Highlights from Purdue
November 2019
Purdue receives international association’s top economic prosperity, innovation award
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has named Purdue University as a top award recipient of its 2019 Innovation & Economic Prosperity Place award. The award follows a 2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that Tippecanoe County rose to the highest growing income in the nation with the largest fourth-quarter wage gain in 2018. According to the report, the average weekly wage increased 15.1% during that time period. More ...
$2.3 million DoE grant to advance ethanol fuel research
Imagine trying to quickly turn a damp piece of plywood into a liquid and squeezing it through several small openings. That's essentially the challenge facing biorefineries trying to turn corn waste and related materials into ethanol fuel. Researchers at Purdue have received $2.3 million in funding from the Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office for their work to create computer models to simplify the design and construction of biorefineries to help them better perform reliably, sustainably, safely and economically. More ...
Education grant works to put new teachers in Indiana schools
Purdue's College of Education and Indianapolis Public Schools are teaming up on a new project to expand the access the city's students have to STEM education. The project, called the Indy STEM Teacher Residency, aims to bring as many as 60 new teachers into the fold and improve the opportunities for students to learn science, technology, engineering and math. More ...
Purdue receives first USDA grant to study organic hemp production
When the 2018 Farm Bill legalized production of hemp, the deluge of phone calls from potential growers to scientists and state administrators quickly made it clear how little information is available for those hoping to plant the crop. Purdue scientists have plans to change that with the help of a nearly $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. Kevin Gibson, professor of botany and plant pathology, will lead a team exploring questions related to organic hemp production. More ...
150th anniversary celebration wraps up with exciting speakers
Purdue's sesquicentennial celebration wrapped up this fall with exciting opportunities to learn and ponder through Ideas Festival events and the Giant Leaps Series. Condoleezza Rice, the 66th U.S. secretary of state, shared her viewpoint on world leaders and developing leaders; Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific officer of Eli Lilly and Co., presented “What IF We Stopped Fighting Disease?”; and Alan Stern, planetary scientist who led NASA’s New Horizons mission, discussed “What IF We Return to Pluto?” More recordings and blog posts on the events are available here.
Scientists develop efficient methods to turn woody biomass into fuels
Increasing production of second-generation biofuels – those made from non-food biomass such as switchgrass, biomass sorghum, and corn stover – would lessen our reliance on burning fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. Purdue researchers have developed and refined methods for efficiently converting cellulosic biomass into fuels. More ...
The world is running out of antibiotics. This researcher is working on finding a solution.
With too few antibiotics under development to keep up with the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, the world is starting to run out of antibiotics. That also means hospitals will start seeing more patients with infections they can't treat, and more infections that were once easily treated are becoming fatal. A Purdue scientist is trying to keep that from happening. More ...
Watch your ghost teach a robot how to tag-team
When Tesla failed to hit weekly production targets in the first quarter of 2018, chief executive Elon Musk blamed it on "excessive automation." The robots were slowing things down and "underrated" humans could do better. For those manufacturing jobs where humans have an edge, Purdue engineers have introduced "GhostX": an augmented reality platform that turns the user and robot into "ghosts." The user can then plan out how to collaborate with the robot and work out kinks before actually performing a task. More ...
Local sunshine meets local needs with global impact; key is cogenerating electricity alongside farming
A team of engineers, agronomists and economists at Purdue's Center for Sustainable Food, Energy and Water Systems, supported by the National Science Foundation, is developing novel photovoltaic module designs for use on agricultural land to cogenerate electricity while growing food crops. More ...
Photo gallery highlights Purdue’s Giant Leaps research
How will astronauts manage nourishment and medication to survive long ventures in space? Humans and computers interact daily, so why do jokes fall flat for Alexa and Siri? Can service dogs help veterans with PTSD live healthier lives? These are just a few of the world’s challenges that Purdue scientists are trying to solve.
Photo gallery
One day, a plane could give you flying lessons
As both air and road travel get more automated features and shift toward highly autonomous systems, people will need more help learning how to use them. A multi-institute team of researchers has recently been formed to develop algorithms that would indicate a human’s skill level and adapt it. In addition, the study will look at human trust in automated features and how that affects interaction. More ...
