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
April 10, 2024
Luna Lu, Purdue's Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, has led development of a sensor technology that is a finalist for the Edison Awards, considered the "Oscars of innovation" 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.
September 28, 2023
A team of researchers led by Pablo Zavattieri, the Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in Civil Engineering, have developed patent-pending intelligent architected materials that can dissipate energy caused by bending, compression, torque and tensile stresses, avoiding permanent plastic deformation or damage, and may also exhibit shape memory properties that allow them to have actuation capacity.
September 15, 2023
On Sept. 21, Luna Lu, associate dean and the Reilly Professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, will share how her "smart concrete," named a Fast Company Next Big Things in Tech, is cutting down construction time and saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
August 21, 2023
With the development of artificial intelligence, many industries have undergone a technological revolution, and the field of materials science is no different. In this article, Luna Lu, Yining Feng and their co-authors combine advanced materials science theory and AI technology to design a framework for rapidly discovering high-performance thermoelectric materials.
July 31, 2023
Concrete sensors invented by Luna Lu, Associate Dean of Faculty of College of Engineering and Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering, will soon give engineers real-time data from Indianapolis’ newest interstate section, potentially preventing potholes, reducing construction traffic jams and saving taxpayer dollars spent on road repairs.
April 20, 2023
Yining Feng's research goal is to enable sustainable built environments and human-environmental health through multidisciplinary research into materials and related device technology.
March 22, 2023
Luna Lu, the Reilly Professor and acting head of Purdue's Lyles School of Civil Engineering, will serve as associate dean of the faculty for the College, effective April 1.
March 13, 2023
Luna Lu, the Reilly Professor and acting head of Purdue's Lyles School of Civil Engineering, has developed technology that could replace methods the construction industry has been using for more than a hundred years to test when concrete structures are ready to take on an external load.
March 3, 2023
Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, has developed a process that improves upon the traditional method to incorporate phase change materials into construction materials.
February 22, 2023
Pablo Zavattieri, Jerry M. and Lynda T. Engelhardt Professor in Civil Engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The Fellow grade of membership recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession and to ASME.
January 17, 2023
In a recent news segment airing on KTBC Austin and other affiliates, Jan Olek, James H. and Carol H. Cure Professor in Civil Engineering and Director of the North Central Superpave Center, discusses the application of 3D printing in the present and future of home construction.
December 21, 2022
Luna Lu, ACPA Professor of Civil Engineering, chats with chemical engineering student Rithika Athreya in the College of Engineering's new series, "Office Hours."
December 7, 2022
Luna Lu, the ACPA Professor of Civil Engineering in Purdue’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering, developed smart concrete sensors that are embedded into the pour during construction.
October 10, 2022
The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Oct. 7) ratified the appointment of Luna Lu as the Reilly Professor of Civil Engineering.
September 14, 2022
WaveLogix, a startup technology company founded by Purdue University Civil Engineering Professor Luna Lu, received a federal SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop its Internet of Things sensors for concrete strength monitoring.
