Materials Engineering
Material engineers improve the road you travel on, the coal used to fuel a factory, and the sidewalk in your neighborhood. Through their study of
asphalt and bituminous materials, roads and sidewalks last longer and fuels, like coal, are more energy efficient.
The Materials area of emphasis in Civil Engineering provides freedom for students to develop a plan of study that will meet individual goals. Students take a broad range of courses including chemistry, construction, geology, mathematics, mechanics, and other engineering disciplines. Historically, the area has continuously maintained a balance between theoretical, experimental and practice-based approaches to solving problems. The Materials Engineering faculty are dedicated to teaching and research. The Materials Engineering Research Facilities offer hands-on experiences to undergraduate and graduate students.
Civil Engineering's Materials group has a loyal alumni network in both academia and private practice around the world. Research is divided into two broad themes: Asphalt and Bituminous Materials, and Portland Cement and Concrete. The American Concrete Institute at Purdue University also offers opportunities for students to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice.
Spotlights
February 25, 2025
Grad student Alberto Castillo was the second-place winner in the Research in Progress session conducted by the American Concrete Institute showcasing research projects and leading-edge concrete technology throughout the world.
February 20, 2025
A multidisciplinary Purdue University research team is recreating mosquito antennae to better study their sensitivity to vibrations. Should the research prove fruitful, it could lead to improvements in monitoring and detecting natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
February 7, 2025
The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Feb. 7) ratified the appointment of Luna Lu as the Indiana ACPA Professor in Concrete Paving and Materials Science
February 5, 2025
Dr. Mirian Velay-Lizancos has been awarded the Young Investigator Betancourt Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering of Spain. This great honor is given to up to eight outstanding researchers under 40 from any engineering field worldwide, with a connection to Spain, who deserve special recognition for their contributions to engineering.
December 23, 2024
PhD student Phani “Saketh” Dasika will travel to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in March to research nano-architected materials with tailored mechanical properties inspired by biological systems.
November 25, 2024
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.
October 3, 2024
Wavelogix, a manufacturer of novel, patented concrete strength sensors invented by Luna Lu, Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering and Wavelogix's founder, has received a $999,910 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation.
September 25, 2024
Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, has been named the Bowen Scholar of Excellence and also the Associate Director of the Pankow Materials Laboratory in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.
September 13, 2024
Luna Lu, Associate Dean of Faculty of College of Engineering and Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, is a member of the study committee formed by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) to identify key demands and challenges facing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) related to navigation and flood risk management assets.
August 1, 2024
To save time and money on the repair of concrete highways, bridges & other structures, states are considering a Purdue innovation as an alternative to decades-old methods used for estimating when newly poured concrete is ready to withstand heavy traffic.
May 30, 2024
Pablo Orosa Iglesias, Post-Doctoral Research Assistant in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, placed in the top five of 38 nominees put forward by faculty and students as the top candidates from colleges across the Purdue campus for the 2024 Graduate School Postdoc Mentor Award.
May 14, 2024
Jan Olek, James H. and Carol H. Cure Professor in Civil Engineering and Director of the North Central Superpave Center, has been elected to serve on the American Concrete Institute's Committee on Nominations for 2024-2025.
May 5, 2024
The biggest contributor to climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, especially by heavy industry such as power production and manufacturing. Purdue University researchers have patented a process using liquid filters to remove CO2 at the source, resulting in by-products that can also be recycled and reused.
May 3, 2024
Purdue's Luna Lu, a recent recipient of the Edison Award, spoke with Purdue Engineering Dean Arvind Raman about "breathing new life into U.S. infrastructure" for the Engenuity podcast. Lu is leveraging IoT via smart, materials-based sensor technology and interpretive data-processing methods.
April 19, 2024
Luna Lu, Purdue's Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, has led development of a sensor technology that has been recognized as a gold winner of an Edison Award in the Critical Human Infrastructure category. The Edison Awards, considered the "Oscars of innovation," are given annually to "recognize the persistence and excellence that also characterized Thomas Edison's work."
February 19, 2024
As pothole season continues, professor Luna Lu's smart concrete research continues to get media coverage. Lu’s innovative concrete sensors, which allow concrete to "communicate" with engineers about its strength, were recently featured in a CBS Boston story. The reporter used video from the Purdue News YouTube page to showcase how Lu’s sensors are cutting down construction time and saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
December 21, 2023
John Haddock, Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (IN LTAP), contributes to a new PBS docuseries about Indiana infrastructure called Beyond Bridges.
December 20, 2023
Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, is featured in episode 17 of American Concrete Institute's Engineering Greatness video podcast discussing her career journey in civil engineering.
December 8, 2023
Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering Luna Lu's Wavelogix concrete strength sensor technology was highlighted in a recent episode of the National Science Foundation's Science Now series.
October 26, 2023
TIME's annual list of best inventions features a sensor that civil engineering professor Luna Lu and her team have designed to reduce construction and traffic on concrete-paved highways.
