Joerg Appenzeller, the Barry M. and Patricia L. Epstein Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Joerg Appenzeller, the Barry M. and Patricia L. Epstein Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Scientific Director of Nanoelectronics in the Birck Nanotechnology Center, has been named a winner of Discovery Park's Big Idea Challenge 2.0. The program provides resources to interdisciplinary teams of Purdue faculty and students pursuing bold proposals that address global challenges.

“A variety of excellent proposals were submitted,” says Sasha Boltasseva, inaugural Discovery Park fellow. “Each P.I. presented a thoughtful, comprehensive plan that addressed a pressing global issue that falls within a key focus area. Each proposal had merit and it was a very difficult task to select the winners.”

Appenzeller is the principal investigator on a proposal entitled "Solving Problems Previously Reserved to Quantum Computing with Purdue’s P-Bits and How These Future Computational Capabilities Will Impact Security, Politics and the Society as a Whole."

The other winning proposals and principal investigators of the Big Idea Challenge 2.0 competition that will receive funding are:

* "From Cell Cultures to Community Cultures: Bringing Precision Health to Autism," Bridgette Tonnsen, College of Health and Human Services.

* "Revolutionizing the Development and Manufacturing of Next-Generation Biologics," Rainer Fischer, College of Science.

During the two-month submission window, Discovery Park received 41 proposal submissions from 280 participants at Purdue, representing 11 colleges and 57 departments. Eighteen Discovery Park centers or institutes provided endorsements for the projects and an additional 69 endorsements came from other academic units, as well as government and industry partners. Proposals were cross-cutting in nature and aligned thematically across these major areas of research: global sustainability, global health, global security and defense innovation, and digital/quantum/nano. A panel of judges and Discovery Park administration reviewed the proposals and determined the winners following oral presentations on May 7.

Discovery Park plans to host a launch party honoring the winning teams at the beginning of the fall semester. All faculty, staff and students will be invited to attend.

Source: Discovery Park announces Big Idea Challenge 2.0 winners