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Vol. 1, Issue 3 - June 2022 |
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| The Advancing Army Modernization Priorities – Undergraduate Program (AAMP-UP) kicked off its second year of in-person student summer research in Ray W. Herrick Laboratories on May 23, 2022. Until August 1, 2022, 41 students from nine universities across the country will be conducting energetics research with faculty, staff and graduate student mentors.
Students were selected based on their professional and academic achievements, as well as for their interest in a future career with the defense industry and a desire to conduct research in one of the four areas covered by the program: characterization, synthesis and behavior; machine learning and computer modeling; additive manufacturing; and fuels and propellant materials. Read more about the program… |
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| The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), in partnership with Purdue University and Energetics Technology Center (ETC), hosted the inaugural Breakthrough Energetics Conference at Purdue on May 4-5, 2022. The goal of the conference was to advocate for increased investment in the U.S. energetic materials enterprise, including research & development, acquisition, adjacent technologies, manufacturing and workforce development.
Breakthrough Energetics featured nearly 60 speakers and panelists from the government, military, academia and industry, including keynotes from Admiral Harry Harris, former Commander and U.S. Ambassador; Dr. Steven Wax, Acting Director of Defense Research and Engineering; Tim Barrick, Director of Wargaming at Marine Corps University; Christopher O’Donnell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Platform and Weapon Portfolio Management; and Dr. Christine Michienzi, Chief Technology Officer for the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy. As echoed by speakers throughout the two-day event, there is much work to be done across the field. For instance, the U.S. energetics enterprise currently suffers from under-investment in developing new materials with enhanced performance, upgrading production facilities and educating a workforce of experts trained to handle energetic materials. However, universities are poised to fill these gaps in the energetics workforce. Closing out the conference was a panel moderated by Dr. Stephen Beaudoin, Director of PERC and Professor of Chemical Engineering, titled “Prime the Pipeline: The Role of Universities Case Studies.” The panel featured perspectives from three university professors, including Dr. Steven Son, Alfred J. McAllister Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue, who not only produce the methods and tools used in energetics research, but also mentor and train the people who fill the labs. “How do we fill the pipeline?” Beaudoin asked. “What we really need are better molecules at the right time, in the right quantity, in the right budget, and sustainably. So how do we, the universities, impact that? We make the people who make those molecules.” Read more about the conference… |
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PERC Faculty Member Promotions
On April 8, 2022, three PERC-affiliated faculty members received tenure and were promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. |
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NSF CAREER Grant
Dr. James Gibert, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, received a five-year $600,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). His project is titled “Exploiting Time Dependent Behavior and Structure in Developing Programmable Materials.”
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NASA University Leadership Initiative
Dr. Terrence Meyer, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, will contribute to a project selected by NASA’s University Leadership Initiative. The $10 million five-year project, led by University of Central Florida, explores using liquid ammonia as a carbon-free jet fuel. Meyer specifically will work on NH3 combustion.
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Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
Dr. Zoltan Nagy, Professor of Chemical Engineering, received a 2022 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from the College of Engineering. Recipients are selected based on their mentorship, innovative teaching and administration of educational programs.
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AAAS Fellowship
Dr. John Sutherland, Professor and Fehnsenfeld Family Head of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, was selected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was chosen for his role in establishing the field of sustainable manufacturing.
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Technology Transfer |
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Newly Awarded Patents
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Featured Faculty Grants |
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Faculty/Staff Publications & Presentations |
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NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities Fellowship
Stefannie Morales Jimenez, Aeronautics and Astronautics PhD student, received an $80,000 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) Fellowship for her project, “Development of High-Performance Green Hypergolic Propellants for Small Spacecraft In-Space Propulsion Systems.” These fellowships are awarded to students whose research contributes to NASA’s mission to develop innovative new space technologies. |
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NDSEG Fellowship
Two Mechanical Engineering PhD students, Mitchell Donoughue and Abhinav Ramkumar, received National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) fellowships. These fellowships are awarded to doctoral students whose research contributes to the Department of Defense’s mission. Donoughue’s research deals with additive manufacturing of propellant materials while Ramkumar’s focuses on predictive modeling techniques for energetic material behaviors. |
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Applied Physics B Best Student Paper Prize
Vishnu Radhakrishna, Mechanical Engineering PhD student, won the 2021 Applied Physics B Best Student Paper prize. The paper, titled “Single-Shot, Mid-Infrared Ultrafast-Laser-Absorption-Spectroscopy Measurements of Temperature, CO, NO and H2O in HMX Combustion Gases,” was co-authored by Ryan Tancin, Garrett Mathews and Dr. Christopher Goldenstein.
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Women in Defense Scholarship
Jiselle Thornby, Chemical Engineering PhD student, was awarded a $10,000 Women in Defense scholarship. These scholarships, sponsored this year by Booz Allen Hamilton, support students pursuing careers related to U.S. national security. As an award recipient, Thornby traveled to Washington D.C. for a networking reception and professional development workshops. |
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Graduations & New Positions |
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Fifteen PERC-affiliated graduate students graduated from four programs in the College of Engineering in May 2022:
Aeronautics & Astronautics:
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TA XTPlusC Texture Analyzer
The TA XTPlusC Texture Analyzer from Texture Technologies Corporation is an accurate, reliable and flexible small-scale mechanical test stand solution that quantifies material properties and observes failure modes across a variety of soft materials. The small form factor, adaptable control software and precise displacement and force measurements make this instrument a unique and valuable asset in the study of polymer binders and composite energetic materials. The small probes allow measurement of smaller samples of energetic material than a traditional tension/compression test stand, which reduces risk and improves safety in the laboratory. |
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VIC 24 LED Ring Light Array and 7 LED Light Array
The VIC 24 LED Ring Light Array and 7 LED Light Array provide high light output with low power consumption in continuous light & stroboscopic rates up to 50,000 Hz. The LED light configuration can be used as a standalone system or can be coupled with high-speed imaging cameras. The luminous output of the light system is 12,000 lm, providing high level illumination. |
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Phantom VEO E310L High Speed Color Camera
The Phantom VEO E-310L is a high-speed camera that can reach a maximum frame rate of 650K fps at minimum resolution and 3260 fps at maximum resolution (1280x800), which enhances the ability for imaging propellant burning studies. This camera has a CMOS sensor with 20 µm pixel size, 25.6 mm x 16.0 mm and 12-bit depth. |
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Cavilux Smart UHS Laser Light System
The CAVILUX Smart UHS is a powerful pulsed diode laser light source system that provides very short pulses and very high repetition rates. The shortest pulse is as short as 10ns. It is an ideal light source for ultra-high-speed cameras up to 10 MHz, which is optimal for detonation and combustion imaging. |
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New High-Speed Propulsion Laboratory Planned for Discovery Park District |
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The High-Speed Propulsion Laboratory, which will be located in Discovery Park, will be equipped for propulsion testing at the same scale as government or large defense contractor facilities. Its capabilities will include testing that mimics the extreme pressure and temperature conditions experienced during actual hypersonic flight.
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Purdue Selected as Lead Academic Partner and Headquarters of AFRL Regional Hub - Midwest |
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Purdue University will serve as the lead and headquarters for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Regional Hub - Midwest. This pilot program will foster a new partnership model that allows AFRL to collaborate strategically with industry, academia, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists throughout several regional ecosystems. The Midwest Hub is anticipated to include more than a dozen academic and 50 industrial partners from across 15 states in the region.
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