Rep. Jim Banks visits Purdue to tour facilities, discuss national security efforts

The Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) and Purdue University on Tuesday (Feb. 27) welcomed U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., to campus to tour facilities and learn about national security related efforts at the West Lafayette campus. Banks toured the Mach 6 wind tunnel, and met with researchers and students from PARI’s Infrastructure Research and Innovative Solutions (IRIS) division, which focuses on next-generation infrastructure solutions, and PARI’s Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center at the Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility. This was a first campus visit for Banks, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Rep. Jim Banks, at center, and Amit Varma, director of the Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Engineering Research, meet with a student on Tuesday (Feb. 27) during a tour of the lab. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell) Download image

Greg Scofield, at left, shows Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., equipment in the Hypersonics Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center at the Purdue Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell) Download image

From left, Mark Lewis, Purdue Applied Research Institute president and CEO; Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind.; and Karen Plaut, Purdue’s executive vice president for research, in front of the Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility. (Purdue University photo/Greta Bell) Download image