Top 5 stories from Purdue University

‘Purdue News Now’

Purdue University breaks ground on its new Academic Success Building in Indianapolis and President Mung Chiang delivers a keynote address at SEMIEXPO Heartland. Derek Schultz has all the latest Boilermaker news in this week’s edition of “Purdue News Now.”

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

Purdue University breaks ground on Academic Success Building in Indianapolis

Gathering with city and state leaders and dignitaries in downtown Indianapolis on Wednesday (April 2), Purdue University celebrated the groundbreaking for its new Academic Success Building. The ceremony held at the Indiana Historical Society, just across the street from Purdue’s expansion in the capital city, marked the official start of construction for the 248,000-square-foot redbrick building at the corner of Michigan and West streets.

Media contact: Derek Schultz, dcschultz@purdue.edu

Purdue and IDOE announce new pathways for top Indiana high schoolers

Purdue University will automatically grant general undergraduate admission to Indiana high school students earning the state’s new Honors Plus Enrollment Seal diploma, as part of a new and intensive effort to grow and retain top talent in Indiana. Purdue, in collaboration with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Indiana Department of Education, is taking a leading role in the new initiative announced Wednesday (April 2) to encourage more graduating Indiana high school students to enroll in college and remain in Indiana after they graduate.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Podcast: How Purdue is using AI for good — computer science professor explains

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re talking to Alex Psomas, assistant professor of computer science in Purdue University’s College of Science. Psomas is an expert in machine learning and artificial intelligence. He utilizes these tools to help solve societal issues like food insecurity by outsourcing decision-making to AI — starting right here in Indiana.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

Purdue’s leadership and strengths in semiconductors are highlighted at major event

Purdue University continues to lead in the field of semiconductors by partnering with industry leaders to discuss strategies for improving workforce development and accelerating the pace of innovation during the inaugural SEMIEXPO Heartland conference this week (April 1-2). Purdue President Mung Chiang joined government and industry representatives as one of the keynote speakers opening the two-day event at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

Media contact: Erin Murphy, ermurphy@purdue.edu

AP video — Upgrading old buildings with earthquake-proof tech

Akanshu Sharma is the Jack and Kay Hockema Associate Professor in Civil Engineering in Purdue University’s College of Engineering. In this video, he explains that most older buildings were not built with earthquakes in mind and how a new construction method could help reinforce them. Sharma says more than 50% of all buildings worldwide are not seismically designed. Sharma explains that haunches act like a knee brace for the steel joints of buildings. These haunches can be installed on older buildings without needing to rebuild or close them down completely for refurbishment. Reinforcing older construction with haunches can protect a building from earthquakes for up to 100 years.

Media contact: Trevor Peters, peter237@purdue.edu

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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.