Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University

Ten esteemed alums of Purdue's College of Engineering were recognized Friday, Feb. 21, at a luncheon celebrating the 50th anniversary of Distinguished Engineering Alumni/Alumnae. ME alums Roger B. Gatewood and Jill M. Hruby are among those honored this year.

Jay Gore and Robert Lucht are part of a research team that has successfully tested the conversion of large particles of pinewood char in a gasification process, a step necessary for the mass production of synthetic liquid fuel from recalcitrant biomass.

Research by Pavlos Vlachos and colleagues at Virginia Tech sheds light on how the snake's body works like an airfoil to generate lift forces to keep them airborne as they descend through the air in the Southeast Asian rainforest.

Xiulin Ruan and colleagues are proposing a new technology that might control the flow of heat the way electronic devices control electrical current, an advance that could have applications in a diverse range of fields from electronics to textiles.

Professor Jong Hyun Choi is part of a team of researchers that has created a new type of molecular motor made of DNA and demonstrated its potential by using it to transport a nanoparticle along the length of a carbon nanotube.

The Malott Innovation Awards consist of a two-day competition at the end of each fall and spring semester between groups enrolled in ME 463. On Friday, December 6, competition concluded with three student teams receiving awards for their designs.

Purdue University engineer and private pilot John Nolfi said Amazon's plan to deliver packages with drones is feasible, but several challenges must be met to prevent midair collisions with small aircraft and accidents near the ground.

On November 1, 2013, the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering recognized 9 alumni with the Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Award for their distinguished careers. Each year the School recognizes alumni who have demonstrated excellence in industry, academia, governmental service, or other endeavors related to mechanical engineering. Honorees have shown outstanding character and leadership and have accomplished great things. They join an elite group of only 239 award recipients since its inception in 1991.