MMRL Faculty, Staff, and Students Earn Top Honors at NAMRC/MSEC 2026
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories (MMRL) faculty, staff, and students made a significant impact at the 2026 North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC) and Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC) held in State College, Pennsylvania, earning prestigious awards, leading inaugural initiatives, and showcasing innovative research.
Among the highlights, Dr. Bapat successfully organized and led the inaugural In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) Symposium at MSEC 2026. The symposium opened with a presentation on MMRL's research focused on developing regolith-metal powder feedstock for ISAM operations. The event attracted strong participation from researchers and attendees, generating engaging discussions and laying the foundation for future growth and expanded participation.
MMRL faculty members also received notable recognition for their scholarly contributions. Dr. Martin Jun and Dr. Xingyu Li each earned Best Paper Runner-Up awards for separate research papers. In addition, Dr. Li received the Best Symposium Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the conference.
Purdue Mechanical Engineering students also achieved national recognition. The Purdue Senior Design Team, advised by Dr. Guang Yang, won first place in the ASME-SME Student Manufacturing Design Competition at MSEC 2026. Selected as one of only nine finalists from more than 30 entries, the team captured the competition's top honor with its project, "In-situ Functional Graded Material Extrusion System for Direct Ink Writing."
Further demonstrating MMRL's leadership in advanced manufacturing education, Dr. McClain and Dr. Sotelo successfully organized the inaugural non-destructive evaluation (NDE) course for additive manufacturing. Additionally, Dr. McClain and collaborators delivered a tutorial focused on polymer additive manufacturing qualification, believed to be the first tutorial to specifically emphasize polymer qualification.
Several graduate students, including Vijay Kenny, also presented their latest scholarly research, highlighting the breadth and depth of MMRL's contributions to manufacturing science and engineering.
Through these achievements, MMRL continues to advance innovation, education, and research leadership in manufacturing and materials engineering.
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