Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

You will want to read these good stories that you may have missed.

The AP Newsroom (for AP members) and Purdue News YouTube channel (for all reporters) provide comments from Purdue experts on timely topics.

Star of wonder: Dazzling new image of supernova Cassiopeia A released by First Lady Jill Biden and Purdue astronomer

The stunning image of an exploded star, Cassiopeia A, from ten thousand years ago gives humanity the closest and most detailed look ever at the structure of a supernova. Dan Milisavljevic, an associate professor of physics and astronomy in Purdue University’s College of Science, leads the project team whose data contributed to the staggeringly detailed new image, which has a starring role in First Lady Jill Biden’s digital Advent calendar this year.

Media contact: Brittany Steff, bsteff@purdue.edu

European technology leader imec opens innovation hub at Purdue

Purdue University and Belgium-based technological innovation organization imec on Friday (Dec. 8) celebrated the grand opening of a research and development hub at the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration on Purdue’s campus. The presence of imec at Purdue will help facilitate groundbreaking advancements in semiconductor technologies. Researchers from the global R&D technology company will work side by side with faculty and students at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, located in Discovery Park District at Purdue.

Media contact: Wes Mills, wemills@purdue.edu

AP Video: Preventing Christmas tree fires

Jonathan Mead, a firefighter and professor in Purdue Global’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ Fire Safety Department, explains safety precautions for both real and artificial Christmas trees. Mead says it is important to cut the stump of a real tree and add aspirin to the water the first time you bring it into your home, which creates more circulation. Mead says to then water the tree every other day to prevent it from drying out and becoming more ignitable.

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

Commercial air service returns to Purdue University Airport

Purdue University and Surf Air Mobility Inc. (NYSE: SRFM) have agreed to begin scheduled commuter air service between West Lafayette/Purdue University Airport (LAF) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with a target start date in early second quarter 2024. This marks the return of commercial air service for the first time since 2004 to LAF, Indiana’s second-busiest airport in terms of total annual aircraft operations.

Media contact: Tim Doty, doty2@purdue.edu

National policy aimed at reducing U.S. greenhouse gases also would improve water quality

A climate policy that raises the price of carbon-intensive products across the entire U.S. economy would yield a side benefit of reducing nitrate groundwater contamination throughout the Mississippi River basin. The Gulf of Mexico, an important U.S. fishery, also would see modest benefits from the nitrate reductions. These were among the conclusions of a recent study, led by four early researchers, three of them from Purdue University, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Media contact: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu 

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with 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, with 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.