Boilermaker Engineering Engenuity Podcast

Fu Zhao, professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, discusses the environmental approach to industrial sustainability and life cycle engineering, which explores the impact of processes and products on the environment across their life span.

Hua Cai, an assistant professor in Environmental and Ecological Engineering and Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, discusses urban sustainability and efforts being made to meet the demands of urban populations while trying to use resources wisely and efficiently.

Shimon Nof, a professor of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University discusses the foundation of Industrial Engineering, Industry 4.0, emerging areas of research, and the role industrial engineers play in helping solve challenges from the pandemic we are facing with COVID-19.

Rakesh Agrawal, PhD, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering discusses principal interests that have driven his research during the 15 years since he left the corporate world for academia.

Purdue University’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering Professor Ernest R. (“Chip”) Blatchley III shares about his research with the preservation and disinfection of water supplies; his long-standing efforts to improve water purification in the U.S. and around the world through ultraviolet radiation and halogen chemicals such as chlorine may have implications for ridding water of the novel coronavirus.

Makarand (Mark) Hastak, PhD, head of Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) in Purdue University’s College of Engineering discusses CEM’s extensive, cutting-edge role in all aspects of infrastructure, pointing out how the definition of that familiar term has broadened. CEM’s unique approach to the combination of research and teaching includes special engagement among alumni and other knowledgeable practitioners, industry, and peer academic institutions, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

David Bahr, PhD, head and professor of materials engineering at Purdue University, guides a discussions with innovations and cutting-edge experts who have been part of big change at Purdue University’s College of Engineering.

This second episode of the two-part visit to the School of Materials Engineering (MSE) remains centered on the overview provided by David Bahr PhD, head and professor and head of materials engineering. Again, comments from other faculty members with special areas of innovative expertise are interspersed throughout the conversation with Bahr.

Bahr told us ceramics are wide-ranging, from coffee mugs to glass windows to temperature-resistant materials for advanced applications. The complexity of making this last group of ceramics has prompted new research on more cost-effective, smaller-scale “additive manufacturing” of ceramics. These processes are akin to additive manufacturing of polymers and the 3D printing techniques increasingly common in workplaces.

Professor Rodney Trice, mentioned in the previous episode, spoke of ceramics in the context of an urgent challenge now confronted in the defense arena. Materials for hypersonic missile flight must be extremely heat-resistant, as well as resistant to oxidation. Trice is part of a large community of industry and academic researchers pursuing ceramic innovation.

Professor Chelsea Davis exemplifies interest in measurement of adhesion strength between materials. One project for which she leads a team of students, along with Professor Kendra Erk, addresses the road-signage needs of the Indiana Department of Transportation. Davis has seen how MSE prepares students to work in a wide range of applications.

In another testimony to the variety of career paths for materials engineers, Bahr pointed out that one of the School’s faculty members, Professor Jan-Anders Mansson, will oversee Purdue’s new Ray Ewry Sports Engineering Center.

Bahr said the School’s comprehensive materials know-how fits well with the broad visioning taking place in the five Purdue Engineering Initiatives. Those PEIs are virtual structures for incubating innovations connecting principal trends in engineering to the College’s distinctive strengths for ongoing leadership.  

One early example of the intersection between MSE’s resources and the path toward top-priority impacts in engineering is nanoHUB, Bahr said. The international materials community has embraced the nanoHUB tools that were created by Purdue engineers. That places the School at the heart of planning for future applications of computational resources and data science.

Professor Alejandro Strachan is one representative of MSE’s early and ongoing momentum in using data to advance materials research. He said the ability to use predictive modeling based on physics has already helped to accelerate engineering. Bahr said the School and its extended community will continue to be a crucial part of the teamwork that makes Purdue a leader in engineering.

For more podcasts, visit the Purdue Engineering podcast website.

This episode explores the next generation of nano-scale technologies with a leading global expert in the field, Professor Kaushik Roy, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University

This episode explores electronic imaging with a leading global expert in the field, Professor Edward J. Delp, professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University.