In the news

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers are a step closer to harnessing single pulses of light called solitons, using tiny ring-shaped microresonators, in findings that could aid efforts to develop advanced sensors, high-speed optical communications and research tools. Being able to harness the solitons using devices small enough to fit on an electronic chip could bring a host of applications, from miniature optical sensors that detect chemicals and biological compounds, to high-precision spectroscopy and optical communications systems that transmit greater volumes of information with better quality.

Professor Zubin Jacob has won the Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award 2017. The research award is for the development of new nonlinear sources of light using molecular energy transfer approaches.

A consortium of experts is working to modernize a process that is used in making a wide range of products, from freeze-dried space foods to life-saving wonder drugs. The process, called "lyophilization," removes water at low temperature and pressure. Lyophilization is needed for products that would be damaged if they were dried by heating, but it can be slow, energy-intensive and expensive. A new 10-year road map to identify the improvements that are needed in lyophilization is being published by the Advanced Lyophilization Technology Hub, or LyoHUB, at Purdue University.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers at Purdue University are creating a device that they hope will help identify risk factors that cause breast cancer. The device, known as risk-on-a-chip, is a small plastic case with several thin layers and an opening for a piece of paper where researchers can place a portion of tissue. This tiny environment produces risk factors for cancer and mimics what happens in a living organism.

The Office of the Provost has selected five faculty members to participate in the Big Ten Academic Alliance, Academic Leadership Program during the 2017-18 academic year. The Big Ten Academic Alliance is a consortium of the Big Ten member universities. The Big Ten Academic Alliance-ALP is designed to develop the leadership and managerial skills of faculty who have demonstrated exceptional ability and administrative promise. It is specifically oriented to the challenges of academic administration of major research universities and to the preparation of faculty members to meet those challenges.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Interactions between light and matter are a fundamental unit of modern physics, but recently researchers have started to look beyond the standard textbook interactions. Alexandra Boltasseva is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University. For years, she’s been working with optical metamaterials (artificially engineered materials containing nanostructures which give them unique visual properties) to create nanotweezers, metasurfaces and other tiny objects. Now, she’s exploring an entirely new chapter of physics.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Researchers have created a new type of non-liquid lubricant that has been shown to reduce friction and wear significantly under the extreme conditions found in various applications, from air compressors to missile systems. The new liquid-free composite is made from a slurry of a material called graphene, zinc oxide, and the polymer polyvinylidene difluoride. Graphene is an extremely thin layer of carbon that has many potential technological applications, including lubrication. “It has superior thermal conductivity, high strength and provides ultralow friction,” said Vilas Pol, an associate professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new type of micropropulsion system for miniature satellites called CubeSats uses an innovative design of tiny nozzles that release precise bursts of water vapor to maneuver the spacecraft. Low-cost “microsatellites” and “nanosatellites” far smaller than conventional spacecraft, have become increasingly prevalent. Thousands of the miniature satellites might be launched to perform a variety of tasks, from high-resolution imaging and internet services, to disaster response, environmental monitoring and military surveillance.

Jenna Rickus, professor and associate department head of Agricultural and Biological Engineering and professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, has been named associate vice provost for teaching and learning, effective Aug. 14. In this new role, she will provide leadership to the campus in undergraduate education with specific oversight of undergraduate advising, career opportunities, student success programs and exploratory studies. She also will be responsible for some areas of governance including academic appeals. Rickus will report directly to Frank Dooley, senior vice provost.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University-led program training students on producing sustainable food and electricity for populations through solar energy received a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Award. The NSF announced the $2.5 million award for Purdue and Rakesh Agrawal, the program’s principal investigator and Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering. Florida A&M University is partnering on the program.