Step through the doors of the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center on any given day and you’ll likely cross paths with hundreds of Boilermakers. Some are bouncing down the stairs on their way to class, while others are making their way toward one of the countless fitness spaces and multiactivity courts housed within the 355,562-square-foot facility. But look a little closer and you’ll find Recreation & Wellness staff members dotted among the bustling crowd, working hard to ensure that the approximately 55,000 Purdue students who access the building each week are consistently met with a clean, safe and friendly environment.
Despite more than six decades of research in the field of neuroscience, many functions of the brain — the most complex organ in the human body — remain a mystery. Recent research conducted in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Bindley Bioscience Center revealed that scientists are one step closer to understanding the process that activates and deactivates specific proteins within our cells. This breakthrough could one day lead to enhanced treatments that may slow down or perhaps reverse the advance of neurogenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
The next Westwood lecture with Mohit Tawarmalani, the executive associate dean of faculty and Allison and Nancy Schleicher Chair in Management in the Mitch Daniels School of Business, will take place Wednesday (Dec. 4). “Optimization Beyond Convexity: Applications in Process Design, Networking and Pricing” will be presented from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Westwood, the Purdue president’s residence.
A panel discussion led by Vijay Raghunathan, vice president for global partnerships and programs, at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10, will feature four participants in the Purdue Ukrainian Scholars Initiative. The hourlong event, which is free and open to the public (registration required), will be in the East Faculty Lounge, on the Purdue Memorial Union’s second floor. The discussion will include a brief overview of the Purdue Ukrainian Scholars Initiative, created in March 2022 to help faculty and PhD students whose academic pursuits have been derailed since the Russian invasion.
To celebrate Giving Tuesday today (Dec. 3), those who make a gift of $10 or more to any Purdue fund will receive a Purdue cookie cutter. Gifts can be made here. All gifts will directly support Purdue students, programs and initiatives. One cookie cutter is available per household and this offer is only available today. Cookie cutters should arrive within 4-6 weeks. International shipping is not available.
Starting college can be overwhelming, but learning communities can help students navigate their new environment. Michael Witt, associate professor in the Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, led a team that designed a transdisciplinary integration of three first-year courses connected to an engineering learning community.