“When you do great things, it reflects on the value of a Purdue Engineering degree. When you bring your experience, expertise and passion back to engage with students, faculty and leadership of the college, you make us a stronger college.”

Lundstrom then introduced Kevin Metrocavage (BSAAE ’96), EAA president, who announced the alumni award winners.

“The Engineering Alumni Association’s goal is to generate and maintain a lifelong passion in all Purdue Engineering alumni by providing enriched connections, being strong advocates for the dean of engineering’s key initiatives, and inspiring the next generation of engineers,” Metrocavage  said. “You are a reflection of our past, a representation of our present, and a link to our future.”

The award recipients honored were as follows:

Jessica M. Traver Ingram (BSME ’14; MSME ’17)
Young Engineering Alumnus Award

Co-founder and CEO, InTuiTap Medical

Jessica led a variety of research projects ranging from sports injury and concussion prevention to customizable prosthetic and exoskeleton design. For her master’s thesis, Jessica designed a product development framework that could be implemented in institutions, hospitals, and private companies, enabling teams to successfully innovate in health care. This research helped her build out the highly coveted TMC Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, where she worked on a multi-disciplinary team to identify pain points in the health care system and develop novel solutions, utilizing design thinking and value innovation frameworks to design competitive products. After graduation, Jessica co-founded the start-up, InTuiTap Medical, blending expertise and passion in product development and business strategy with a strong technical background in mechanical engineering.  There, she has been successfully leading the creation of a device that helps physicians more accurately and efficiently perform spinal punctures for epidurals, drug delivery, pain management and diagnostic purposes. Her innovative work recently landed her a spot on the esteemed Forbes 30 Under 30 list. 

Ujjwal Singh (BSCmpE ’94)
Engineering Innovation Award

Director of Product Management, Facebook

Ujjwal knows what it means to build something meaningful. He is an entrepreneur who has founded and worked for four different startups. His most recent start-up, SayNow, an online service that allows fans to share voice messages with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, was acquired by Google. This venture led him to starting and leading the Google Hangouts project. While at Google, Ujjwal was a partner at Area 120, a workshop for Google’s experimental products. After Google, Singh became the chief technology officer of GoFundMe Inc., which operates a social fundraising platform enabling clients to raise money online for life's important moments and personal causes. He led the build-out of Kids, Music and Gaming efforts for the YouTube channel and currently is in charge of exploring new products at Facebook. Ujjwal also holds master’s degrees from the University of California Berkeley and Indira Gandhi National Open University.

Stephen W. Baranyk (BSME ’62)
Engineering Loyalty Award

Principal Associate and Founder, Baranyk & Associates

Following graduation from Purdue, Steve went on to serve more than 27 years in various executive management and consulting positions for a series of Fortune 500 companies that included: Illinois Tool Works, Siemens Automotive, MeyerNajem, Calderon Textiles, Myers Spring Company, Herman & Kittle Properties, Inc., CarDon & Associates, and others.  Now with Baranyk & Associates, he leads the charge in strategic planning and analyses for privately held businesses. He is a founding member of the Engineering Alumni Board, serving as president for two years and heading up the outreach efforts. He and his wife Susie also served on the Leadership Council of the Purdue President’s Council, where for years they have been Life Members. Steve is a champion for Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, providing a gift for the expansion project – specifically for a control room laboratory in the new ZL-8 building. He and Susie are proud Purdue parents and grandparents and help support others receiving a Purdue education with a scholarship within the School of Mechanical Engineering.  Steve also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Student recipient:

Hayden Schultz (EE Class of 2021)
Engineering Alumni Association Scholarship

This was the first year for this scholarship, which is intended for students within the College, with preference given to students who have a parent(s) who graduated from Purdue. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and be classified as a sophomore or later. Schultz, of Carlyle, Ill., is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering with the hope of establishing a career in the aerospace industry. Hayden’s passions in aerospace stem from his interest in electrically powered propulsion in spacecraft and his admiration for industry research and development.

College of Engineering Highlights

Acting Dean Lundstrom delivered a roundup of successes within the College in the last year and shared plans for future endeavors:

COVID-19

• The College is partnering with the College of Science to place the entire First-Year Engineering (FYE) program online.
• Faculty and staff have risen to the occasion to welcome back students as safely as possible, and most classes are a hybrid of online and face-to-face courses in de-densified settings.
• Only 20% of engineering students have opted for an entirely online experience in the fall 2020 semester.

Enrollment

• Since 2013, enrollment has grown 26%, compared to the overall Purdue growth rate of 14%.
• Purdue Engineering is almost five years ahead of its growth plan for enrollment with more than 10,000 undergraduate students, or 28% of the Purdue total.
• Indiana residents make up 30% of the total enrollment.

Student support

• Undergraduate to faculty ratio is 23, the highest of any college on campus.
• More than 70% of students complete experiential learning experiences.
• More than 97% of students have job placement within six months of graduation with an average starting salary of $70,000.
• The Gateway Complex project, now under construction, will enhance the learning experiences of existing students and transform the experiences of FYE students. Formally named Dudley Hall and Lambertus Hall, the 250,000-square-foot complex is made possible through gifts from Peter (BSEE ’67) and Ann Lambertus and William (Bill) Dudley Jr. (BSCE ’74, HDR ’15) and Martha (Marty) Dudley (IUPUI AAS Architectural Drafting ’79, Purdue Northwest-Hammond BS Building Construction Tech ’81).

Research

• Of the four new National Science Foundation centers recently announced, Purdue plays a major role in two of them, both $3.5M ventures: The IoT4Ag Center (Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture) and ASPIRE (Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification).
• 13 new engineering-related startups – 60% of all startups at Purdue.
• 112 new U.S. patents – 60% of all patents filed by Purdue.
• Launched the John Martinson Engineering Entrepreneur Center (JMEC), thanks to a pledge from alumnus Martinson (MSAAE ’71).

Giving

• The College raised more than $17M, more than any other Purdue school or college, during the 2020 Purdue Day of Giving.
• With more than 100,000 living alumni in the College, this number constitutes almost 20% of all Purdue alumni and accounts for 45% of all gifts to the University.

Bragging points

As the largest top 10 engineering college in the country, Purdue Engineering is the:

• 3rd largest in degrees granted
• 4th largest in enrollment
• 5th largest in research expenditures
• 6th largest faculty

Challenges to address

• The robust enrollment growth means that the faculty hasn’t grown fast enough. Hiring efforts are under way.
• The number of black students enrolled in the college remains unchanged. A University-wide task force to address the problem is being led by Purdue Trustee Don Thompson (BSEE ’84), and Lundstrom will be actively involved in a College-level task force.
• There is an urgent need for additional scholarships earmarked for underrepresented minorities.