Few mysteries have captured the American imagination like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937, while attempting to become the first woman pilot to circumnavigate the world. Earhart spent several years at Purdue, which invited her to come to campus and inspire our women students in STEM careers. Earhart stayed in the women’s residence hall for a few weeks each semester giving lectures, counseling women on careers, and advising the aeronautical engineering department on its nascent program in aeronautics. She prepped for the flight at Purdue’s airport, and flew in the skies above campus grounds. Tony Romeo, CEO of underwater exploration company Deep Sea Vision, believes it has found her plane in the Pacific on the ocean floor. Tony and two Purdue professors, Sammie Morris and Bill Crossley, discuss Amelia’s time at Purdue the flight and what might have gone wrong, the recovery mission, and what this adventurous, pioneering woman meant to America.

Commemorate an extraordinary legacy of world-changing giant leaps by contributing to the Purdue Engineering 150th Anniversary Fund. As we dare to think differently and continue to challenge ourselves, your support will empower us to continue influencing the world of engineering on a global stage for another 150 years.