School of AAE Young Alumni Back on Campus to Meet with Faculty and Students

Event Date: August 28, 2014
Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics hosted panel discussions on August 25 and 26 which brought together current undergraduate students and young alumni.

YPAC Members with Dr. Collicott in front of Armstrong HallPurdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics hosted panel discussions on August 25 and 26, 2014 which brought together current undergraduate students and young alumni.

The alumni were part of the inaugural group of AAE’s Young Professional Advisory Council. The alumni met with undergraduate students to answer questions about what lies ahead, how to excel, and other concerns students might have had.

YPAC members also met with faculty to provide feedback on curriculum matters.

“The alumni were chosen from various backgrounds to best cover a wide range of topics relating to aerospace careers and success in the field,” said Steven Collicott, professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics who organized the YPAC. “We encouraged AAE students to take advantage of this opportunity to meet young alums working in the field of aeronautics and astronautics and learn how students can apply alums’ experiences to their own professional growth.”

Topics discussed included:

  • Year and Path Ahead of You in AAE
  • Performing Well in 300/400 Level AAE Classes
  • Finishing Strong and Moving On
  • Practical Advice on Transitioning to the Workplace: Culture, Communications,
  • Expectations and More
  • Choosing Electives, Design-Build-Test, Senior Design and Other Classes
  • What May Be Next: Industry, Government Labs, M.S., MBA, Distance Learning and More

2014 YPAC Members include (pictured with Professor Collicott):

Sirisha Bandla
BSAAE, 2011
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
Assistant Director

Alex Baucco
BSAAE, 2011
Rolls-Royce
Test Vehicle Engineer

Michael Bociaga
BSAAE, 2008
MSAAE, 2011
Lockheed-Martin
Design Engineer

Jonathan Braun
BSAAE, 2006
MSAAE, 2008
Lockheed-Martin
Associate Manager       

Ashley Brawner
BSAAE, 2006
MSAAE, 2009
Northrop Grumman
Systems Integration and Test Manager

Dean Bryson
BSAAE, 2008
MSAAE, 2010
Air Force Research Laboratory
Research Aerospace Engineer

Mike Kowalkowski
BSAAE, 2007
MSAAE, 2009
Rolls-Royce
Design Engineer, Turbines

Tyler Lulich
MSAAE, 2010
Emergent Space Technologies
Senior Aerospace Engineer

Alan Pomp
BSAAE, 2011
Boeing
Structural Payload and Design Engineer

James Tancred
BSAAE, 2010
Air Force Research Laboratory
Aerospace Engineer

Brandon White
BSAAE, 2008
GE Aviation
Technical Program Manager

Plans are underway for 2015 YPAC sessions.

Publish date: August 28, 2014