Dr. Eric Robert Savage is proud to be the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Practice at the Purdue School of Aviation and Transportation Technology (SATT). He has long held a Visiting Assistant Professorship at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the Aviation Management & Flight department, and he is recently the Director of Aviation Programs at State University of New York (SUNY) in Schenectady, NY. Eric is a three-time graduate of 鶹Ʒ and his career titles have spanned being a former STEM vice-president, board member, program officer, grant manager, airport board, university professor, researcher, human factors design engineer, and flight instructor.
His leadership efforts as either Director of Aviation Programs, Vice-President of Educational Development & Outreach, or State-level Education Program Officer, has engaged over 10,000 teachers and almost 400,000 students in Arizona, California, New Mexico, New York, and Utah. As a project manager, researcher, or grant maker, Dr. Savage has written, co-written, or project managed research grants in excess of $19 million, including grants from New York General Fund (SUNY), National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), HELIOS Foundation, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) Foundation. He has conducted and presented those research findings or industry reports at over 40 venues as either the Primary Investigator (PI), Co-PI, or Program Director (PD). This is where he applied the learned details and processes of scholarly research, research program management, and the importance of sheparding earnest efforts of faculty with overall stakeholder interests.
Dr. Savage received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue University, his M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and his A.A.S. degree from Green River College. He attributes his success partially to his formal educational training with advanced flight credentials, management degrees, and psychology training. One place he utilized these skills was working for The Boeing Company both as a Human Factors Design Engineer and Pricing Analyst within Flight Operations & Systems Engineering. His TACAIR and PhantomWorks programs were domestically and internationally located in US, South Korea, Canada, Australia, and Malaysia on the advanced F/A-18, F-15, T-45, AV-8B platforms with selected B-programs. This is where he learned the power of technical excellence, genuine innovation, and intellectual protection as he also holds a utility patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the fields of olfactory psychology and cognitive engineering.
He is a former board-member of the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), Chairman of the Safety Committee for University Aviation Association (UAA), Chairman/Vice-Chairman of the Airport Committee in Williams, AZ (KCMR), and a School Board Member for a CTE HS in Arizona (CAVIAT). Eric has professionally served as a full member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, International Society of Air Safety Investigators, American Association of Airport Executives, and University Aviation Association. He’s had the distinct pleasure to serve as a contributing editor for the Thomson Corporation, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies (TRB), and he once served as the Editor-in-Chief of an undergraduate research e-journal in aviation research & scholarship (CONTRAILS). This is when he learned the importance of making a collective impact at high-levels with shared vision, passion, and excellence.
As a professional mosaic, many contributions, efforts, and assists from others have provided Eric the privilege to be where he is today. His past instructors at Purdue have provided the strong, solid foundation to build a successful and enjoyable career and his gratitude and love of aviation, higher education, and student success has been reflected at every stage. Dr. Eric Savage attempts to replicate efforts of his excellent colleagues, both past and present, and teach from all of his experiences with hands-on, minds-on activities so current students may stay engaged, relevant, and professionally prepared for their future careers.
Dr. Eric Savage has been married to Dr. Rachel Marie Savage, K-12 Superintendent, for 20 years and she calls him Monk. They have a son and daughter, Roger and Gab; Roger is a USFS Hotshot crew member around the US, and Gab is a K-12 business official in AZ.