DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Boeing Company has donated $5.1 million to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for a research center that will drive safety improvements throughout the industry.
What You Need To Know
- Embry-Riddle receives $5.1 million gift for research center
- Boeing and the university are working together to improve aviation safety
- A building for the center will feature offices, lab space and a classroom
- An existing campus building is being renovated and slated to open in the fall
The Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle will conduct independent research aimed at mitigating known and emerging operational safety risks and the safe integration of new entrants into the global airspace system.
It will operate out of a 13,000-square-foot building currently under renovation on Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus. The building, which is expected to open in fall 2023, and will include offices, lab space and a classroom for safety-related professional education courses.
The center will foster collaboration across academia, industry and government entities and establish research partnerships involving graduate and undergraduate students who will gain real-world exposure to the industry through hands-on projects. Its goal is to benefit all who depend on air transportation.
“By its nature, aviation is self-correcting in that we must continuously apply lessons learned to keep all who fly as safe as possible,” Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler said. “The Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle will provide an infrastructure for systematically investigating and reducing safety risks, from technological challenges to human factors. We are grateful to Boeing for supporting independent research in this field.”
Robert L. Sumwalt, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, will lead the center.