Many ECE students and staff made the Indiana Bicentennial torch into what is truly an Internet of Things (IoT) device. ECE students and staff have been involved with the design, construction, and support of the torch electronics and software ever since Purdue University accepted the task of producing the torch. Starting in Spring 2015, ECE students began a collaboration with Aeronautical Engineering (AAE) students to develop torch prototypes. This was the beginning of an iterative process in which subsequent teams developed alternative designs from which one approach was selected and developed further. Finally, in May of 2016 yet another student team worked closely with ECE staff to put the design into production-ready form and build 18 electronics modules and integrate them into the torches that were delivered to the State of Indiana in June. These are the torches now being used successfully in the relay.

ECE students who contributed to this effort from Spring 2015 through the present include Archit Aggarwal, Eric Bedard, Chin-Ho (Jeffry) Chan, Noah Chesnut, Kylie Davison, Justina Durec, Brian Herbert, Matthew Jellins, Mrigank Jha, Akshay Kochar, Gabriel (Gabe) Martini, and Heather Stephens. ECE staff supporting the effort include George Hadley, Mark Johnson, Matthew Swabey, and Todd Wild. Special note should be made of the contributions of Chesnut, Davison, Martini and Wild who put in extensive hours in the final weeks of torch preparation to make sure that the torches were ready for delivery. Chesnut, Martini, Johnson, and Wild have continued to provide technical support while the torch relay is in progress.

The Indiana Torch Relay will be making its way through campus on Wednesday, October 12th. The torch will have traveled over 3,200 miles by the time it ends its tour in Indianapolis on October 15.

We invite you to come watch the torch as Purdue Astronaut and ECE Alum David Wolf brings the torch around the Neil Armstrong Statue outside of Armstrong Hall.

Please stop by the Armstrong Atrium between 9:30-10:45am and pick up a Bicentennial Torch - Purdue Engineering flag to wave as the torch arrives.