News - Ray W. Herrick Laboratories - Purdue University

Precision agriculture is revolutionizing the way farmers grow crops, lowering costs, maximizing yields, optimizing the use of irrigation water, addressing farming labor challenges and securing the supply of safe, high-quality food.

Purdue Engineering is fueled by "firsts," and on Sept. 3, the Purdue AI Racing (PAIR) team contributed a milestone achievement to that long list. PAIR set a new track record and won first place in the time trials with a 1:27.731 lap, becoming the first autonomous car ever to beat 1:28 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Congratulations to Nusrat Jung, who is one of 13 professors who have been recognized by the National Science Foundation for exceptional achievements early in their research careers.

As a Purdue mechanical engineering undergraduate, W. Grant Dierking thought a master’s degree would be the ticket to advance his studies on the control and optimization of energy systems. But he admittedly wasn’t considering a PhD. That is, until he was encouraged to apply for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) through the National Science Foundation.

Most agricultural tractors use petroleum-based diesel fuel — even though a significant amount of the corn they are harvesting goes toward making ethanol. Could tractors start using ethanol as fuel? That’s the project being tackled by Purdue University, John Deere, Cummins, and a consortium of biofuel producers.

Six students from Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering have been selected for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions.

Brian H. Magnuson, a Ph.D. student in Associate Professor Brandon E. Boor's research group in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University, has received a 2026–2027 Graduate Student Grant-in-Aid Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

The College of Engineering recognized faculty, lecturers and other staff for outstanding dedication to teaching students in a Purdue Exponent ad on March 2.

Dr. Nusrat Jung, Assistant Professor in Purdue University’s Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering, has been elected Treasurer-Elect of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ), the world’s leading scientific society dedicated to indoor environmental quality research.

Congratulations to Dr. Dongjun Mah, LSCCE and Herrick Labs graduate, who will start as tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas in July 2026.