3D printing can bring many more options to the creation of energetic materials (explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics), says assistant professor Monique McClain.

A new collaboration between the College of Engineering and the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing (RCAC) will simulate energetic materials for the Department of Defense, modeling them at multiple scales to help predict and prevent unwanted detonation.

Every workplace has that one person everyone turns to when they need a problem solved. In the School of Mechanical Engineering, that person is Bert Gramelspacher. While his official title is Electronic Design Engineer, to the students, staff, and faculty of Purdue ME, his real title is “miracle worker.”

No one on the planet knows more about the operation and management of NASA’s Space Shuttle than Wayne Hale (MSME ’78). He served as Flight Director for nearly a third of all Shuttle flights. He helped NASA return to flight after the disasters of Challenger and Columbia. And he eventually rose to manage the entire Space Shuttle program, overseeing 25,000 people and an annual budget of $5 billion.

But this unassuming hero doesn’t give off typical “right stuff” spaceflight vibes. In fact, during our interview at Space Center Houston, nobody would have recognized him — had he not been wearing the bright blue NASA jacket normally reserved for astronauts. “A retirement gift from the Astronaut Office,” he laughed.

Eckhard A. Groll, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering and Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has received the F. Paul Anderson Award from ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers), the society's highest honor.

Andrea Vacca, Maha Fluid Power Faculty Chaira and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

Vehicles traveling at hypersonic speeds (faster than Mach 5) experience tremendous aerodynamic stress. Purdue University researchers are investigating ways of managing that stress passively, using materials and geometry built into the vehicle’s body design. They have received a supercomputer allocation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enable large-scale simulations supporting current and future hypersonic experiments at the Air Force Research Laboratory.

You're starting up the ladder in industry, and a Master's degree can be a big boost to your career. But who has the time? With the Professional Master's Program (PMP) from Purdue University Mechanical Engineering, you can get a world-class education in your engineering focus area in just 1-2 years, sharpen your professional management skills, and join a network of more than 100,000 Boilermaker engineers around the world!

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is rich with organic substances and may contain clues to the chemical beginnings of life. NASA is planning to send a first-of-its-kind rotorcraft lander called Dragonfly to explore Titan’s unique surface.

But before it begins flying, Dragonfly’s entry capsule has to make it through Titan’s dense atmosphere. That’s where Purdue University researchers come in. They are studying the chemistry that unfolds at extreme temperatures behind shock waves in Titan’s atmosphere. This directly influences the amount of radiative heating impacting the vehicle’s heat shield, which must withstand incredible temperatures to survive and allow for a successful landing of the Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Titan.

Adrian Buganza Tepole, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has received the 2024 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award from ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).