From the Dean: July 2018

Dear Purdue Engineering Community,

As we enter 2018-19, we can be proud of the fantastic year we just had and look forward to celebrating Purdue Sesquicentennial in the coming one. The College of Engineering will participate in the various programs being planned by the University, including celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moon-walk in 2019 and the campus-wide Ideas Festival.

The College and its Schools/Divisions, Programs, Institutes and Centers will also host a diverse range of activities from September in 2018 to the same month of 2019. While each will be announced as we get closer to respective dates, we highlight just several of them at this point:

1. We will engage Boilermaker engineers around the world, working closely with local chapters of engineering alumni association. At this year’s Homecoming, we will also unveil the initiative “One Course Higher.” This is an “intellectual benefit" provided to all Purdue engineering alumni, anywhere in the world, for their lifelong learning: an evolving library of selected online courses, taught by Purdue engineering faculty, that they can access anytime and access for free.

2. We will highlight engineering alumni and faculty who have been the world’s foremost inventors, entrepreneurs, and leaders throughout the past century and half. The faces and stories of these individuals, and the influence they have had on society, will be celebrated as inspirations for Pinnacle of Excellence at Scale.

3. We will explore how the next 150 years might be shaped by engineering. Through a series of “Research Expos,” centered around our graduate students and undergraduate researchers, we will enjoy conversations on engineering’s answers to these questions: Where will we live in 2169? What will we eat and drink in 2169? How will we work and play in 2169? How will we move and communicate in 2169?

These and other ideas came from you who creatively put forward suggestions during office hours or corridor conversations. Please continue to send us your ideas for Purdue 150. Boiler up!

Mung

Mung Chiang
John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering
Purdue University