Faculty proposals selected in 2018-19 conference competition

Four proposals have been chosen as the first winners of a new conference competition sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships. The conferences will be part of the University’s broader Ideas Festival, the centerpiece of Purdue’s 150th anniversary celebration.

The Committee on Reputational Stewardship, an initiative by the Office of the Provost that works to enhance the reputation of Purdue, developed the 2018-19 Conference Competition to create a new scholarly conference series that highlights faculty research, teaching, and engagement and brings to campus top-level scholars, researchers and lecturers.

Leaders of the cross-disciplinary faculty teams and their proposals are:

* Yong Chen, professor of physics and astronomy/electrical and computer engineering: International Symposium on Quantum Science and Technology.

* Suzanne Nielsen, professor of food science: Innovations in Agriculture: Scaling Up to Reach Millions Conference.

* Fu Zhao, professor of mechanical engineering/environmental and ecological engineering: CIRP Life Cycle Engineering Conference.

* Petros Drineas, professor of computer science: Algorithmic, Mathematical, and Statistical Foundations of Data Science and Applications Conference.

The winning faculty will each receive grants of up to $25,000 to support planning and delivering their proposed conferences. The conferences, which will be scheduled on campus beginning in September 2018, will take place throughout the 2018-19 academic year and will be part of the yearlong Ideas Festival.