R. Byron Pipes, NAE, is the John Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering and executive director of the Composites Manufacturing & Simulation Center (CMSC) at Purdue. Purdue Engineering Review sat down with him for a talk about his life in engineering. Why are you so keen on composite materials? …

Digital agriculture refers to the use of digital technologies — including sensing, communications and computing — to help make modern production agriculture more efficient and sustainable. Primarily, when we identify the benefits of digital agriculture, we are thinking of improving the use of such basic resources as land and water…

The nuclear industry is embarking on a transformation that will result in a more reliable and efficient new generation of advanced reactors, the success of which eventually will determine its future. …

CO2 emissions are a big number composed of a lot of smaller numbers that add up to the totality of the problem. The goal — with participation from every sector those emissions come from — is to, by the year 2050, reduce overall emissions and limit average temperature growth to…

When most people see UI, they think user interface. However, it also stands for underground infrastructure — or what is commonly known in the field as buried assets. These underground lines are truly lifelines, providing the essentials of modern human life, such as water, energy, transportation and telecommunications. Yet they’ve…

The havoc and tragedy wrought by the coronavirus pandemic remind us of the perils of an unchecked virus infecting the world. One reason why it’s difficult to quickly design and manufacture effective antiviral treatments, especially for novel viruses, is the lack of a systems-level understanding of the viral mechanisms that…

What happens when two spacecraft collide? At orbital velocities of more than 17,000 miles per hour, collisions of space vehicles in low-Earth orbit are high-energy events that create thousands of pieces of shrapnel, similar to the breakup of a racecar when it hits a track wall. The shrapnel then spreads…

Imagine if you could build a time machine for medicine, turning back the clock to watch how cells with genetic mutations begin their nefarious path to invasive disease. …

Single-use plastic packaging won’t win any popularity contests these days: One survey of 28 countries found that 3 out of 4 people agree that plastic bags, straws and water bottles should be banned. A bipartisan bill introduced by members of both the U.S. Senate and House has put forth the…