We always tell our students that engineering is all about solving problems. Well friends, the year 2020 has tested that ability to the limit! Because of the COVID-19 lockdown in March, our faculty had just one week to transition all of their classes to online delivery. This was a heroic effort on behalf of all involved, and while online experiences are not always ideal, it's a credit to everyone who has showed their flexibility. Everything had to be moved online: study groups, PhD defenses, and even commencement!
Nobody knows exactly what the future holds. But I can tell you this: nobody solves problems like Purdue Engineers. In this magazine, you'll read about amazing students, faculty, and alumni that have put their education to work in the real world, seeking out problems and creating innovative solutions.
Most importantly, I want you to know this: we are still Purdue. That hasn't changed, and it's never going to change. The things that make Purdue what it is, won't be changed by disease, or quarantine, or anything else. We are still Boilermakers, in the business of moving the world forward. Even if we have to do it through new methods, nothing's going to stop us.
Eckhard Groll
William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering, and Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Envie is a makeup brush cleaning device which automatically washes, rinses, and dries multiple makeup brushes in just seven minutes, rather than hours spent laboring over a sink. Developed by a predominantly female team of Purdue University students, Envie was awarded 1st place among all capstone projects in Mechanical Engineering.
Prof. Yan Chen has been working for years on redesigning airline cabins and other enclosed spaces to stop the spread of airborne viruses. Read about his latest efforts at Fast Company.
Fifty years after graduating, Alan Kennedy (BSME '69) looks back on his career as a senior patent attorney at NASA, and how Purdue Engineering helped him get there.
As an engineer at 3M, Andrew Penning was pretty happy with his job -- but he felt he could do more. With an online master's in mechanical engineering from Purdue, he found new opportunities to advance his career into research and development.
For a time, Jonathan Ore thought his childhood dream of obtaining a PhD was dashed. But Purdue's online master's in mechanical engineering gave this working professional exactly what he needed. He loved it so much, that he came to campus to complete a PhD.
In times of crisis like the current COVID-19 pandemic, many vulnerable communities in Latin America don't get the aid they need, simply because of faulty or non-existent census data. Two Purdue students have set out to change that. As part of an award-winning entry in a recent hackathon, they are creating a new platform called ComuniMap.
Morgan Fuller, a junior at Purdue ME, was chosen to attend the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit, Michigan in October 2019.
Popsicle stick bombs are chain reactions made from interweaving popsicle sticks in a specific pattern. A staple of YouTube videos and children's science classes, they demonstrate the basics of kinetic energy. But there are complex physics behind those cascading sticks, and thanks to award-winning research from an undergraduate student at Purdue, we know a lot more about them.
Michael Schrader (BSME '04) attended Purdue to work in the automotive field. But he soon found himself as CEO of a new medical startup company, Vaxess Technologies, developing a medicine-delivery patch that only needs to be worn for 5 minutes to deliver a full dose.
By day, Matt Schmotzer (BSME '12) works at Ford Motor Company. At night, he becomes amateur roller coaster designer! His latest creation is an entirely CAD-designed, 3D-printed, and fully functional 1/25th scale version of Invertigo, an inverse boomerang coaster at Kings Island in Ohio.
13 Purdue astronauts returned to campus for Homecoming weekend, including ME grads Jerry Ross and Scott Tingle.
Amy Ross (BSME '94, MSME '96) has worked for NASA since she was a co-op student at Purdue. She designed the gloves used by every spacewalking astronaut in the last 20 years. Now, NASA has unveiled her new design for the suits that will protect the first woman on the moon, as part of the Artemis program. Learn more about Amy's history, including her spacewalking father, astronaut Jerry Ross.
Accurately diagnosing the spread of cancer often involves painful and invasive biopsy procedures. The use of a "liquid biopsy," which involves a simple blood draw, has been shown in a five-year clinical trial to accurately detect and monitor certain kinds of breast cancer. The device to perform these "liquid biopsies" was created by Purdue ME professor Cagri Savran.
When containing a massive disaster like an oil spill, small microbes play a big role. Arezoo Ardekani, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has published research that describes the complex hydrodynamics of microorganisms at liquid-liquid and gas-liquid interfaces, showing that microbes may flock to areas where surfactant has been applied.
Millions of people suffer from swallowing disorders, and many don't have the resources to visit a clinic for help. This wearable device allows patients to conduct strengthening exercises at home, sending their feedback to a doctor remotely. The device was developed by assistant professor Chi Hwan Lee.
If tractor-trailers could platoon (one truck autonomously following another), the aerodynamic drag alone would save up to 10% total fuel costs, as well as increasing safety.
You can't spell Boilermaker without "maker." During the COVID-19 pandemic, Purdue University has manufactured thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment, thanks to a donation of raw materials from 3M.
