Karen Plaut - December Dimensions of Discovery Introduction

December 19, 2024

Dear Colleagues,  

During 2024, important Boilermaker breakthroughs and research developments were highlighted in Dimensions of Discovery. With $648 million in research awards in this fiscal year and a $3 billion active research portfolio,  I am awed and enormously proud of the progress that has been made this year to impact lives and change the world for the better.

Research projects in colleges, centers, institutes and our strategic initiatives, including One Health, Purdue Computes, Purdue in Indianapolis, have all contributed to our success. While I cannot list everything we do, a small sample of this year’s highlights includes:  

• The launch of the Accessible Precision Audiology Research Center in Indianapolis to address hearing health especially among underserved groups.
• Research to predict responses to cancer treatments.
• Creation of AIDA3, one of the  first centers using AI to innovate autonomous aviation transportation.
• Construction of a highway test bed allowing heavy-duty electric tractor-trailers to wirelessly charge while driving.
• A new cyber-physical research center led by Purdue to focus on safety for autonomous transportation networks.
• Small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) technology research to inform Indiana’s energy planning for coming decades.
• Leveraging a GEAR UP grant to enhance college and career readiness.
• The launch of the Gautschi supercomputer, which is ranked the No. 7 academic computer and No. 157 on the Top500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
• Using AI to drive digital forestry innovations to mitigate and prevent wildfires.
• Purdue’s leadership in work on digital twins for semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging.

Each of these initiatives, along with many others, contribute to Purdue researchers’ overall progress.

I want to thank all faculty, staff and students whose hard work has made this success happen. You all help make Purdue, our state, the nation and the world better. 

Happy holidays!

Karen