Purdue premieres first-ever short film, ‘Boilers to Mars’

A woman speaks into a megaphone while directing “Boiler to Mars.”

Emily Richwine, senior director of creative services for Purdue University, directs a large lecture hall of student volunteers acting as extras for a scene in “Boilers to Mars,” a new 10-minute film. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell)

September 12, 2024 Wes Mills

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University, home to the Cradle of Astronauts, is building on its reputation for academic rigor, research excellence and space exploration by boldly going where few institutions of higher education have gone. The university’s award-winning marketing team has produced and premiered its first-ever feature film.

“Boilers to Mars” follows the academic and professional careers of four fictional Purdue students who meet as first-year undergraduates and are ultimately part of a historic first mission to Mars. The film is supported by SpaceKids Global, an organization that aims to inspire and empower young people by introducing kids to the range of careers available in space exploration and technology.

The 10-minute film, now available on YouTube, premiered during a live viewing and panel discussion at Fowler Hall on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus on Thursday (Sept. 12) and is meant to inspire students nationwide about the possibilities that come with a Purdue education through a modality that has not been leveraged in this way or to this extent by a higher education marketing team — a short film.

Photo and video operators, left, film a crowd of people wearing game day gear in the bleachers of Ross-Ade Stadium — Filmmakers work with a mix of actors and student volunteers to re-create the Boilermakers’ traditional “kickoff key shake” on location at Ross-Ade Stadium for a scene in “Boilers to Mars.” While the main characters of the film were only inspired by real people, the team called on hundreds of Purdue students as extras and filmed at numerous campus and Purdue-affiliated locations to capture as much authentic Boilermaker spirit as possible. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell)

“While the characters are fictional, they are based on and inspired by real Purdue students, faculty and alumni who are now actively engaged in the pursuit and advancement of space exploration,” said Kelly Hiller, Purdue vice president of marketing. “What better way to illustrate Purdue’s academic excellence, groundbreaking research and spirit of unrelenting persistence than to tell the aspirational story of four Boilermakers who could truly be among the first humans to travel to Mars.”

Coinciding with the film’s premiere, the marketing department will announce the rebranding of its internal agency into Purdue Brand Studio on Friday (Sept. 13). This new name represents the evolution and formalization of Purdue’s long-standing and award-winning in-house marketing and communications team.

Purdue has had extraordinary influence on the U.S. space program, with 27 Boilermakers chosen to become astronauts, leading all nonmilitary academy public universities to fill those ultracompetitive and highly selective roles. That influence extends to research efforts that reinforce numerous joint Purdue-NASA endeavors, ranging from astronomy and extraterrestrial exploration to human habitats and planetary sciences.

Film poster of “Boilers to Mars” showing three astronauts in white spacesuits looking into camera. — “Boilers to Mars,” a short film from Purdue University, follows four fictional characters from their first day of college through their launch on humanity’s first mission to Mars. The film premiered Sept. 12 and is available at boilerstomars.com.

The film illustrates how Purdue’s renowned areas of expertise — including aeronautical and astronautical engineering, professional flight, business management, and agricultural and biological engineering — play critical roles in near-space and outer space exploration.

“With this film, we really wanted to celebrate our students, faculty and alumni as much as inspire the next generation of dreamers and doers,” said Emily Richwine, Purdue’s senior director of creative. “Boilermakers aren’t afraid to go first. They are more than willing to put in the work, all the small steps, that lead to world-changing giant leaps. The Purdue Brand Studio team pushed itself to do the same with this project, and we couldn’t be prouder of the result. We can’t wait to share this film with the world.”

The full “Boilers to Mars” experience is available at boilerstomars.com. Visit the marketing and communication team’s site for more about how Purdue’s full-service, in-house agency helps the university pursue its land-grant mission.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

About SpaceKids Global

SpaceKids Global is a Florida-based national nonprofit with the mission to educate and actively engage a national audience of elementary students in STEAM activities, ensuring girls are equally represented while inspiring all to pursue careers in space exploration and technology. For more information, www.spacekids.global.

Media contact: Christy McCarter, mccarter@purdue.edu; @ChristyMcCarter