In this special edition of This Is Purdue, we’re featuring our journey to find and award the 10 Boilermakers who entered the Old Golden Ticket Vaccination Drawing. Students who submitted valid proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 15 were randomly selected to win the ‘Golden Ticket’ - $9,992 - the equivalent of a year’s undergraduate tuition cost for an in-state Boilermaker since 2013. Listen in as the Purdue University Marketing and Communications team highlights the beh...
Aug 05, 2021•34 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of This Is Purdue, David Boudia, the most decorated Purdue University Diving Olympian, joins us. David shares his gold medal-winning journey, and how adversity has helped shape him into the athlete and person he is today. He also discusses his role in the HBO Sports documentary The Weight of Gold, which explores the mental health challenges that Olympic athletes often face. Hear why David says depression doesn’t discriminate, and why it was important for elite athletes to help sh...
Jul 22, 2021•27 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of This Is Purdue, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, Xiulin Ruan, discusses his newest invention – ultra-white paint. In an effort to curb global warming, Xiulin and his team created the whitest white acrylic paint, which reflects 98.1 percent of sunlight and deflects infrared heat, allowing buildings to cool below the surrounding air temperature. Listen in as Xiulin shares his surprise at the amount of attention the invention received, not only in the sci...
Jul 08, 2021•25 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of This Is Purdue, two of Purdue University’s commencement leaders join us to discuss Purdue’s first outdoor commencement ceremony at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue has been hosting commencement at the iconic Elliott Hall of Music since the 1940s. But – like a lot of things in 2020 – COVID-19 changed that. Lesa Beals, senior associate registrar, and Chris Pass, senior assistant registrar, share highlights from the 2021 Spring commencement, Purdue’s first in-person ceremony since the pa...
Jun 24, 2021•26 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Purdue University’s official podcast, This is Purdue, we’re joined by a very special guest. Listen in as Purdue University President Mitch Daniels discusses his decision to fully open the University amidst a pandemic and communicate this to the world back in 2020. Plus, President Daniels talks about what he missed most during the past school year, what he’s looking forward to this Fall (Hint: It involves Purdue Athletics), and his favorite IndyCar driver. You don't want to mis...
Jun 10, 2021•33 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of This is Purdue, Shatoya Ward, founding principal at Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) Englewood in Indianapolis, discusses how PPHS is reinventing the traditional high school experience, and her excitement for the school’s first graduating class of seniors. PPHS – now with three locations – was created to build new K-12 pathways that lead to Purdue, especially for Indiana students who are underserved by traditional high schools and underrepresented in higher education. You...
May 27, 2021•37 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Data touches everything. But unlocking its full potential requires a data-fluent generation. Enter The Data Mine, a living-learning community uniting students, faculty, researchers and industry leaders to take the next giant leap in data science at Purdue University. In this episode of This is Purdue, Mark Daniel Ward, director of The Data Mine and a professor of statistics, explains how this initiative was created, the importance of it being a learning-by-doing model, and how the team plans to ...
May 13, 2021•25 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast An Associate Professor of Planetary Science at Purdue University, Briony Horgan is also one of the tactical science leads for NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover. She is examining the Mars landscape through a rover camera called Mastcam-Z - which she helped design for this mission. Talk about a Boilermaker who is taking Giant Leaps! Listen in as Briony discusses what the team of scientists on this mission is looking for on the Red Planet, and what being a part of Purdue’s community means to her.
Apr 29, 2021•18 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of This is Purdue, we’re talking to Dr. Esteban Ramirez, Chief Medical Officer for the Protect Purdue Health Center - the 24/7 virtual health center dedicated to all things COVID-19-related for the Purdue community. Listen in as we discuss how the Protect Purdue initiative assisted in getting 50,000 students, faculty and staff to return to campus safely, and why student culture has played a crucial role in Purdue’s success this year.
Apr 15, 2021•25 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast This is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University, highlights stories about Boilermakers from across all disciplines, who through research, innovation and determination, have persistently pursued their next giant leap. Hosted by Purdue University alum, Brian Lamb School of Communication graduate, and Indiana native Kate Young, This is Purdue aims to examine all of the incredible accomplishments of Boilermakers and their contributions to the world. Join us every other Thursday as we inte...
Apr 08, 2021•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we discover more about Purdue Polytechnic High School and how it is providing a pathway to Purdue for underrepresented minority students.
Mar 15, 2021•9 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast A cutting-edge, student-run organization, Purdue University’s Solar Racing Club has been building solar cars for 30 years. In time, the group has grown into a thriving, innovative collegiate solar car team, building multiple vehicles and competing in national and international events. Let’s meet some of the group’s standout students who help promote the possibilities of sustainable transportation. The Women in Engineering Program at Purdue University helps girls and women discover their inner en...
Mar 01, 2021•6 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Active on campus since the early 1960s, Purdue University’s Hockey Club enjoys the enthusiastic support of students, alumni and sponsors. As a Division 3, ACHA collegiate-level organization, the Boilermakers compete within the Indiana Collegiate Hockey Conference. Skilled competitors on the ice, the club’s dedicated members play their home games at either the Fuel Tank in Fishers or Pop Weaver Ice Arena in Indianapolis. They share their passion for the sport with us here. Representing Purdue Uni...
