Since 1983, Purdue Baja Racing has designed and built a new single-seat off-road vehicle every year, competing against the best universities in the world. In 2026 Purdue Baja topped the podium, winning 1st place for the first time in its history.

Microfluidics are tiny pipes that transport fluids and particles at a microscopic scale. But like any pipes, they can become easily clogged. Purdue University researchers have developed a solution: virtual microchannels created with acoustic energy. This allows microfluidic flow at much higher speeds, with much less chance of physical clogs.

For Mark Baldwin (BSME 1997), 15 years of work came down to 15 seconds.

As he watched the launch of Artemis II from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in April 2026, Baldwin knew better than anyone the stresses and vibrations being experienced by the astronauts — because he had subjected himself to those same vibrations. As Occupant Protection Lead for Lockheed Martin, he had personally tested the seats, the control panels, the spacesuits, and other aspects of the astronaut experience on the Orion capsule.

But there’s testing, and then there’s a real-world launch.

“Everyone else was cheering, but I was busy doing calculations in my head,” Baldwin said. “I knew some phases of ascent were expected to have more severe vibrations than others. But we did the work years ago. We knew the levels. We quantified the risks. When we finally saw the live feed showing our four astronauts working comfortably in their seats, we knew the Artemis II mission was well and truly on.”

Xiulin Ruan, professor of mechanical engineering, has received the Heat Transfer Memorial Award from ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

Nationwide, only 5% of engineering students study abroad. At Purdue, it’s closer to 40%. This global influence enables both students and staff to see the world from a brand-new perspective, as evidenced by this year’s five different Maymester trips.

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.

Even as you stand in the middle of it, the McLaren Technology Centre seems like a spaceship that has landed in the middle of the British countryside. Sunlight pours through futuristic glass that surrounds you on all sides. Curved walkways and spiral staircases lead to state-of-the-art garages and laboratories. An overwhelming number of racing trophies fill hallway display cases. Men and women dressed in papaya orange casually walk past historic vehicles driven by former F1 champions Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, and current champ Lando Norris.

“This is really the pinnacle of motor racing,” said Roberto Figueroa, a 2012 Purdue graduate who calls this spaceship his office, as Aerodynamics Project Leader for McLaren Racing. “There are people who have wanted to visit this place their whole lives, and I get to come here every day. I try to never take it for granted.”

DNA molecules are not just biological material — they can also serve as mechanical building blocks. Purdue University researchers have successfully built a 3D DNA origami structure that performs a “jitterbug transformation,” mimicking the same behavior that enables viruses to deploy their payloads in nature.

As the steel framework of a large warehouse starts to rise in Pakistan, Zeeshan Ahmed takes a deep breath and looks up. None of this existed just a few years ago. Thanks to an Online Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University, Zeeshan now has the confidence to build just about anything.

For amputees, wearing a prosthesis can be a game-changer — but it also can introduce huge pressure points which become very painful. Purdue University researchers have developed soft sensors that can be worn comfortably, providing a more accurate picture of the pressures experienced at the interface of limb and prosthesis.