Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

‘Purdue News Now’

Trevor Peters has all of the latest Boilermaker news in this week’s edition of “Purdue News Now.”

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

Unburied treasure: Rover researchers find unexpected minerals on Mars

Sometimes scientists must dig and work and sweat to make scientific discoveries. And sometimes a robot rolls over a rock that turns out to be a revelation. That’s what happened when Mars exploration expert Roger Wiens — professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences in the College of Science at Purdue University — had NASA’s Perseverance rover shoot its laser at some oddly pale rocks lying on the Martian surface and discovered that they are composed of unusually high aluminum associated with the mineral kaolinite. That was interesting on its own, but what made the discovery fascinating is that this mineral typically forms only in very warm and wet environments.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Brands That Matter panel to examine Purdue-led pharmaceutical transformations

Purdue University’s position as a key player in the future of the pharmaceutical industry will be spotlighted at the Fast Company Grill on Saturday (March 8) during the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas. President Mung Chiang will take the stage at the Brands That Matter panel titled “Innovating What Matters: Driving Pharma Forward,” along with Sean Bruich, senior vice president of artificial intelligence and data at Amgen, and Tatyana Kanzaveli, chief operating officer of Open Health Network. The panel will examine the transformation of the pharmaceutical industry through AI, strategic collaboration and next-generation innovation while discussing the importance of cross-industry partnerships to accelerate medical breakthroughs.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Purdue printing innovation fabricates multilevel microfluidic devices as small as 10 microns deep

Researchers in biomedical, environmental testing, geology, manufacturing and other fields could benefit from a patent-pending Purdue University innovation that fabricates microfluidic devices quickly and economically without high-end equipment or cleanroom environments. Huachao Mao, assistant professor of engineering technology in the Purdue PolytechnicInstitute, and his team are fabricating economical multilevel microfluidic devices as small 10 microns deep and 100 microns wide. One micron is one-millionth of a meter; 10 microns are one-tenth of the diameter of a human hair. Mao said vat photopolymerization (VPP) improves upon traditional fabrication methods and 3D printing.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu 

AP Video – What are the main obstacles for electronic vehicles?

Yaobin Chen is a professor of electrical and computer engineering in Purdue University’s College of Engineering. In this video, he explains the benefits of driving electric vehicles and the challenges EVs still face. EVs save drivers money on fuel and release less pollution into the environment, making them an attractive option for many people. One of the biggest obstacles to widespread EV adoption is the lack of charging stations available to the public.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, schul221@purdue.edu

Purdue Innovates funds advances in ag biotechnology, cancer treatments and fiber optics

Purdue University researchers in the College of Pharmacy and College of Science have received $124,984 from the Trask Innovation Fund to develop Purdue-owned intellectual property for commercial use. The innovations are in the areas of agricultural biotechnology, cancer treatments, and fiber optics and electronics. The fund is managed by the Purdue Innovates Incubator, which provides programming for the Purdue University community to ideate, refine and support their solutions. Funding recipients can receive up to $50,000 for their initial project; they may reapply a maximum of three times to receive up to an aggregate cap of $100,000 to support the same technology.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu 

MORE: Recent AP video stories

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About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. 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 comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.