Title: Convergent-manufacturing of Agriculture and Food for Equity (iCAFE)

Join Zoom: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/91754078808

Theme of the Webinar: Transformative innovations in agriculture and food for human health, equity, and competitiveness.

Abstract: Late 20th and early 21st centuries have experienced major disruptions in multiple industry sectors including autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, telemedicine, wireless technologies, colonization of space, and more powered by human ambition and the Industry-4.0 revolution. This coincides with major societal shifts including major growth of population in and the number of urban areas, extended human life expectancy, serious population growth projected to reach 9.2 B in 2040 reaching the theoretical carrying capacity of the earth [1], food/housing/healthcare insecurity at the foundation of Maslow pyramid, climate change, depletion of natural resources, and more. This is further exasperated as the society is going through the COVID19 pandemic and experiencing another pandemic of nutritious food insecurity in rural and urban Indiana and America at large for various reasons for availability, affordability, and accessibility. These conflicting trends and emergencies call-for-action to discuss the need for considering transformative approaches and technologies in agriculture and food design, materials, manufacturing, and more for bridging the gap of basic human need, nutritious food across various communities. This is a convergent techno-socio-economic problem [2-3]. To meet this call-to-action, iCAFE talk will discuss issues at the intersection of agriculture and food techo-socio-economic equity and equality to facilitate dialogue as a part of the responsibility to the fellow citizens of communities in Indiana and beyond.

Bio:  Ajay P. Malshe is currently R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. Before joining the Purdue faculty, he served as a Distinguished Professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He has gained a national and international reputation in advanced manufacturing, bio-inspired designing, multifunctional material surface engineering, and system integration and productization. Malshe has received numerous prestigious international honors, including fellowships to the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME), American Society of Materials (ASM), International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP), and the Institute of Physics (InstP). In 2018, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) “for innovations in nanomanufacturing with impact in multiple industry sectors.” Malshe has trained more than 60 graduate and post-doctoral students, educated more than 1200 undergraduate students and mentored younger engineers in academia and business; published over 200 peer-reviewed papers and received over 20 patents resulting in numerous award-winning engineered products applied by leading corporations in energy, aerospace, transportation and EV, high-performance racing and other industrial sectors; and delivered over 100 keynote and invited presentations. He is also a founder and experienced business entrepreneur.

References:

[1] Date sources: Up to 2015 OurWorldInData series based on UN and HYDE. Projections for 2015 to 2100: On Population. The Division (2015). The data visualization is taken from OurWorldinData.org.

[2] “A Case for Frugal Engineering and Related Manufacturing for Social Equity”, A.P. Malshe, D. Agonafer, S. Bapat, J. Cao, Stacey Connaughton, Samuel Graham, Ben Jones, Shreyes Melkote, Monsuru Ramoni, Arvind Raman, Devesh Ranjan, Joseph Sinfield, John Sutherland, and Yuehwern Yih., National Academy of Engineering, The Bridge, NAE (Spring 2021 issue; https://www.nae.edu/250771/Spring-Bridge-on-Postpandemic-Engineering).

[3] “Quo Vadimus: Humanism, Going Beyond the Boundaries of Capitalism and Socialism”, A.P. Malshe, S. Bapat, ASTM Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems 4, no. 3 (invited paper; 2020) pp. 338-340. https://doi.org/10.1520/SSMS20200060.