Director's Welcome

As a Purdue student 20+ years ago, I changed my major (CODO'd) into the College of Engineering during my sophomore year a result of taking an Engineering Honors Course – Zero-Gravity Flight Experiment. I originally joined the program that is now Exploratory Studies with no particular plans to become an engineer (creative writer, science teacher, and medical doctor were top of my list at the time). However, after taking this honors course with hands-on experimenting, designing and prototyping, and the opportunity to test our solutions on the NASA microgravity “Vomit Comet” and experience the weightlessness of astronauts at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, I was completely hooked. I knew that becoming an engineer would allow me to combine my passions in creativity and design with technical expertise in math and science to solve critical societal problems. Purdue Engineering was where I wanted to be, and I could not have found this passion without the opportunities provided by the Engineering Honors Program.

Years later, as the Marta E. Gross Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, I have the distinct pleasure to be faculty here at Purdue and the Director of the very program that I benefited from and where I now get to work with the next generation of aspiring engineers. Our students are top students in Purdue's College of Engineering and many are also enrolled in the John Martinson Honors College. College of Engineering Honors students bring an intense desire to take their engineering degree above and beyond by engaging in interdisciplinary academics, leadership development, community & global engagement, and undergraduate research. I hope that each of our students has this same inspirational experience where they are challenged, nurtured, and strengthened to cultivate their best selves in service to improving societies biggest challenges.