A new center at Purdue University has been designed to work with industry partners to develop and improve technologies that, in turn, will lead to increased competitiveness.

The Center for Technology Development, headquartered in the College of Technology, was officially launched Wednesday (January 11) with the signing of a charter by the directors and founding members.

The center will involve professors, graduate students and undergraduates from the colleges of Technology and Engineering and will be led by Vahid Motevalli, professor of mechanical engineering technology, and Henry Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology. They will focus on direct problem solving for industry products, high risk research and development, feasibility study for future industry products and scholarly work for academia.

Read more.

David Whittinghill, assistant professor of computer graphics technology and computer and information technology, joined the Purdue faculty ranks in 2009. Prior to that, he worked in the defense industry as a senior developer leading user-interface design teams. He has also gained extensive industry experience in the fields of visualization, agent-based modeling, digital anti-tampering, and web development. His expertise is in computer programming. He earned his doctorate, master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Purdue.

Read more.

Building construction management students offered knowing laughs as Belfor Restoration’s CEO reacted to the hands-on jobs he was asked to do as part of the reality TV show “Undercover Boss.”

Belfor’s Sheldon Yellen visited campus Monday (January 23) to discuss how his appearance on the television show affected the way he leads his company, which is the world’s largest disaster restoration construction company. His presentation, part of a building construction management class, included clips from the TV appearance.

Working with employees in the field made him love the company more, he said.

Read more.

After spending his 2011 summer “break” recasting his aviation technology course for full online delivery, Professor John P. Young readily smiles at the end of fall semester and rates the process as enjoyable.

He set out with an ambitious goal — only use Blackboard to deliver the course online to his students registered for fall semester, all aviation industry professionals. One is working in mining operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the others are working in various positions in the United States. The course is required for an online master’s degree in technology with a concentration in aviation leadership. Students can complete this degree without ever coming to a Purdue campus through ProSTAR (the Center for Professional Studies in Technology and Applied Research).

Read more.

Two College of Technology professors are participating in the Spring 2012 cohort of the University's IMPACT program.

IMPACT (Instruction Matters: Purdue Academic Course Transformation) was launched by the Provost's Office in 2010 in an effort to improve rates of course completion and retention in foundational courses. Faculty in the program learn about course redesign options by working with a team of instructional, technology and assessment specialists. They also participate in a Faculty Learning Community.

Technology professors participating and the transformed courses are:

• Mark French, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology, MET 213: Dynamics.
• Craig Miller, professor of computer graphics technology, CGT 163: Introduction to Graphics for Manufacturing.

Read the full news release.

Vahid Motevalli will be taking on a new role in the College of Technology that initially will be to lead two very important initiatives: the Center for Technology Development and EcoCAR 2.

Ken Burbank will become the interim head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology as well as retaining his current position as head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology.

A search committee will be formed very soon to begin the process of hiring the next department head of MET.

The annual Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium (URPS) is April 10 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union ballrooms. The event is sponsored by the colleges of Technology, Science, Engineering, and Agriculture.

Registration for the event is now open. Students can register their projects at the URPS website through 5 p.m., March 20.
 
Volunteer judges are also needed for the event. Faculty, staff, graduate students and retired alumni are encouraged to volunteer, for as little as 30 minutes or for the entire time. Judging assignments will be distributed prior to the event, and judges will not be assigned to any project on which they are listed as an advisor. Register to be a judget at the URPS website.

Purdue's WorkLife program will provide wellness screenings in Knoy Hall Feb. 14.

Register online using your Purdue career account and password or call WorkLife at 45461. Appointments are available between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m., and between 1:10 and 3:10 p.m.
 
Benefit-eligible faculty, staff, graduate staff, official retirees, and their spouses/same-sex domestic partners may receive one free screening per calendar year. (The exception is graduate staff spouses, who pay $20.)

The School of Nursing administers the campus screenings. Senior-level nursing students conduct the screenings under the direction of faculty. Screenings include a finger stick test for total cholesterol, HDL, and glucose, blood pressure, and height/weight. Fasting is not required for the finger stick test. Bring Purdue University identification (PUID) to appointment.

Flora Roberts Award (outstanding senior woman) and G.A. Ross Award (outstanding senior man)
Faculty and departmental staff members are invited to nominate graduating senior men and women for these awards. Deadline for nominations is January 27. Read more.

FOCUS Awards
The Office of Institutional Equity is seeking nominations for the 2012 Focus Awards. The awards are given annually to those affiliated with Purdue University who have made an outstanding contribution to the furthering of Purdue University's commitment to disability accessibility and diversity. One award each is presented to a faculty member, a staff member, a student and an organization. Deadline for nominations is February 1. Read more.

Community of Service-Learning Faculty Fellows Awards
The Office of the Provost is requesting applications for Purdue's Community of Service-Learning Faculty Fellows Grant program. This grant is designed for faculty members who have demonstrated a strong commitment to and desire to play a leadership role in service-learning. Up to five faculty members will be chosen for this round of grants. Each grant will be $5,000. Grant recipients will work alongside the campus Service Engagement Advisory Board and the Center for Instructional Excellence. Deadline for applications if Feb. 17. Read more.

We like to keep track of potential news stories about our faculty, staff and students. We can share this news with your colleagues, the University's news service and alumni.