Penn State received news worth bragging about in the Aug. 26 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology. The university was named a top supplier of workers and a valued alma mater, the result of a survey given to defense and aerospace firms.

Of the list of seven preferred talent suppliers for aerospace and defense companies, Penn State was ranked at the top of the list. The only other Big Ten school lauded was Purdue University, joining Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Georgia Tech, Rochester Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Penn State was also selected as one of eight universities most valued by employees in landing a job or promotion. Purdue University was again the only other Big Ten school chosen, the others being the University of Washington, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, and Arizona State University.

The study is published annually to examine demand for talent, as well as current and future trends in the aerospace and defense industries. Thirty-nine aerospace and defense firms were surveyed, representing 80 percent of the sectors’ total employment in the United States. A 10 percent random sample of young professionals from 19 of the 39 firms was used to create the list of alma maters.

“We’re very proud to be ranked so highly by the industry that employs so many of our students,” said George Lesieutre, the head of Aerospace Engineering at Penn State. “This is terrific evidence of the broad, high-quality education that Penn State Engineering provides.”