A positive and successful Super Bowl experience in Indianapolis could be a boon for the city for future events and return visits.

A group of researchers with Purdue’s College of Technology helped state officials collect public social media posts before, during and after the event to analyze public opinion and reactions related to the Super Bowl XLVI marketing campaign. They are also analyzing general public perceptions of Indianapolis hospitality, accommodations and safety.

With the help of two software packages – Radian 6 and Visual Technologies – the group provided daily and weekly updates to Indiana’s Office of Technology. The software was donated by the two companies in support of the research project.

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Lafayette native Daphene Koch, assistant professor of building construction management, returned to the area when she joined the faculty at Purdue University in 2006. She is the first woman tenure-track professor in the department. Prior to her appointment at Purdue, she was a faculty member at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis for five years. She also has over 10 years of experience in the mechanical and industrial construction industry.

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The innovative mindset will be showcased during the sixth annual Tech Week hosted by Purdue's College of Technology. Events are planned April 14-20.

Following the week's theme, "Relevant. Responsive. Results.", Deborah Wince-Smith, CEO and president of the Council on Competitiveness, will headline the week's activities. She will discuss "Technology and the U.S. Innovation Imperative" during the Dean's Distinguished Lecture April 18.

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The slate of College of Technology alumni awards has been expanded to include three levels this year.

Fourteen alumni will be honored in 2012 as Distinguished Technology Alumni, Outstanding Technology Alumni and Early Career Award recipients.

Wherever they are in their career paths, our honorees have harnessed the power of their Purdue degrees to positively impact their chosen professions. They have elevated the University and the college by using their educations to be responsive to people’s needs, be relevant in their industries and achieve significant results.

Award recipients will be honored on campus Friday, April 20. See the full list of honorees.

Jim Mlynarski, a graduate student in aviation technology, is profiled on this month’s “Five Students who are Spirit Makers” feature on the Purdue Web site. When he's not studying, he entertains the campus and fans as Purdue Pete.

Check out his story and those of his fellow Boilermakers who "bleed Gold and Black."

Dean Bertoline has added a couple of posts to his TechDean blog:

• International Women's Day and the College of Technology
• True Innovation and Bell Labs

Andy Schaffer has been appointed interim executive director for Statewide Technology. This is the first administrative change as a result of the Statewide reengineering effort currently underway. In addition to being responsible for the administration of Statewide Technology, Schaffer will lead the reengineering initiative for Statewide Technology. A search will be conducted later this year to find a permanent leader for Statewide Technology. 

Schaffer replaces Duane Dunlap, who will be taking on more engagement duties in his role as an associate dean.

Athula Kulatunga, professor of electrical and computer engineering technology, presented "Technologies for Promoting Innovations around Smart Meters" at the third annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit Feb. 27-29, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The Summit is designed to unite key players from all sectors of the nation’s energy innovation community to share ideas for developing and deploying the next generation of clean energy technologies. The event is co-hosted by ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy) and Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries Organization.

Vahid Motevalli, professor of mechanical engineering technology, chaired a session of the 91st annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies in January. The session examined "Security Implications of Airport Design" from the perspectives of airlines, airport authorities and regulators.

From November 2011 to January 2012, the College of Technology received external funding that totaled $2,579,225.

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The 15 teams in the EcoCAR 2 competition have unveiled their vehicle designs. Purdue is one of four teams that will use a Parallel through the Road (PTTR) architecture. Purdue's team brings together students from the colleges of Technology and Engineering to convert a General Motors-donated 2012 Chevrolet Malibu into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Follow the Purdue EcoCAR 2 team on Facebook

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Graduate students Freddy Solis and Jeffrey Peters have often sought inspiration from TED Talks videos online. And then inspiration hit — Purdue would be a perfect fit for a similar event.

Planning for TEDx Purdue soon followed, and the inaugural event will take place March 22, 2012, in Fowler Hall. The College of Technology is a sponsor for the event.

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Kelly McFall, a Ph.D. student in the College of Technology, was named the Region Three winner of the 2012 William E. Warner Graduate Research Award offered by Epsilon Pi Tau, an academic and professional honors group for technology programs. The award recognizes students who produce exemplary projects and research. She will receive the award at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association conference  in Long Beach, Calif., March 17.

In January, McFall was also honored as a Graduate Scholar at the Technology, Knowledge and Society Conference at UCLA in January.

Her research focuses on alternative energy.

Purdue's GERI Summer Residential Program is hiring teachers for a variety of STEM related courses. The two-session program takes place July 1–July 28. It is targeted toward high-ability students in grades 5-12. If you would like to apply for one of the open teaching positions or would like to meet in person to discuss them, contact Jennifer Pearce at pearcej@purdue.edu.

Open courses:

• Game Design – (5/6th grade) July 8-14 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• Structural Engineering – (5/6th grade) July 15-21 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• Adolescents Writing for Adolescents –  (7/8th grade) July 1-14 (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• Rube Goldbergineering –  (7/8th grade) July 1-14 (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• Application and Game Design –  (7/8th grade) July 15-28 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)
• Environmental Engineering –  (7/8th grade) July 15-28 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)
• Nanotechnology –  (9-12th grade) July 1-14 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)
• Aerospace Engineering –  (9-12th grade) July 1-14 (8:00 AM – 11:00 AM)

Nominations for the College of Technology Staff Awards are being accepted through March 9, 2012. Awards include: Leadership, Customer Service, Statewide Technology Excellence and Academic Advisor.

The same nomination form will be used for all four awards. Download the form and criteria for each of the awards on the CoT SharePoint site.
 
Send completed nomination forms to Janet Ebershoff.
 
The awards will be presented at the annual CoT Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon Tuesday, April 30, in the PMU Faculty Lounges. 

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