2009 Honorary Degree
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He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1975 and 1976 and a Ph.D. in fluid mechanics from the University of Connecticut in 1985. Eckerle currently serves as vice president of corporate research and technology at Cummins Inc., a global company that designs and manufactures power-generation equipment, power systems, gasoline engines and custom power supplies. Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries through a network of 550 distribution facilities, 5,000 dealer locations and more than 24,000 employees. Eckerle is responsible for developing and integrating technology for the next generation of Cummins' products.
He has served in advisory board capacities for Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, the University of Connecticut Department of Mechanical Engineering and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Eckerle also has taught classes in thermal sciences as an associate professor at Clarkson University and was a faculty fellow at NASA Lewis Research Center and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
A member of the Dean's Industrial Advisory Council for IUPUI's School of Engineering and Technology since 2004, Eckerle also serves as chair of the council's subcommittee on research. In this capacity, he provides faculty with vital insights into best practices for developing synergistic university-industry partnerships. Eckerle also has generously supported the creation of a Cummins Minority Fellowship program that provides support for four students pursuing their graduate degrees, including a summer internship in advanced engineering.
Eckerle has nine patents and has published numerous articles on his work at Cummins. He has been perhaps even more devoted to mentoring many others in their pursuit of patentable technology. Eckerle was one of the first recipients of the Cummins' J. Irwin Miller Award of Excellence in 2005. The award recognizes the ideals of Miller, a business leader and a model of integrity who built Cummins from a small diesel engine maker to a global powerhouse.
Eckerle has been recognized for his excellence and commitment to his profession with a service award from Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, the Outstanding Aerospace Engineer award from Purdue and induction into the Academy of Distinguished Engineers Hall of Fame at the University of Connecticut.
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