Engagement and Outreach
The School of Materials Engineering is deeply rooted in several communities; including academia; the Materials subject area; the materials industry and the materials-using industries; the economic interests of the State of Indiana, the nation and the world; and, of course, our alumni. All of these communities provide us with support and advice, and we, in turn, provide expert assistance in whatever manner is effective and appropriate.
- Educational Engagement - We are engaged with K-12 education, to bring the opportunities in materials science & engineering to the attention of the students and teachers; and we are engaged with academia in the US and abroad, through participation in student exchanges, and by encouraging our graduates to pursue further education. We participate actively in the accreditation process, as a peer institution.
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The Materials Subject Area and Profession - The School plays an active role in the development of the Materials subject area, through participation in a wide range of professional activities and societies. Faculty members play important roles in the governance of societies such as TMS, ASM International, The American Ceramic Society and the Materials Research Society, among others.
Our student society is affiliated with TMS, ASM and ACerS.
- Industrial Engagement and Economic Development - We are especially conscious of our obligation to collaborate with industry, both by providing it with well-trained engineers through our educational programs, and by providing direct access to expertise and high-level laboratory capabilities. Our ties with industry are strengthened through a number of different programs, including TAP, and our senior projects, which are always industrially-based and sponsored. Many opportunities exist for industry to interact with our expert capabilities at levels ranging from answering relatively simple questions, through extensive research projects. Some of the collaborative research activities are supported with substantial funding from the Indiana 21st Century Fund for Research and Development.
- Governmental Engagement - Pursuing research projects sponsored by governmental agencies such as NSF, DoE and DoD, we support the Nation's needs for new knowledge that will be the basis of tomorrow's industries. We also partner with many of the national laboratories, to leverage governmentally-directed research programs. Our faculty serve on review panels and advisory groups for a wide range of state and federal agencies and laboratories.
- Alumni Engagement - The School is particularly proud of its alumni and their achievements, and seeks to remain actively engaged with them, both to benefit from their input, and to ensure the continuing value of their Purdue education. We sponsor alumni events at the meetings of national societies, and at Purdue events such as Homecoming. Many alumni serve on our Advisory Committee and alumni donations are a very important source of support for the School. Especially high achievers among our alumni are recognized with the Outstanding Materials Engineer award, and the School is active in nominating its alumni for Engineering-wide and University-wide recognition, too.