Lockheed Martin Works with Penn State Researchers to Advance Innovation

Lockheed Martin, a leading global security and aerospace company and supplier of advanced technologies to government and commercial customers, partners with Penn State to improve opportunities for students across Commonwealth campuses and inspires innovation that helps protect and improve humankind.

Since Penn State and Lockheed Martin began collaborating more than 30 years ago, the partnership has evolved for both organizations. Since 2015, the company has provided approximately $5.6 million to enable and inspire research around autonomous unmanned systems, remote-operated vehicles, hydrostatic testing, and coatings, among other advancements. And, over the past five years, Lockheed Martin has donated more than $600,000 in outright gifts, as well as more than $200,000 in matching gifts and $6,000 in gifts-in-kind for a flight simulator to augment Penn State flight research.

Lockheed Martin’s commitment to Penn State doesn’t stop there. In October 2019, the company confirmed a $10,000 commitment to sponsor UIDP31 (University-Industry Demonstration Partnerships) designed to tackle strategic and tactical challenges impacting the environment through research collaboration. UID31 is scheduled for University Park at The Nittany Lion Inn September 21-24, 2020.

Prior to that, the company will also hold its annual Lockheed Martin Day during the first week of September at the HUB/Alumni Hall so company representatives can meet directly with students interested in various careers with Lockheed.  During the 2018-2019 academic year, Lockheed Martin hired 253 full-time employees from the Penn State ecosystem.

“Through these kinds of direct student engagement opportunities, Lockheed Martin has increased our hiring of Penn State graduates in each of the past five years, and we have hired more than 1,600 Penn State alumni,” said Dan Heller, Vice President of Engineering & Technology for Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems business area.

Lockheed Martin works with Penn State across a number of colleges through sponsorship, support, and scholarships. For example, Lockheed Martin helps support the College of Engineering, where it is one of an elite group of industry sponsors of The Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory. A hands-on facility for engineering students, the Learning Factory taps university-industry partnerships where student-design projects benefit clients and where sponsors interact with students and faculty to help drive engineering education at Penn State.

Overall, Lockheed Martin invested $1.3 billion in research and development in 2018, which signified a record level for the company. Emphasis was placed on strengthening innovative leadership in hypersonics, laser weapons systems, autonomy, and artificial intelligence, which are also areas Penn State students and faculty researchers are helping to advance.

“The research partnership between Lockheed Martin and Penn State is important to stimulating innovation that strengthens student and faculty contributions to technologies that will bring positive change around the globe,” said Don Mothersbaugh, Director Corporate Engagement Center, Penn State.