Listeners from the United States, Canada, and Europe tuned in November 6 to a webinar entitled Lessons Learned from the 2023 East Palestine Chemical Spill and Fires Disaster. The event centered on new discoveries from four rapid response research studies funded by the National Science Foundation.

Hundreds of civil engineering professionals from around the world gathered at Purdue University to attend the 39th Annual Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar. The daylong event covered an array of topics from works zones and the visually impaired to repair strategies for steel bridges.

Dr. Roberto T. Leon, P.E., the C.E. Via Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech University, will present the next Dennis & Leslie Drag Distinguished Lecture, titled "Complexity Lessons from Recent Structural Failures," on Friday, February 28th, 2025 at 5:00pm in HAMP 1144.

Ayman Habib, Thomas A. Page Professor of Civil Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). This is one of the highest professional achievement awards bestowed by ASPRS.

Melba Crawford, the Nancy Uridil and Francis Bossu Professor in Civil Engineering, was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Excellence from The Ohio State University during the 2024 College of Engineering Alumni Awards on October 25.

One of the most festive events to date in Purdue Engineering’s yearlong 150th anniversary celebration was dedicated to 38 alumni standouts.

Luna Lu, Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, has been appointed vice president of the Office of Industry Partnerships. Lu, who will report to the senior vice president for partnerships and online with a dotted line to the executive vice president for research, begins this new role Jan. 1, 2025.

Ricky Grogan, Jr. (BSCNE 2012), Project Manager at The Walsh Group, has received the 2024 Construction Engineering Emerging Leader Alumni Award.

Logan Cook (BSCNE 2010 MSCE 2011), Associate Principal and Unit Manager at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., has received the 2024 Construction Engineering Emerging Leader Alumni Award.

Jeff Hagerman (BSCNE 1993), Chairman of The Hagerman Group, has received the 2024 Construction Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award.

Augie Ziccarelli (BSCNE 1981), Project Director at Pepper Construction of Indiana, has received the 2024 Construction Engineering Outstanding Alumni Award.

Purdue University will host the 23rd World Building Congress (WBC2025) at its campus in West Lafayette from May 19-23, 2025. The title of the conference is “Sustainable Built Environment – The Role of the Construction Community in Meeting the UN SDGs.”

A study examining the Lake Michigan shoreline response to a record-breaking extreme water level event that occurred between 2013 and 2020 has received funding from the U.S. Coastal Research Program (USCRP). The project is being led by Cary Troy, Professor of Civil Engineering.

A new episode of "This Is Purdue" features Jennifer Pyrz, president and CEO of IndyGo. A Purdue engineering alumna, Pyrz (BSCE '95, MSCE '97) was appointed president and CEO of Indiana's largest public transit agency in May 2024. Listen in as Pyrz discusses the advantages Purdue students in Indianapolis can gain from IndyGo buses and transit lines and her vision for the future of public transportation in Indianapolis.

Purdue University hosted the 4th Annual Conference on Next Generation Transportation Systems (NGTS-4) on September 21st and 22nd at the Purdue Discovery Park District in West Lafayette, Indiana.

An INDOT study on the redundancy in built-up steel bridge members led by Robert Connor, Jack and Kay Hockema Professor in Civil Engineering and Director of CAI and S-BRITE, is the 2024 recipient of the Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Excellence Award.

The Center for Connected and Automated Transportation (CCAT), centered at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, organized its 3rd annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) conference held on September 27, 2024 at Purdue University's Discovery Park District in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The National Science Foundation has awarded $1.68M to a project team headed by Amisha Shah, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental and Ecological Engineering, collaborating with researchers from Columbia University and Lafayette College. A key aspect of the investigation is using water to collect and recycle precious materials from landfills.

Four alumni of the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering — Rachael Bisnett, Emily Foote, John Kremer, and Jeffrey Peters — are among the inaugural class of Purdue Engineering's 38 by 38 award. The annual award recognizes 38 young alumni who have rocketed through the ranks and left their mark by the time they are 38 years old.

In a new study released on the aftermath of the train derailment disaster in East Palestine, Ohio, Professor Andrew Whelton describes the extent of the contamination, along with problems with the response and cleanup that, in some cases, increased the chances that people would be exposed to hazardous chemicals. It offers important lessons to better protect communities in the future.