The 2022 cohort of Trailblazers in Engineering

Trailblazers in Engineering (TBE) was created in 2020 with the goal to increase the amount of diverse faculty who blaze new trails and serve as role models for future generations. It's an opportunuty for PhD and postdoctoral students whose experiences have shaped their ability to operate in diverse environments. Part of TBE's initiative is to break down stereotypes, increase opportunities for minority groups and enable others to better understand and support individuals of different races and nationalities. There have been 131 fellows since the creation of TBE in 2020. Of those 131 fellows, 47 were Black, 3 Native American, 65 Latinx and 16 of other races.

Each year up to 35 fellows are selected to attend the four-day workshop on July 22-25. At this workshop fellows will have the opportunity to network with trailblazing faculty, Purdue engineering school heads, and program managers at key federal funding agencies. The National Science Foundation (NSF), Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the National Institutes of Health will meet and collaborate with fellows as well. The workshop will host a poster session for fellows to pitch their research and teaching plans and a session to discuss early career teaching and success strategies.

Two keynote speakers attend the workshop each year. This summer, Makola M. Abdullah, President of Virginia State University, will speak on the history of higher education and its impact on society. He will also discuss the furture of higher education based on the emergence of AI. The other speaker, Rebecca W. Doerge, Provost of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will share her own experience in academia. She will also touch on careers in academia and why they are worthwhile.

This summer there are three Mechanical Engineering fellows from Purdue. 

Debanjali Chatterjee

Debanjali Chatterjee is a fourth year Ph.D. student who has been researching electrochemical and mechanical interactions in solid-state batteries. She is also the President and Founding Communications Director of the Purdue Student Chapter of Electrochemical Society. The chapter was awarded Outstanding Student Chapter under her leadership. She also introduced, “Women in Electrochemical Sciences and Engineering,” a virtual webinar series that had more than 100 attendees from 15 different countries. As a faculty member, she will center her research around modeling, characterization, and analytics (MoChA). This approach will enhance efficiency, performance, and cost-effectiveness of electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. A goal of hers is to empower students to become future leaders who advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Akshay Deolia

Akshay Deolia is the second fellow and a Ph.D. student at Purdue. He's been investigating thermoelastic, acoustic, and piezoelectric interactions in vibrating cantilevers and membranes. He is also the Opportunities Chair of the Purdue Engineering Academic Career Club. As Opportunities Chair, he has helped organize the Summer Mentoring Circle Program which trains future faculty and includes a virtual panel discussion on post career Ph.D. paths. Deolia was awarded the Special Recognition Award from Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering. As a professor, he plans to promote student participation through interactive learning platforms. He will also work to create a new graduate level interdisciplinary course that will allow for collaboration between different engineering majors. Another one of his goals is to ensure his work positively impacts the lives of underrepresented minorities. 

Manish Kumar

The third fellow is Manish Kumar, who received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue in 2022. His research focused on viscoelastic flows through porous media and flagellated cells in complex flows. Now, he is working on a project that investigates the phenomenon of turbulent drag reduction with polymer or surfactant additives. He often travels to India to teach classes and small workshops where he provides career guidance and shares his experiences. Kumar has firsthand experience on the challenges underrepresented communities face as he grew up helping his father in the rural fields of India and is now a U.S. researcher. As a professor, he will incorporate machine learning into his courses to meet the growing use of these tools in various research fields. One of his goals as a professor is to provide personalized feedback to every student.

Writer: Julia Davis, juliadavis@purdue.edu