William E. Boeing Distinguished Lecture

For decades, Purdue University and The Boeing Company have enjoyed a fruitful relationship leading to the realization of research laboratories, faculty initiatives and well-prepared employees for The Boeing Company. Specifically, the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics has benefited from resources such as the Boeing Wind Tunnel, Ludwig Tube, and the McDonnell Douglas Composite Materials Laboratory.

To express our gratitude to The Boeing Company for its generosity over the years and to honor the memory of its founder, Purdue University has established the William E. Boeing Distinguished Lecture Series, which is administered through the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The first annual lecture was Sept. 30, 1999. The lecture series features an internationally known speaker from the aerospace or air transportation industry.

With the installation of the Boeing Mach 6 wind tunnel and the Boeing and Intel Design/Build/Test Laboratory, Boeing continues to help our aeronautical students receive practical "hands-on" experience. 



The 2022 William E. Boeing Distinguished Lecture

Portrait of Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at Rolls-Royce

The Power that Connects Us: Rolls-Royce Pioneering Sustainable Aerospace

Aviation is on the rise. Even if not matching pre-pandemic levels yet, demand for global air traffic is rapidly taking-off again. This upsurge reemphasizes the urgent question: How can we connect people, cultures, and markets around the globe in the most sustainable way?

Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce, will tackle this issue in this year's Boeing Lecture. Join us in Fowler Hall on Wednesday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m. Additional details are on the event page linked below.

Event Details