Knowing the types of machines available at Bechtel Innovation Design Center and being familiar with how they work is fundamental to Purdue students’ projects; however, becoming an expert in a machine’s use in order to create only one piece for a class project seemed a bit excessive. Matthew Swabey, Bechtel’s director, needed a happy medium, so he enlisted Bechtel’s student employees, led by Anirudh Pal, to devise a solution.

Students, faculty and staff have been settling in to the Bechtel Innovation Design Center (BIDC), a state-of-the-art collaborative learning facility which opened in September 2017.

Collaborate to solve problems

The Bechtel Innovation Design Center gets students working together on projects

The center provides workspace for student projects to advance conceptual designs, build prototypes, and conduct product testing in a hands-on environment. Available 24/7 for Purdue innovators, it promotes teamwork, problem-solving, and collaboration for students in Purdue Polytechnic and the College of Engineering as they design, plan, and build capstone and other projects.

Explore the potential of your passions

Explore your interests with an undergraduate research experience

As a preteen building model airplanes in Portland, Tennessee, Evan Flatt wasn't aware of the potential for these planes to help collect scientific data. Now he is using his decade-long hobby to collect data for a $6.5 million research project for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Study in state-of-the-art labs

Visual Effects lab: first university in the country with a LightCraft Previzion System

Students produce videos with Hollywood-like production values right on campus. It's an educational experience matching what is used in industry — rather than one which only approximates what graduates might see on the job.