69441 - Collaboration Between Academia and Industry to Advance Industrial Gas Turbines 

Most collaboration between academia and industry involves industry funded and defined research  projects. There are, however, many more opportunities for activities that lead to a stronger partnership that benefits both. Moving from individual, more or less well defined, individual projects to a wider collaboration aligned along industry needs and academic strength, to form academic centers of excellence provides a more involved collaboration. At that level, companies will become more than a research partner, but can get involved in the curriculum and educational efforts of the academic partner. 

A key area where industry can support the educational effort is to prepare students and faculty by giving insight on personal career planning for the students as well as examples of the applications of their research.  On the career planning in particular, examples of career decisions of successful engineers and engineering managers are important to highlight. Industry can also provide examples of real-world problem solving, which are, due to various constraints, sometimes different from academic approaches.   It also helps when students are exposed to how products, such as industrial gas turbines, are used in real world applications.

Setting up a center of excellence within an academic institution is discussed. In this particular case, the fact that industrial gas turbines were used to support on campus energy needs was helpful.

The paper details the structuring, planning and execution of a workshop to educate students about real world problems in the application of turbomachinery in oil and gas related projects, but also how gas turbine development works. Such a workshop also provides insights in careers in engineering, and progression into management,  by successful engineers and managers, highlighting  skill sets, and giving actual examples how careers may develop. Workshops like these benefit the students and university, as well as the industry partner, as was documented by a survey after students completed the sessions.