News - Ray W. Herrick Laboratories - Purdue University

October of 2025 was a big month for Purdue Univeristy, with Homecoming and the grand re-opening of the newly renovated Mechanical Engineering building on the 24th and the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) Meeting at Ray W. Herrick Labs on the 30th and 31st.

You don't typically think of your home or workplace as a "laboratory" (unless you are a scientist!). But have you ever wondered about the brightness of the lights, or the temperature settings in your workplace, and why they were determined to be ideal? Behind the scenes, researchers are studying what keeps us comfortable and safe while we are indoors – from the heating and air-conditioning systems, to airborne particulates, to the best place to sit in the room. All of these are studied at a one-of-a-kind facility at Purdue University’s Ray W. Herrick Laboratories.

Greg Shaver, professor of mechanical engineering and the director of Herrick Labs, served as the principal investigator at Purdue University. He assembled a team of faculty and students across disciplines: Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE), Agronomy, and Mechanical Engineering.

Shaver has extensive expertise in vehicle automation and was complemented by John Evans, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, who contributed firsthand farming experience as well as a background in agriculture robotics. Mechanical engineering PhD candidates Ziping Liu, Chufan Jiang and Shveta Dhamankar also played a significant role in creating the automation system models and algorithms.

My amazing visit to Argentina as a co-leader of the Purdue Study Abroad Program

The first ever Herrick Homecoming demonstrated the spirit of a Boilermaker. Just as we had hoped, the event brought us together to celebrate the past, the present, and the future of Herrick Laboratories.

The transportation sector is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. according to the EPA. Brent Yeagy (BS environmental engineering science ’94, MS safety engineering ’98), president and CEO of Wabash, wants to change that. So, he’s partnering with Purdue.

Wabash — one of the largest trailer manufacturers in the nation — will spend the next three years collaborating with Purdue on an R&D project resulting in a device that enables trailers to recapture their own electricity from vibrations, heat and airflow.

New homes see big energy and cost savings by installing state-of-the-art electric heat pumps and smart power controls. But rural communities are often left behind in these energy innovations. A new project from Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Energy plans to bring these innovations to rural electric co-operatives.

The Industrial Advisory Committee held its Fall Meeting at Ray W. Herrick Laboratories on October 24 and 25.

The future of electrified transportation isn’t just consumer vehicles. Tractor-trailers carry nearly 72% of the country’s freight, so innovations on that scale have the potential to make huge strides for sustainability worldwide. That’s why Purdue University researchers have teamed up with Wabash, the largest trailer manufacturer in the country, to investigate an experimental trailer that recaptures its own electricity from vibrations, heat, and airflow.

What if components in aircraft could morph in response to their external conditions, much like a bird changes the shape of its wings? And what if those components could function like an octopus arm, operating independently of a central control system? Inspired by these natural phenomena, a Purdue research team is developing morphing systems for hypersonic vehicles that respond to their environment.