Abstract

Professor Stephen P. Beaudoin has spent his research career working on problems related to how particles and powders adhere to surfaces. Some of the applications of that work have been in ultraclean manufacturing of microelectronics, while others have centered on pharmaceutical processing. Recently, the focus has turned toward understanding the adhesion of explosives for applications in detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and for improving the performance of munitions. Beaudoin’s teaching career has been marked by a commitment to student-centered instruction. This involves the use of active learning methods in the classroom, the use of technology to supplement and enhance the learning experience, and a commitment to personal student engagement. Whether the focus is particles, powders, or ideas, this talk for non-experts will provide the audience with a better sense of what it takes to “make things stick.”

Biography

Stephen P. Beaudoin is a Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University, where he also serves as the Academic Director, Teaching and Learning Technology, and as the Director of the Purdue Energetics Research Center (PERC). He received his B.S. from MIT in 1988, his M.S. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990, and his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in 1995. All of his degrees are in Chemical Engineering.  Beaudoin has published more than 90 articles in the refereed literature, with a focus on particle, powder, and thin film adhesion.  His work finds applications in explosives detection and optimization, and in microelectronics, food, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.  Beaudoin has won the Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation, and has been named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar and Purdue University Provost Fellow (inaugural class).  He has won numerous teaching and mentoring awards, including the Purdue University Student Government Teaching Excellence Award (inaugural recipient), the 2015 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Purdue University College of Engineering, the 2017 Shreve Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Instruction in the School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue, and the 2017 Potter Award for Teaching Excellence from the Purdue College of Engineering.  He currently serves as the Leader of the Trace and Vapor Sensors Research Thrust in ALERT (Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats), a U.S. Department of Homeland Security-sponsored Center of Excellence in Explosives Research.

Watch Dr. Beaudoin's Presentation