From the Dean

Warm greetings from West Lafayette, and welcome to the latest edition of Purdue Engineering Impact Online. I am delighted to share with you this small sample of the many exciting stories we always have to tell in the College of Engineering.  

Growing evidence shows us that casting a wide disciplinary net is key to problem solving. We highlight the work of Barrett Caldwell, whose multi-disciplinary approach to information flow is finding ways to improve health care while also addressing how NASA could one day manage the flow of information from a human outpost on Mars.

I am happy to share the news of alumnus Donald Thompson (BSEE '84), who recently assumed his new role as the chief executive officer of McDonald’s, joining five other African American CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.

Purdue Engineering researchers are developing metamaterials that show great promise in collecting solar energy more efficiently and making microscopes able to magnify DNA for the human eye, among other impressive possibilities.

And finally, we share the excitement being generated through our collaboration with the U.S. Army and neurosurgeons at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on a bioactive coating for stents that could one day neutralize the threat of brain aneurisms, including those caused by head trauma from bomb blasts. 

As always, our summer is focused on plans for the fall, and the return of students and alums. On that note, let me be among the first to invite you to join us for Homecoming 2012 on October 13.

Sincerely,

Leah H. Jamieson
The John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering