On June 21, 2012, the Purdue Board of Trustees announced that Timothy D. Sands will serve as acting president of the university until January 2013 when Gov. Mitch Daniels becomes the 12th President of Purdue.

Dr. Ryan K. Roeder, associate professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been named the 2012 recipient of the Purdue University Outstanding Materials Science and Engineering (OMSE) Award for his demonstrated excellence in the area of biomedical applications of materials and his dedication and service to the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University.