Purdue hosts dual energetic materials events to advance research and talent development

October 3, 2025

Energetic materials — propellants, pyrotechnics and explosives — are critical technologies for the U.S. defense ecosystem. Maintaining a modernized infrastructure with advanced technological capabilities requires a robust, skilled workforce across public and private sectors.

Seeing is believing: Students create transparent rocket engines

September 9, 2025

Anyone who’s seen a rocket launch knows there’s an enormous amount of light at the end of the nozzle. What happens upstream of that nozzle, however, is not often seen by human eyes. But in Purdue’s Propulsion Design, Build, and Test (DBT) course this spring, students got to do more than “just” fire their own rocket engine. They got to see right through it. Tim Pourpoint and his propulsion students developed a completely transparent rocket engine, enabling them to see the entire combustion process for the first time.

Purdue Energetics Research Center aims to modernize manufacturing of energetic materials

September 9, 2025

The Purdue Energetics Research Center has received approximately $7 million from the United States Department of Defense to modernize manufacturing processes for energetic materials — explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants. These new methods aim to support government and industry in scaling up production, reducing costs, and ensuring safety and quality of materials.

Jiselle Thornby, PhD in chemical engineering, defends PhD, lands position at top defense company

February 28, 2025

Jiselle Thornby, PhD in chemical engineering, successfully defended her dissertation, "From Dust to Deposition: Development and Characterization of 3D-Printed Surrogate Energetic Materials," in November 2024. Below, she goes into more detail about her research and her plans for the future.

Mechanical engineering researcher Monique McClain develops state-of-the-art processes to tailor-make energetic materials

February 25, 2025

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, has become a staple area of study across engineering disciplines because of its potential to revolutionize the design and production of a variety of materials and structures. Monique McClain, assistant professor in Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering, has dedicated her career to more efficiently developing high-quality and high-performing 3D-printed energetic materials, such as explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants, that can be fine-tuned for performance and safety.

The Purdue Energetic Materials Summit (PEMS)

February 10, 2025

Since 2017, the biennial Purdue Energetic Materials Summit (PEMS) technical exchange has provided a stimulating venue for open discussion of state-of-the-art and emerging challenges associated with energetic materials. Thought leaders from across industry, government, and academia have gathered to share their expertise and develop a vision for the future. We look forward to continuing this tradition and ensuring that the vision is realized. The next PEMS will be held from September 23-26, 2025.