GE Aviation president touts partnership with UC

The University of Cincinnati is one reason for GE Aviation's long-term success, its president said in an op-ed published Monday in The Cincinnati Enquirer.

David Joyce, president and CEO of GE Aviation and a General Electric corporate vice chairman, talked about his company's strong relationship to UC in celebrating its 100th anniversary as an aviation company and its 70th anniversary in Cincinnati.

"The area's higher-education institutions will continue to influence our long-term success," Joyce said. "GE Aviation is a leading employer of graduating engineers from the University of Cincinnati, and we have numerous technology collaborations with UC and the University of Dayton, ranging from advancing the future of hybrid propulsion to developing new materials for jet engines."

UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science has several professors who are conducting research with or for the benefit of GE Aviation.

UC professor Ephraim Gutmark, an Ohio Eminent Scholar, is working on several projects relating to the efficiency of jet engines. In 2018, he collaborated with GE Aviation on a project to reduce jet engine noise to help airports reduce noise complaints and mitigate hearing loss among aviation employees. Hearing loss is one of the most common causes of military disability in the United States.

Gutmark said he has worked with GE Aviation for nearly all of his 20 years at UC.

"We owe them a lot of thanks for their support over the years," Gutmark said. "I am extremely thankful for the collaboration with them. It helps our students because they get a lot of practical experience in addition to what we can give them at the university."

Gutmark said he holds several joint patents with General Electric.

"Many of my graduate students are working for GE now. There's no doubt that the fact that GE is based in Cincinnati helps us with our research work," Gutmark said. 

Featured image at top: An F/A-18E Super Hornet takes off from the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. UC is collaborating with GE Aviation on several projects for military and commercial aviation. Photo/U.S. Navy