions, and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.
On the final day of the program, Space Force Guardians will present information about the space environment, the importance of the space domain, and education and career opportunities within the United States Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military.
Purdue’s “Space Camp” Going Strong
This is the latest initiative from Purdue University to build interest in careers in aviation and space. The public land-grant research university already regularly holds an annual Purdue Space Day (PSD), a one-day educational outreach program that is meant to provide school students in grades 3-8 the opportunity to learn about STEM by participating in three age-appropriate activities with a space theme.
The first Purdue Fall Space Day began in November 1996 with just over 120 school students in attendance and 40 Purdue students running the program. It now has more than 800 participants and is run by more than 300 university students, who make the even possible.
Working With the Space Force
This new program will take the efforts even further as the program aims to prepare students for life after high school, especially high-potential students from inner city schools, rural locations, and those who will be the first in their families to attend college, John Gipson, assistant vice provost for Innovative Educational Pathways at Purdue, explained via a statement.
“We had been looking for different opportunities to work with underserved high school students who might not have the same access or exposure to this type of learning,” said Gipson.
This opportunity to take part in the Purdue program was extremely competitive, with nearly 100 students applying for 40 spots. Those talented individuals that were selected to take part will receive hands-on learning.
“Participants will gain practical experience in our four major aviation areas of management, engineering technology, unmanned systems, and flight. They’ll take classes at the second-busiest airport in Indiana, meet representatives from industry, and learn from our school’s faculty and current students,” added Vicki Gilbert, recruiting, placement and internship coordinator for Purdue’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology.
The school told ClearanceJobs that it does expect to offer the one-week, one-credit experience again next year, and the hope is to offer it each summer.
“Faculty from the School of Aviation and Transportation Technology and United States Space Force Guardians have created hands-on opportunities to excite students about unmanned aerial systems, professional flight, aviation management, leadership, and much more,” Gipson told ClearanceJobs via an email on Monday. “Students will also explore military and civilian careers related to aviation and space throughout the week, including a visit to the GE Aviation facility in West Lafayette.”
Ties to Aviation
This also builds on the mission of Purdue University’s Polytechnic Institute, which is recognized as a worldwide leader in aviation education, and could provide a unique opportunity for high school students.
“One of Purdue Polytechnic’s missions is to provide meaningful experiences for high school students,” said Daniel Castro, dean of Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute. “A week on campus learning about aviation technologies could be the spark that leads them to study here at Purdue and to pursue careers they had not previously dreamt about. But this opportunity is especially exciting because today’s high school students could conceivably become tomorrow’s pioneers in space.”
Purdue University is home to its own airport, which opened in 1930, was the first of its kind, and remains one of only a few university-owned airports in the nation. In addition, the university has also been integral in America’s history of aviation, having established the first college credit offered in flight training, and the first four-year bachelor’s degree in aviation
Purdue’s aviation technology and aeronautical engineering programs are considered to be among the most competitive aviation-specific programs in the world today. In addition, during the era of the “Space Race,” the school earned the nicknames “Cradle of Astronauts,” and “Mother of Astronauts.”
To date, 26 Purdue graduates have become astronauts, including Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts; Neil Armstrong, who was the first person to walk on the moon; and Eugene Cernan, who was the last person to walk on the moon.
Perhaps some of those 40 students attending this year’s programs will be the next to head to the moon and beyond.
