Today’s top 5 from Purdue University

You will want to read these good stories that you may have missed.

The AP Newsroom (for AP members) and Purdue News YouTube channel (for all reporters) provide comments from Purdue experts on timely topics.

Expert: How wildfires contaminate drinking water

In the wake of the devastating wildfires in Maui, a Purdue University professor is continuing to share his expertise on how fire damage can impact drinking water. Andrew Whelton, professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering, has traveled numerous times to the sites of wildfires, where he and his students collect water samples to help guide a community on the best way to restore its water systems.

Media contact: Kayla Albert, wiles5@purdue.edu

A look into NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and Boilermaker ties to space with Danny Milisavljevic

In the latest episode of the “This Is Purdue” podcast, Danny Milisavljevic, associate professor of physics and astronomy in Purdue University’s College of Science, joins to discuss his exciting research. Milisavljevic is using the most powerful telescopes on the planet to better understand the universe. His work, which has been featured on “60 Minutes” and other national outlets, includes leading an international research team to explore a remnant of a supernova explosion in the Milky Way, Cassiopeia A, with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. 

Media contact: Brittany Steff, bsteff@purdue.edu

Majority of Americans report high rate of food satisfaction

Consumers who report they are most satisfied with their food consumption also spend the lowest share of their incomes on food, according to the latest Consumer Food Insights Report. The survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS) assesses food spending, consumer satisfaction and values, support of agricultural and food policies, and trust in information sources. Purdue experts conducted and evaluated the survey, which included 1,200 consumers across the U.S.

Media contact: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu

AP Video: How robots use AI to navigate the world

Aniket Bera, associate professor of computer science in the College of Science at Purdue University, explains how robots use artificial intelligence to navigate the world and solve problems. Bera emphasizes the importance of industry and academic collaboration. Robotics and AI developers need a unified set of rules and design principles so that these different agencies can work together.

Media contact: Brittany Steff, bsteff@purdue.edu

Exposing the hidden genetic diversity of an ecologically harmful microbe

A microscopic species of algae is causing toxic algal blooms that can kill fish and disrupt ecosystems, according to Jennifer Wisecaver, associate professor of biochemistry at Purdue University. New research into the genetic diversity of the responsible organism, Prymnesium parvum, could help authorities predict when the toxic blooms will occur.

Media contact: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu 

MORE: Recent AP video stories

How HADAR will revolutionize thermal imaging

Getting kids ready for back to school

Water contamination after wildfires

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 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, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 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.