To build an “intellectual heart and soul,” you need a lot of bricks — 160,000.

In 2013, GE opened the GE Aviation Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center (EPISCenter), “the intellectual heart and soul” of GE Aviation’s electrical power business, said Lorraine A. Bolsinger, former president and CEO of GE Aviation Systems.

Those bricks — twice the size of residential bricks — tell a small part of the story that’s greater than the four stories or 139,000 square feet of office and lab space they enclose.

It Starts with Partnership

In 2010, the University and GE Aviation announced plans to build a new research center on University land, a former brownfield where NCR once built cash registers.

The partnership is bolstered by the University’s ties in the research community and by the strength of the region’s innovation infrastructure.

Among the values of partnering with the University is location, which is central to GE Aviation Systems’ three existing Miami Valley business locations as well as its Air Force customer, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the GE Aviation engine complex.

Added Value to Our Partnership

The University of Dayton Research Institute’s reputation in aviation research and the $170 million a year it attracts for funded research adds value to our partnership.

People and Their Talents Add Benefits

Talent generally comes from advanced degree engineers, people with master’s degrees and Ph.D.'s. UDRI and UD are excellent sources of this kind of talent.

Partnerships Benefit Our Community

Collaborative efforts between GE and UD through the EPISCenter to develop new integrated electric power systems for aircraft will result in new jobs not only at the EPISCenter and at UD but also at the manufacturing facility in Vandalia (Ohio) where the R&D investment is returned as new products for GE. This hub of activity will attract other companies to the region.

Research at the lab includes computer modeling, simulation, and analysis of advanced, dynamic electric power systems design and controls.

Inside the EPISCenter, University of Dayton graduate students work on design modeling and testing of aviation electrical systems alongside GE Aviation engineering teams.

University professors, researchers and students will be tapped for their expertise on specific projects, and they will also participate in design reviews for GE Aviation customers.

^{Adapted from "Brick and Mortarboard" (2013). News Releases. Paper 405, eCommons, University of Dayton.}

^{In July 2022, GE Aviation changed its name to GE Aerospace.}