October 22, 2009
School of Materials Engineering to celebrate 50th anniversary
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In 1959, a small division within the School of Chemical Engineering broke off on its own.
Five department heads and two name changes later, the School of Materials Engineering is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Since the 1920s and '30s, Purdue has been teaching metallurgy. But if the break from chemical engineering hadn't occurred, says Keith Bowman, head and professor of Materials Engineering, the school and materials science and engineering at Purdue wouldn't be where they are today.
"We have our hand in every discipline in the engineering realm," Bowman says. "Forming our own school has given Purdue the ability to have faculty contribute to education on materials similar to the over 50 materials programs spread across the United States."
Alumni will gather on Oct. 23 and 24 to celebrate the event, which will feature materials processing labs, a tour of Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering and a celebratory dinner. At the dinner, each alumnus will receive a history book, compiled by professor Mysore Dayananda.
The School of Materials Engineering has 1,700 living alumni. The two-day event is expected to have around 170 invited attendees with representatives from every decade, including those from before and after the formation of the school.
For more information on the history of the School of Materials Engineering, a timeline is available as a PDF.
Caption: The Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Building served as home for the School of Materials Engineering until 1988, when MSE faculty and staff moved to the new Materials Science and Electrical Engineering Building.