Pratt & Whitney, one of the world’s largest jet engine manufacturers, has collaborated with Purdue University to establish a Turbomachinery Aeromechanics Center of Excellence — advancing the research of turbines, compressors, and other propulsion technologies.

The phrase “mechanical frustration” sounds like engineers becoming annoyed — but in some cases, “frustration” can be a productive force. Purdue University researchers have demonstrated nanoscale origami made of DNA strands that deform in a specific way, thanks to “mechanical frustration.”

They call her "Lady Elizabeth" — and now she's racing royalty.

A team of Purdue University students who built an electric go-kart they named "Lady Elizabeth" have become the first all-female team to win the evGrandPrix, a collegiate electric karting competition. Fueled by curiosity, determination, and passion, these women have made a giant leap for motorsports at Purdue.

Dr. Huidan (Whitney) Yu, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University in Indianapolis, has been selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2025–2026 academic year. She will travel to Brazil to conduct collaborative research in fluid dynamics.

If you’ve ever seen water droplets bounce around the surface of a hot pan, you’ve seen the Leidenfrost effect: a cushion of super-heated vapor causing the droplets to float above the pan without making contact. Purdue University researchers have observed a similar phenomenon in lubricated bearings, where the aerodynamic force of high-speed rotation causes an oil droplet to levitate above, rather than protecting the metal’s surface.

Congratulations to three Purdue ME faculty receiving named professorships: Hector Gomez as the Morris Goldman Chair in Engineering; Nicole Key as the Avrum and Joyce Gray Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Gregory Shaver as the Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

HySonic Technologies, LLC, founded by associate professor of mechanical engineering Carlo Scalo, recently received an award from the US Army to advance the fundamental understanding of the effects of compressible turbulence on the external and internal flow dynamics of hypersonic air breathing propulsion devices. The $1.31 million Phase 2 contract comes from the Army Research Office, via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) program.

William graduated from Purdue in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Since then, he’s been working for an additive manufacturing company called re:3D where he works in the research and development department. Recently, he came back to Purdue to give a seminar titled “FGF 3D printing: An opportunity to print from waste.”

When you think of motorsports in Indianapolis, one name comes to mind foremost: Unser. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 four times, and his family have won it nine times. That incredible legacy will continue for future generations, thanks to a donation in Al’s name to Purdue University’s one-of-a-kind Motorsports Engineering program.

Jay Gore, Kejie Zhao, Jie Chen, and Partha Mukherjee have all recently been honored by ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).