Since 2018, Purdue Polytechnic faculty have been collaborating to explore the intersection between learning and work within the context of technology. Through new approaches to education and workforce training and development, their ongoing “Future Work and Learning” research aims to empower employees to take charge of their careers and become active, successful professionals and members of society.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Vetria Byrd and a multidisciplinary research team received a five-year $15 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish I-GUIDE, a new institute for geospatial data-driven scientific research.

Since 2018, scientists in Purdue Polytechnic’s strategic research impact areas have been working to solve challenges in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure that affect global economics, security and health. Faculty members in the Holistic Safety and Security team are building on research that has received national attention and funding.

Purdue Polytechnic instructors in the School of Construction Management Technology found innovative ways to teach the business of construction management to Purdue students during the pandemic. Their creative tactics included video classes, virtual presentations and cross-departmental collaborations, which earned them Purdue’s award for Exceptional Teaching and Instructional Support.

Students studying in Purdue Polytechnic’s virtual product integration program with Rosemary Astheimer are gaining experience with CADIQ, software that identifies differences in the 3D product models that students create compared to the models they were assigned to replicate.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Rosemary Astheimer has published a new book. “Model-Based Definition in the Product Lifecycle” explores how industry benefits from using 3D CAD (computer-aided design) models during the process of designing and manufacturing products. A model-based definition (MBD) reduces human error and helps ensure all stakeholders are working from the latest data.

Computer graphics technology students in Purdue Polytechnic who are learning about model-based design now have access to software that optimizes their designs for manufacturing, just as many of them might need to do during future careers in industry. The software takes a CAD (computer-aided design) model and optimizes it to reduce weight while still meeting the strength criteria required for it to perform its function.

Purdue Polytechnic’s Design and Innovation Challenge, a showcase for students to incorporate human-centered design during the creation of working prototypes of new products, went virtual in 2020.

A new, patented technique being developed by Yingjie “Victor” Chen and his research team could make visualization of big spatial data sets easier and more concise.

Victor Chen, assistant professor of computer graphics technology, specializes in information visualization. He converts abstract data into images which are complex yet understandable. Each graphic Chen creates is as individual as its underlying data, with the resulting images resembling elegant, mechanical snowflakes.