Heat pumps are quickly overtaking traditional heating systems in American homes, as they are more efficient and environmentally friendly. But without a proper control system, they could spike your electricity bills. Purdue University researchers have demonstrated a novel predictive control system for heat pumps, which has the potential to reduce electricity usage by about 20% and save homeowners an average of $300 every year.

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Arezoo Ardekani, professor of mechanical engineering, to its College of Fellows.

David Tree served as a professor and researcher at Purdue’s Herrick Labs for nearly 50 years. Now, some of his former students have created an endowment in his name to support future graduate students in mechanical engineering.

As a flame changes shape by the millisecond, its heat release and stability are affected. Galen King and Dustin Cruise have created patent-pending methods to dynamically manipulate a flame — from stable to oscillating to agitated — using electric fields and electrode configurations to control its heat release.

Playing for a Big Ten championship basketball team is a huge commitment. But so is studying mechanical engineering! Purdue men's basketball player Chase Martin has found a way to combine these two pursuits — conducting a research project on the biomechanics of the perfect free throw.

In this episode of the official “This Is Purdue” podcast, we’re talking to Jennifer Rumsey, Chair and CEO of Cummins Inc. Jennifer discusses her experience as a Purdue mechanical engineering student and how that led her to four internships with Cummins during her Boilermaker journey. Her story is unique because not many people can say they interned for a company and later served in the most senior role — Chair and CEO — of that same company.

What if components in aircraft could morph in response to their external conditions, much like a bird changes the shape of its wings? Inspired by these natural phenomena, Andres Arrieta is developing morphing systems for hypersonic vehicles that respond to their environment.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S. Hector Gomez is building computer models that can predict the recurrence of this cancer 15 months sooner than standard methods.

For nearly a decade, Xiulin Ruan and his research group have been at the forefront of how phonons interact with each other in materials. Now his team has worked with machine learning expert Guang Lin to develop a new computing method for predicting and modeling four-phonon scattering more quickly.

There is a lot happening at Zucrow Labs, the world's largest academic propulsion lab, including a $73 million addition that will transform the 24-acre campus. Learn more in Zucrow's annual report.