Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

You will want to read these good stories that you may have missed.

The AP Newsroom (for AP members) and Purdue News YouTube channel (for all reporters) provide comments from Purdue experts on timely topics. 

Fast Company names Purdue University a ‘Brand That Matters’ for third year in a row

For the third year in a row, Purdue University is the only university Fast Company magazine has placed on its roster of “Brands That Matter,” an annual list honoring organizations for performing their brand’s mission and ideals with intention and authenticity. Purdue shares this space with brands like the NFL, Bombas and Rare Beauty and is one of only six three-time honorees.

Media contact: Christy McCarter, mccarter@purdue.edu

Space needs better ‘parking spots’ to stay usable — an engineer is finding them

Any mission headed to space needs a “parking spot” at its destination. But these parking spots, regions located on orbits, are quickly becoming occupied or more vulnerable to collisions. Most objects launching to space are satellites, and about 10 times the number of satellites currently in space are expected to launch by 2030. “With this density of satellites, something is going to fail and cause a collision. It’s just a matter of probability,” said David Arnas, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics in Purdue University’s College of Engineering.

Media contact: Kayla Albert, wiles5@purdue.edu

Purdue’s eXcellence in Manufacturing and Operations initiative focuses on resiliency in the industry

Purdue University’s recently launched eXcellence in Manufacturing and Operations Purdue Engineering Initiative, or XMO PEI, is positioned to strengthen the U.S. advanced manufacturing industry’s adaptability for the 21st century across multiple sectors, such as semiconductors, aerospace, defense, biomanufacturing for agriculture, and transportation. The XMO initiative is building a national coalition of academia, government and industry partners to meet at the intersection of physical, digital and sustainable manufacturing to achieve excellence at scale.

Media contact: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu 

EPICS program to expand at Purdue University in Indianapolis, partner with more Indy organizations, businesses to demonstrate power of experiential learning

Purdue’s Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program, an engineering-based design course centered around hands-on learning, professional development and community engagement, works with Indianapolis businesses and corporations to support student learning through mentoring and sponsorship. EPICS’ community partners within greater Indianapolis include The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana School for the Deaf and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Additional community partnerships in Indianapolis are already in the making and more are expected to develop as students at Purdue University in Indianapolis — Purdue’s first comprehensive urban campus — join the program.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu 

AP Video — Did Mars have a warm climate?

Briony Horgan, a professor of planetary science in Purdue University’s Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, explains how geology could tell us what kind of climate existed on ancient Mars. While it is thought Mars was only cold and icy, carvings in its rock and soil point to an earlier time when the planet had a warm climate with rivers and even lakes. Samples collected by the Mars rover returning to Earth in the next decade will give greater insight into what the climate may have actually been like on Mars.

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 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, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 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 new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.