People are complicated, but their spit is 'shockingly complex'
Our physical and mental state influences our eating habits. But scientists are still trying to understand how one biological process affects how we eat. Warning: Learning more could kill your appetite. More ...
Enzyme trigger that tells cells to move characterized for first time
Some cells have the ability to travel in the human body. White blood cells speeding toward an infection are the good guys, but cancer cells spreading to metastasize wear the black hats. The ability to control this movement could lead to drugs that could boost a body's response to an infection, or thwart the movement of cancer cells. More ...
How much are you polluting your office air just by existing?
Just by breathing or wearing deodorant, you have more influence over your office space than you might think, a growing body of evidence shows. But could these basic acts of existence also be polluting the air in the office room where you work? To find out, a team of engineers at Purdue has been conducting one of the largest studies of its kind in the office spaces of a building rigged with thousands of sensors. The goal is to identify all types of indoor air contaminants and recommend ways to control them through how a building is designed and operated. More ...
Chameleon's tongue strike inspires fast-acting robots that catch live insects in the blink of an eye
Chameleons, salamanders and many toads use stored elastic energy to launch their sticky tongues at unsuspecting insects located up to one-and-a-half body lengths away, catching them within a tenth of a second. Ramses Martinez, an assistant professor in Purdue's School of Industrial Engineering and in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, and other Purdue researchers at the FlexiLab have developed a new class of entirely soft robots and actuators capable of re-creating bioinspired high-powered and high-speed motions using stored elastic energy. More ...
Pregnant women may soon be able to detect their own risk of preeclampsia with a smartphone
Roughly 15% of premature births in the U.S. happen due to a pregnancy complication caused by high blood pressure, called preeclampsia. While sometimes symptoms dissipate after the mother gives birth, preeclampsia can lead to permanent damage to the kidneys or death. Purdue researchers and colleagues have been developing technology that would help a patient assess her risk for developing preeclampsia using a smartphone and an ambulatory blood pressure cuff. More ...
Your dog might be hiding its true colors
If you have a purebred dog, it's likely that he or she looks fairly similar to other dogs of the same breed, especially when it comes to the color of their coats. But what happens if a purebred puppy doesn't look exactly like its siblings when it's born? Chances are, it might not be a flaw – but rather a hidden gene variant that decided to show itself. New research from Purdue's College of Veterinary Medicine shows that some breeds of dogs have hidden coat colors – and in some cases, other traits – that have been lurking all along. More ...
Purdue Foundry unveils first DDX cohort
World changing. High growth. The Purdue Foundry has unveiled its first cohort for the Double Down Experiment, which includes nine businesses ready to reach the next level with technologies designed to advance the world. The nine businesses were selected by the Purdue Foundry staff from among the 253 companies the organization has helped during its six years in operation. The Double Down companies range from precision agriculture to education to medical innovations. More ...
Purdue student selected as Astronaut Scholar
A Purdue student with a dual major in chemistry and chemical engineering has been selected a 2019 Astronaut Scholar. Natalie Kadlubowski, of Lebanon, Ohio, and 51 other awardees from 38 universities were honored at the 2019 Innovators Gala on Aug. 24 in Washington, D.C. More ...
Purdue Systemwide
PNW professor receives national award for student and faculty mentoring
Anne B. Edwards, associate professor of human development and family studies at Purdue University Northwest, has been named as one of the recipients of the Felix Berardo Scholarship Award for Mentoring by the National Council on Family Relations. Edwards is one of two university professors nationwide recognized this year with the award, which recognizes an NCFR member for excellence in mentoring junior colleagues, graduate students, or undergraduates. More ...
PNW College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences partners with university in Vietnam
Purdue University Northwest's College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences has agreed to collaborate with a university in Vietnam to allow for the exchange of students and the development of special programs that benefit both institutions. More ...
Purdue in the News
Forbes: Innovation abounds in Indiana — here’s why
Smithsonian: This solar-powered dehydrator could help small farmers reduce food waste
The Conversation: Why the flu shot cannot give you the flu
Yahoo Finance: Purdue University Global launches analytics degree program to meet growing demand in data-driven economy
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