Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

"Purdue News Now"

From transformative semiconductor research enhancements at Birck Nanotechnology Center, to another record-setting Purdue Day of Giving, Trevor Peters has the big headlines from a busy week at Purdue.
 
Plus, check out five good stories below you may have missed.
 

Recognizing the critical need for broadband to bridge the digital divide

For urban and rural communities, the digital divide is more than just the lack of access to high-speed internet — it’s a disconnect from economic and social ties as well as opportunities in a fast-changing society. Roberto Gallardo, Purdue University’s vice president for engagement, has spent the past decade analyzing local and regional community economic development, including the use of technology. He notes that the U.S. government’s plans to invest $42.5 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program will help narrow this divide by ensuring a growing number of Americans can connect to fast internet, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status.
Media contact: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu
 

Purdue, Dassault Systèmes, Lam Research sign MOU to utilize latest virtual twin technology to transform semiconductor research and workforce development

Purdue University is taking semiconductor workforce development and research to new levels with the signing of a three-way agreement with industry leaders Lam Research and Dassault Systèmes focused on training today’s students for future semiconductor careers and forging next-generation breakthroughs in education and technology development. Alyssa Wilcox, Purdue’s senior vice president for partnerships and chief of staff to the president, commemorated the signing of the memorandum of understanding in a ceremony April 17 with Bill DeVries, vice president for industry transformation and customer success at Dassault Systèmes North America, and Vahid Vahedi, chief technology officer of Lam Research. It marks a significant expansion into a comprehensive three-way relationship, showing the deepening collaboration between Purdue and these two virtual ecosystem leaders.
Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu

Purdue University celebrates record-breaking participation on Purdue Day of Giving

A record number of gifts for Purdue Day of Giving came in from Boilermakers around the world who rallied together for Purdue University on Wednesday (April 24). Throughout the 24-hour online, social media-driven fundraising effort, a historic 32,054 gifts brought in $76.5 million for the university — bringing Purdue Day of Giving’s cumulative total since its launch in 2014 to $497 million.
Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu

AP Video — Expert tips for springtime lawn care

Cale Bigelow, a turfgrass scientist and professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, explains what homeowners should keep in mind when caring for their lawn this spring. Bigelow recommends mowing grass to a height between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches. Mowing at this height will make recycling grass clippings back into the lawn easier. Recycling clippings is a good way to return nutrients to the lawn and results in a healthier turf. 
Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

Purdue’s Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories announces new Indianapolis presence

In an effort to accelerate physical, digital and sustainable manufacturing efforts across Indiana, Purdue University’s Manufacturing and Materials Research Laboratories will establish a presence in Indianapolis at 16 Tech Innovation District, the city’s destination for innovation and entrepreneurship, deep inside the heart of the Hard-Tech Corridor. MMRL will locate in 16 Tech’s Machyne makerspace, the region’s leading makerspace for prototyping.
Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu
 

MORE: Recent AP video stories

The AP Newsroom (for AP members) and Purdue News YouTube channel (for all reporters) provide comments from Purdue experts on timely topics.
 
Breaking down the FTC’s noncompetes ruling
Recognizing military children this April
Do tires wear faster on EVs?
 
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four 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, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 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.