The start of the fall semester has marked an exciting new era for our school.

On July 1, the school changed its name to the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering. I am incredibly excited for this new phase as it will further strengthen our program and enhance educational experiences for our students. By merging with the Division of Construction Engineering and Management, we are now better able to meet industry demands — both nationally and internationally — that call for graduates who have a greater understanding of the civil and construction engineering fields.

Initial merger discussions began in 2023 when the College of Engineering, the School of Civil Engineering, and Division of Construction Engineering and Management agreed that there was an opportunity to better serve our students by offering new programs and opportunities at both the West Lafayette and Purdue University in Indianapolis campuses.

Another primary goal of this merger is to gain better alignment and timing of student offerings (such as internships, co-ops and study abroad opportunities) to minimize overlap of courses, while providing pathways to timely graduation. This move allows us to better deploy new options and opportunities, such as certificate programs and professional concentrations, at both the graduate and undergraduate levels — more effectively and efficiently.

More details on the merger can be found on page 2. This edition of CCE Impact also highlights how artificial intelligence is both enhancing and advancing our research in several areas. Other stories in this edition include our work on testing roads that can charge electric vehicles as they drive over it and taking inspiration from natural designs to innovate on materials and research into indoor air quality.

These research efforts are all assisted by our incredible graduate students who are vital to our school’s mission to move humanity forward through research, education and preparing the engineering leaders of tomorrow. Their drive and dedication inspire and exemplify what it means to be a Boilermaker engineer.

All the best,

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