The new school year is underway and with it comes a fresh sense of excitement and anticipation for what is to come. It also serves as a good reminder of why what we do here is so impactful.

Since 2024, Pablo Zavattieri, the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in Civil Engineering, has been developing a 3D-printed barrier for the Panama Canal.

Research into functionalizing granular materials for vibration control has the potential to have impact throughout the engineering field.

In the winter of 2025, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering researchers had the rare opportunity to test a working bridge to the extreme. The team, led by Professor Robert Connor, worked with a contractor who installed explosive charges to the recently decommissioned Black Hawk Bridge to study how to evaluate and design stronger bridges in the future.

Before an autistic child can process a teacher’s words, they must process the room itself. Light, sound, and layout dictate comfort and focus in ways researchers are only beginning to unlock.

Each year, approximately 60,000 wildfires break out across the United States, with many igniting or spreading through the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes, infrastructure and natural landscapes converge. To help communities better prepare for and reduce wildfire impacts, the National Science Foundation has awarded nearly $2.5 million to a multidisciplinary research team led by Purdue University.

As the U.S. imports most of the seafood it consumes, Purdue researchers are working to change that. Amanda Lopez-Savage, a recent PhD graduate of the School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering, and Zhi (George) Zhou, associate professor of civil and construction engineering, are leading the “When Blue is Green” (BiG) project, an ambitious effort to expand domestic seafood production through innovative aquaponics systems.

The global energy sector is undergoing a significant transition as it shifts toward renewable energy. Researchers at Purdue’s Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil Engineering Research are advancing anchoring technology for offshore renewable infrastructure by developing and testing innovative materials and anchorage systems.

Juliana Spohr Pereira (MSCE '17) is redefining the boundaries of civil engineering — both on Earth and beyond. With an unconventional academic path that bridges journalism and civil engineering, she brings a unique perspective to her research and communication.

Yiheng Feng, associate professor of civil and construction engineering, is leading a research team working to deploy a multi-modal intelligent traffic signal system (MMITSS) in the Midwest.