The spring season has only just begun, yet the spring semester’s end is already in sight.

For our students, I suspect, both prospects are largely seen as positives as they look forward to what the future holds in store for them. As for me, I cannot help but find myself looking back on the days and events that brought us to this point in the school year.

When students returned to campus last fall, I daresay there was some apprehension felt by most everyone. Just a few months earlier, we were cautiously optimistic that campus life — and life in general — would return to normal (or close to it) as we appeared to make it through the pandemic. Then came the delta variant and Purdue University had to swiftly switch gears.

Thankfully, our university and its students handled — and continue to handle — the pandemic remarkably well. In-person classes continued. Research continued. Life continued. And now, in spring, we are seeing the fruits of our labor ripen and flourish.

In just a matter of weeks, we expect to see about 150 of our undergraduate and graduate students earn their degrees and begin the next phases of their lives, be it in the practice of engineering, furthering their education or an entirely different endeavor. Regardless, I have full confidence that they are as prepared as any student can be thanks to their efforts and accomplishments — and that of our faculty and staff who have been there to guide and support them along the way.

While the school year may already be drawing to a close, our focus on ensuring our students receive the best education possible and are afforded ample opportunities to gain crucial experience through guidance, research and industry experiences never ceases. We owe it to them to meet and exceed their expectations as we all engage in the persistent pursuit for a better future for all.

In this edition of IMPACT, you will gain greater understanding of what the Lyles School of Civil Engineering is doing to maintain our commitment of continued excellence. Stories include student-assisted research on critically-important issues such as water quality, infrastructure, and further development in Purdue’s work to establish livable habitats for humans in outer space.

Our work and research are many and varied, and we aim to further extend our reach and expand our efforts. The future here is bright — and the efforts we make today as we prepare our students to become tomorrow’s leaders continues ever onward.

All the best,

Rao S. Govindaraju
Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and
The Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering