The College of Engineering at Purdue University has as its overarching goal: Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale. In pursuing this goal, Purdue Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) must act on a number of fronts. This is the case since the definition of “excellence” greatly depends on what issue is being considered, and the perspective of the associated stakeholders. In this message, and throughout this newsletter, we will address how we are driving for excellence in terms of student success, research impact, and connectedness.

In September 2013, a national research hub focused on developing solutions to the shortages of rare earth metals and other materials critical for U.S energy security was launched by the U.S. Department of Energy. The consortium of national laboratories, industry, and universities formed the Critical Materials Institute (CMI).

In 1993, the United Nations has declared March 22 as World Water Day. Over 500 events were hosted around the world in 2019 to call awareness to water related issues, discuss the impact of these challenges, and inspire others to act. March 21, 2019 marked the second annual gathering of Water Day at Purdue.

The Office of the Provost has added three College of Engineering faculty members to its list of University Faculty Scholars in honor of their outstanding performance.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, EEE was proud to honor multiple students and faculty with awards and scholarships. Awards are listed in alphabetical order.

Meet Alumni Bridget Philpott and Kate Hughes.

This issue's research spotlight focuses on a Lillian Gilbreth postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Caitlin Proctor.

In this issue, we introduce you to two of our External Advisory Council members.

SURF is Purdue University's premiere Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. More than 100 students across engineering, science, and technology disciplines are given 11 weeks of financial support to focus on research for the summer while being mentored by both a faculty member and graduate student. Participants attend professional development and research seminars as well as present research discoveries at an end-of-summer symposium and poster session.

EEE senior Mokammel Sanju recounts his experience traveling to Sweden this past May as part of a Maymester Study Abroad course.

The undergraduate engineering program rankings by U.S. News and World Report were based solely on peer assessment surveys.