“These latest elections certify both Purdue University’s magnificent science and engineering tradition and their current leadership positions,” Purdue President Mitch Daniels said. “Expanding our College of Engineering is at the core of our land-grant mission, and Purdue’s program has the highest enrollment in the Big Ten.”

The Purdue Engineers elected are: 

Santokh Badesha

Santokh Badesha, adjunct professor for innovation in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and fellow and manager of open innovation at Xerox, recently broke the all-time patent record at Xerox with 257 patents. He was elected to the academy for developing materials enabling the broad use of laser printing and the creation of color laser printing.

Christopher N. Bowman

Christopher N. Bowman (BSChE '88, PhD '91) and his work in photopolymerization reactions and their applications earned his election to the NAE. A distinguished professor, Bowman is the James and Catherine Patten Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Christopher Burke

Christopher Burke (BSCE '77, MSCE '79, PhD '83, HDR 2010) is chief executive officer of Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. At Purdue, Burke has established the Burke Hydraulics and Hydrology Research and Teaching Laboratory, the Burke Undergraduate Hydraulic Laboratory and the Christopher B. Burke Professorship. His election to the academy stems from his demonstration of leadership in executing complex water resources projects and service to the engineering community.

Khaled Letaief

Khaled B. Letaief (BSEE ’84, MSEE ’86, PhD ECE ’90) is an internationally recognized leader in wireless communications and networks. The NAE elected Letaief, the New Bright Professor of Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for contributions to adaptive resource allocation in multiuser orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing wireless systems and for academic leadership.

Hani Mahmassani

Hani Mahmassani (MSCE '78) was recognized by the academy for his contributions to modeling of intelligent transportation networks and to interdisciplinary collaboration in transportation engineering. Mahmassani is the William A. Patterson Distinguished Chair in Transportation at Northwestern University and director of the Northwestern University Transportation Center.

Laura Pryak-Nolte

Laura Pryak-Nolte is a Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Science at Purdue, with courtesy appointments in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Specializing in understanding fractures, she seeks to ensure environmental safety and enhancing renewable energy production. The NAE cited her for advances in understanding of the processes that link the mechanical, hydraulic and seismic properties in discontinuities.

Theodore Rappaport

Theodore Rappaport (BSEE ’82, MSEE ’84, PhD ECE ’87) is a pioneer with his research influencing many international wireless-standards bodies. He was elected for his contributions to the characterization of radio frequency propagation in millimeter wave bands for cellular communication networks. He is the David Lee/Ernst Weber Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tandon School of Engineering at New York University

According to the NAE, membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

Individuals in the newly elected class will be formally inducted during the NAE’s annual meeting in October. 

Source: Purdue News Service, Purdue celebrates distinguished professor elected to the National Academy of Engineering