If you’ve ever seen water droplets bounce around the surface of a hot pan, you’ve seen the Leidenfrost effect: a cushion of super-heated vapor causing the droplets to float above the pan without making contact. Purdue University researchers have observed a similar phenomenon in lubricated bearings, where the aerodynamic force of high-speed rotation causes an oil droplet to levitate above, rather than protecting the metal’s surface.

Congratulations to three Purdue ME faculty receiving named professorships: Hector Gomez as the Morris Goldman Chair in Engineering; Nicole Key as the Avrum and Joyce Gray Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Gregory Shaver as the Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

HySonic Technologies, LLC, founded by associate professor of mechanical engineering Carlo Scalo, recently received an award from the US Army to advance the fundamental understanding of the effects of compressible turbulence on the external and internal flow dynamics of hypersonic air breathing propulsion devices. The $1.31 million Phase 2 contract comes from the Army Research Office, via the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR/STTR) program.

William graduated from Purdue in 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Since then, he’s been working for an additive manufacturing company called re:3D where he works in the research and development department. Recently, he came back to Purdue to give a seminar titled “FGF 3D printing: An opportunity to print from waste.”

When you think of motorsports in Indianapolis, one name comes to mind foremost: Unser. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 four times, and his family have won it nine times. That incredible legacy will continue for future generations, thanks to a donation in Al’s name to Purdue University’s one-of-a-kind Motorsports Engineering program.

Jay Gore, Kejie Zhao, Jie Chen, and Partha Mukherjee have all recently been honored by ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers).

Alex Turner is a 2022 graduate of Purdue's motorsports engineering program and has used his skills and experience to earn his dream job at Dallara's U.S. headquarters in Indianapolis, just steps away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — home of the Indy 500.

As computer processors get smaller and more powerful, semiconductor engineers are running into the physical limits of how fast these chips can operate. One strategy involves stacking chips in 3D and using tiny wires called TSVs (through silicon vias) as vertical connectors. Purdue University researchers are zeroing in on the study of TSVs — how small they can be made while still robust enough to be reliable.

As preparations are made for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, Purdue University will have an outsized presence inside the garages at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

More than 500 women currently attend Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering, bringing unique voices and experiences to the table. For the first time, those experiences are now part of an elective within the ME curriculum. Succeeding as a Woman Engineer is a new class meant to provide women with the necessary tools to succeed in school and after graduation. The class has already received high praise from its first round of students.