After 19 years of service as a faculty member of Purdue University's School of Mechanical Engineering, Qingyan (Yan) Chen has retired.

Modern devices that use lithium ion batteries, like smartphones and electric cars, seem pretty robust. But try to use one in extreme heat or cold, and you'll see how susceptible they are to malfunctions and low performance due to temperature. Purdue University engineers have developed a solution: a "thermal switch" made up of compressible graphene foam, that dynamically adjusts to temperatures both inside and outside the device to maintain consistent thermal management.

Designed by Issam Mudawar, the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) has arrived at the International Space Station to test whether two-phase flow (flow boiling and flow condensation) is efficient in the microgravity of space. This heat transfer experiment, 10 years in the making, is vital to creating efficient cooling systems for future spacecraft. FBCE is the largest phase change experiment ever conducted in space.

David Cappelleri creates tiny tumbling soft robots that can be controlled with rotating magnetic fields. In a newly-published study, the robots showed that they can climb slopes, tumble upstream against fluid flow, and deposit substances at precise locations in neural tissue.

Tanmay Das, graduating senior in Mechanical Engineering, has been chosen as the student responder for Purdue's August 2021 commencement ceremony. Before the ceremony, Tanmay talked with FOX59's "Full Steam Ahead" podcast.

Collaborating with international colleagues was a common occurrence before 2020, when lockdowns eliminated almost all international travel. As borders begin to re-open, no one is more excited than Amy Marconnet, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue, who will soon depart for an extended research sabbatical in Germany, as part of the Humboldt Research Fellowship.

The Gilbreth Postdoctoral Fellowships at Purdue Engineering will pay promising postdoc researchers $70,000 a year to conduct groundbreaking research at Purdue.

More success for Purdue's student auto racing teams! Purdue Formula SAE scored a 6th place finish at the most recent in-person race event at Michigan International Speedway. Combined with their previous 2nd place in the Design presentation, the team finished a combined 3rd overall – the best result in their 29-year history!

Eckhard Groll and Guang Lin have projects supported by the Trask Innovation Fund from the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization: Groll for an oil-sensing system in refrigeration compressors, and Lin for a 4D cardiac ultrasound imaging system.

When Monique McClain joins Purdue ME as an assistant professor next month, she'll already be a Lafayette homeowner... something she couldn't imagine in her hometown of San Diego. Find out why the Greater Lafayette area is just right for her.