About

150 Years of Giant Leaps

The Amelia Earhart Summit is part of Purdue University's Ideas Festival, the centerpiece of Purdue's Giant Leaps Sesquicentennial Campaign, a series of events that connect world-renowned speakers and Purdue expertise in a conversation on the most critical problems facing the world.

About the Summit

In 1935, Amelia Earhart became the first counselor on careers for women at Purdue. As the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she has emboldened women across the world with her belief that women are equal in jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and willpower, lending her name as a fitting title for an event designed to inspire women. The inaugural summit in 2018 was a thrilling success and we are confident that this upcoming one, scaled up to include more events and greater participation, will be even more spectacular.

Undergraduate and graduate students from across the country are encouraged to present their research in the form of poster presentations or art installations, and gain feedback from experts in academia and industry. The summit has been scheduled to coincide with the biannual Industrial Advisory Council (IAC) visit and students will have the opportunity to network with these professionals. Students will learn about graduate school life and hear about the multitude of career options within the realm of space exploration. Stimulating keynote talks and panels will occur throughout the day and a banquet will cap off the first exciting day. The weekend will culminate in optional professional development workshops, lab tours and a job fair.

The summit is organized by the student organizations Purdue Women In Aerospace (WIA) and AAE Graduate Women's Group (GWG) in collaboration with the University of Michigan's Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics.

The Summit concludes with a banquet. It is $10 to attend the banquet for non-GWG, WIA and WAA members. Banquet attendees also receive a free T-shirt. The rest of the events are free and open to all students. Breakfast, lunch and coffee are included for those who register. Best graduate and undergraduate posters are awarded prizes.