Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

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‘Purdue News Now’

With a big announcement for Purdue motorsports just before this Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500, and an impactful partnership with Elanco Animal Health, we run down the latest happening at Purdue University this week.

Plus, check below for five good stories you may have missed.

Purdue and Elanco Animal Health announce One Health Innovation District in Indianapolis

Purdue University will partner with Elanco Animal Health Inc. and become part of Indiana’s new One Health Innovation District. The announcement was made Thursday (May 23) at Indiana’s 2024 Global Economic Summit after Purdue President Mung Chiang and Elanco President and CEO Jeff Simmons signed a shared memorandum of understanding with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to establish a globally recognized research innovation district dedicated to optimizing the health of people, animals, plants and the planet.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu

Purdue motorsports program in Indianapolis partners with Dallara

Purdue University’s nationally renowned motorsports engineering program in Indianapolis has a new home with an internationally recognized motorsports manufacturer. On Thursday (May 23), Purdue announced an innovative partnership with Dallara, the largest multinational Italian race car manufacturer, to house its motorsports program at Dallara’s U.S. headquarters in Speedway, Indiana.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu

More than machines: Computer scientist prepares robots to improve human lives

Robot expert Sooyeon Jeong, an assistant professor of computer science in Purdue University’s College of Science, works in artificial intelligence to ensure that robots are more friendly helpers to humans and less inscrutable interlopers, more R2-D2 than HAL, more Baymax than Terminator. “My goal, and the goal of my research group, is to design robots and AI that can have socially and emotionally natural interactions with people,” Jeong said. “I want anything I make or design to have a measurable positive impact on people’s lives.” AI is a foundational component of the Institute for Physical Artificial Intelligence, a Purdue Computes initiative.

Media contact: Brittany Steff, bsteff@purdue.edu

AP video — Why are workers quitting?

Victoria Prowse, a professor of economics in the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University, explains why workers have been quitting at an increased rate in recent years. In 2023, around 44 million workers quit their jobs, a resignation rate of 2.4%. Prowse says that while the labor market has cooled in the past few months, the number of jobs available still exceeds the number of unemployed workers. This situation gives applicants a relatively strong bargaining position in the labor market. 

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

Purdue Global to expand AI learning capabilities with launch of Learning Assistant

Purdue Global professor Melissa Bahle welcomed a new teaching assistant to her composition classes this spring, helping field questions and providing answers while she is leading online classes. The assistant’s name: Purdue Global Learning Assistant, a new conversational AI tool designed to help students navigate and understand course resources and policies.

Media contact: Matthew Oates, oatesw@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. 

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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.