Something I am sure just about everyone in the civil engineering field can relate to — whether they are in research, industry or academia — is a desire to understand what the future of civil engineering will be.

As humanity’s oldest engineering discipline, it would be only natural to think we would look to our past for valuable lessons. While learning from those who have come before us will always be an invaluable facet, civil engineering is a field that demands that we look forward, innovate, adapt and evolve.

From creating the very roads and bridges that first allowed people to safely connect to other communities to looking to the stars and planning how we will establish habitats in space, civil engineers quite literally have paved the way for humanity’s progress throughout the ages.

As the head of the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, I am especially privileged to see the strides toward the future being made every day in our laboratories and our classrooms. Whether it is the continuation of impactful research or the guidance of future civil engineering leaders, Purdue University serves as one of the world’s greatest hubs for innovation.

This mindset also carries with it a tremendous sense of optimism and enthusiasm that is felt throughout the school. It is what helps us to preserve and to see ideas and ambitions become tangible realities — and in this edition, you will learn about some of those efforts that are coming to fruition.

Stories in this magazine include the development of a new undergraduate course on 3D printing as well as a number of undergraduate assisted research endeavors, including Purdue’s continued research into establishing habitats on the moon, new findings on the air quality impact of haircare products and our work with NASA as we use satellite imaging to better monitor coastal erosion in the United States.

Whether it is planning for humanity’s next giant leap to life on another planet or safeguarding life on this planet, Purdue civil engineers are persistently pursuing the best possible future.

All the best,

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