Purdue University is expanding the nation's largest university propulsion laboratory for research aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions for next-generation jet engines. The expansion at the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories will include new test cells to support laser-based measurements in a building to be constructed adjacent to Zucrow's high-pressure lab. Developed in 1964 as part of NASA's Apollo program, the high-pressure lab houses research sponsored by aerospace companies, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and other agencies.

The biggest cash donation in Purdue University's history will fund initiatives designed to foster groundbreaking research, expand high-tech job growth throughout Indiana as well as nationally and globally, and enhance opportunities for students.

Lilly Endowment Inc. announced Wednesday (Feb. 18) a $40 million grant to support five transformational projects in the College of Engineering and Technology as well as Purdue Libraries.

Congratulations to the 2015 Magoon Excellence in Teaching Award recipients: Alden Black, Davide Guzzetti, Saad Tanvir, Andy Yu, and Prashanth Bangalore Venkatesh who have been selected to receive this Purdue College of Engineering award.

Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics congratulates Dr. Raymond R. Cosner (BSAAE'72; MSAAE'72) and Dr. Anthony Thornton (Ph.D.'92) on their selection as 2015 Distinguished Engineering Alumni. Dr. Cosner and Dr. Thornton will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, February 20, 2015 in the Purdue Memorial Union. A reception will follow in the School of AAE.

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels and NASA Official William Gerstenmaier (BSAAE'77; OAE'03; DEA'07) will discuss human space exploration on February 23, 2015 during a public conversation. The conversation, "Pathways to Space Exploration," will be from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. It is free and open to the public.

The Indiana Bicentennial Commission selected the Purdue University College of Engineering to design a torch--or set of torches--that will be used in an Olympic-style relay through the state's 92 counties, where torchbearers will visit population centers and points of interest. School of Aeronautics & Astronautics Professor Timothee Pourpoint's senior design class will create the Indiana Bicentennial torch.

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics professor Dr. John Sullivan will speak on February 19, 2015 in the collaborative four-part seminar series sponsored by Discovery Park and the College of Agriculture. His topic is "Agricultural Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles."

On December 5, 2014, people around the world watched with excitement and fascination as NASA successfully launched the Orion spacecraft. The test flight mission, lasting almost four and a half hours, took a spacecraft further into space than any manned vehicle since the Apollo missions over forty years ago. The crowd gathered to view the Orion launch in the early morning hours at Kurz Atrium in Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering was reminded yet again of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ enormous contributions to space exploration.

Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Beutner (BSAAE'87; OAE'07) and Dr. Alton D. Romig on their selection by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in the 2015 Class of AIAA Fellows and Honorary Fellows. They will be honored at an induction ceremony on May 6, 2015 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

As a part of ongoing collaborations, Gemini and Apollo astronaut, Dr. Buzz Aldrin was in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics to interact with Professor James Longuski's students. Dr. Aldrin spent time with the Advanced Astrodynamics Concepts research group and the students in the senior design course, AAE 450.