Jan 28, 2021•6 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Purdue University students continue to put their design expertise to groundbreaking use. In this installment of “This Is Purdue,” we talk with Professor John Sullivan from Aeronautics and Astronautics, along with some talented engineering students who recount their travels to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. While there, they set out to break a speed record using a cutting-edge vehicle they designed and built as a team. Through more than 1,000 student organizations covering diverse interests, ...
Jan 18, 2021•9 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Dedicated in 2008, the 8-foot-tall “Unfinished Block P” sculpture on Purdue University’s campus serves as a permanent reminder that one’s educational journey never ends – that learning, in essence, is a lifelong process. The bronze sculpture, cast to appear as if it were carved out of stone, was a collaborative effort between artists Rita and Rick Hadley, University officials and members of the Iron Key honorary that works anonymously each year on a service project benefiting Purdue. We take a c...
Jan 04, 2021•8 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast The Purdue University campus is home to a diverse collection of sculptures — one that includes statues of individuals who have inspired students to commissioned pieces by internationally renowned artists. In this edition of “This Is Purdue,” we turn the spotlight on several of these noteworthy landmarks — from the Bell Tower and Continuum to a student-favorite fountain, a statue honoring a legendary astronaut, and the beloved bronze Boilermaker that greets loyal fans to Purdue athletic competiti...
Dec 21, 2020•12 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast A grand tradition at Purdue University, the PMO Christmas Show ushers in each holiday season through the gift of song. Due to safety concerns surrounding COVID-19, this year’s 87th annual show, aptly titled “A Different Kind of Christmas,” takes place virtually December 19th and will showcase your favorite PMO musical ensembles. William Griffel, the Albert P. Stewart Director of Purdue Musical Organizations, joins us for a behind-the-scenes look at this free virtual event. No holiday season woul...
Dec 07, 2020•8 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast This is not your parents’ Purdue. When it comes to the way people learn, Purdue continues to push the boundaries and define the standard. Purdue’s 164-thousand-square-foot Wilmeth Active Learning Center is much more than another beautiful red-brick building on campus. A decade in the planning, its 2017 opening represented a transformation in the way Purdue students learn. Another massive structure that has upped the Boilermakers’ game — literally — is Purdue’s state-of-the-art Football Performan...
Nov 11, 2020•13 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast The latest edition of “This Is Purdue” highlights two University celebrations. We begin our podcast with details regarding the various festivities surrounding Giant Leaps at Home – Purdue’s virtual 2020 Homecoming. We then spotlight the 25th birthday of our beloved Purdue Bell Tower with on-campus events that took place this fall. Please note: Bruce Baker will unfortunately not be able to perform during the Virtual Homecoming. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Nov 03, 2020•10 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Discover more about the Purdue Hurling Club and the Purdue Twirling Team.
Oct 22, 2020•10 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we discover more about the Purdue All-American Marching Band and the Reamer Club. Listen in!
Oct 08, 2020•10 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, you'll hear about the Purdue CoRec and Sports Nutrition.
Sep 23, 2020•12 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we will learn more about Purdue Professors Michele Buzon and Randy Roberts. These stories originally aired as part of the Boiler Bytes series.
Sep 09, 2020•16 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we will learn more about the Founding of Purdue and the Wooden Jersey. These stories originally aired as part of the Boiler Bytes series.
Aug 28, 2020•17 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we will discover more about the Purdue Varsity Glee Club and Purdue’s Center for Global Soundscapes.
Aug 14, 2020•16 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of This is Purdue, you will hear about two aviation legends from the Purdue family, Neil Armstrong and Amelia Earhart.
Jul 20, 2020•28 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Today on This is Purdue you will hear about two nostalgic parts of Purdue’s history. First you will learn about Purdue’s most famous celebrity. This honor goes to Purdue’s “unofficial mascot”, Purdue Pete! This segment reveals some memories of multiple alumni that wore the Purdue Pete costume over the years. Dr. John Note was one of the first people to wear the Purdue Pete costume and is the first guest on today’s episode. The host explains how “Arthur Evans’ design is a powerful homage to Boile...
Jul 06, 2020•21 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Jonathon Day, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, is studying how to strike a balance for making tourism sustainable for future generations. Day says that sustainable tourism is about looking after economics, culture and environment to benefit communities.
Jun 22, 2020•13 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Today on This is Purdue, Olivea McCollins talks to Ananth Iyer and Ellen Kossek about situations that are facing many of us today. Anath Iyer is the Susan Bulkeley Butler Chair in Operations Management at the Krannert School of Management and Ellen Kossek is the Basil S. Turner Professor at Purdue University's Krannert School of Management.
Jun 01, 2020•23 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast A Purdue entomologist talks about why we need mosquitoes even though most of us would prefer they go away ... and how to keep them from biting us during the summer months. And, a food science expert answers questions about whether we can trust the fresh fruits and vegetables in our produce section during the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 18, 2020•16 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast 
