Research on energetic materials—propellants, pyrotechnics and explosives—is a component of Purdue Next Moves national security and technology initiative, which aims to address challenges related to maintaining U.S. leadership in advanced technology capabilities that affect national security and defense. Lead organizers of the conference Dr. Theresa Mayer, Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships at Purdue, and Dr. Jeffrey Rhoads, Director of Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, saw the event as an opportunity to advance this mission by bringing together key players across the energetics ecosystem in government, industry and academia.

Purdue President Mitch Daniels, who welcomed attendees on the first day, has championed national security and defense research, including energetics, across campus. “We’re a public university,” Daniels said. “So, we believe that it’s not merely a matter of opportunity or choice; it’s a matter of duty for us to contribute out of the resources, particularly the research and intellectual capital, of this institution.”

And, as echoed by speakers throughout the two-day event, there is much work to be done across the field. According to a study by ETC, 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.

Mayer, co-author of the study, discussed the limitations imposed on energetic materials systems due to insufficient funding, a lack of upgrades to key infrastructure and technologies and the need for a more robust workforce.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the people,” Mayer said. “The people are going to drive technologies, and this particular area has suffered considerably as we think about the incredible demands from industry and from other sectors of the government on our limited supply of STEM talent.”

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 the Purdue Energetics Research Center (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.”

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.