Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships finish fourth year

Katie Bourman
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The annual two-month program allows students to work directly with Purdue faculty researchers and graduate students. This year a total of 176 students came from academic institutions including the University of Notre Dame, Indiana University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Pennsylvania.

Also participating were students from six historically black colleges and universities: Edward Waters College, Norfolk State University, Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, Morgan State University, Claflin University and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.

"We are especially pleased that 14 percent of our enrolled students were minorities and 30 percent were women," said Jay Gore, founder of the fellowship program and Purdue's associate dean of engineering for research and entrepreneurship and the Vincent P. Reilly Professor in Mechanical Engineering. "Also significant is the variety of students from overseas countries and universities."

Thirty-two international students came from India, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Canada and Austria. In addition, five students from West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School and Harrison High School participated in the program.

"The program utilizes research as a learning methodology in addition to introducing the participants to the possibilities of graduate education and research careers," Gore said. "The students often conduct interdisciplinary research in engineering, science and technology."

This year's research projects included:

• Developing a miniature refrigeration system to cool down computer components.

• Creating algorithms, or sets of mathematical formulas, for autonomous flight in an unmanned aerial vehicle.

• Designing a multi-spectral camera prototype that extends the effective resolution and quality of digital cameras and uses multi-spectral imaging technology.

• Researching new combustion-based methods of hydrogen development for fuel cells as portable power sources.

The fellowship program was founded in 2003 through a gift from Purdue alumnus Patrick Wang of Hong Kong. It was expanded with the help of additional sponsors, including Intel Foundation, Fluor, the National Science Foundation and DaimlerChrysler Corp.

Wang earned bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue in 1972. He serves as the chairman and CEO of Johnson Electric, the world's largest manufacturer of the types of small motors used to power equipment such as hair dryers, electric toothbrushes and electric car windows. He was named a Purdue Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer in 1998, a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 2001 and received an honorary doctorate from Purdue in 2004. He also is a member of the university's President's Council.

In addition, a gift from Fred Fehsenfeld Sr. of Indianapolis allowed 18 undergraduate students and one graduate student to focus on energy research. Fehsenfeld, who earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue in 1948 and an honorary Purdue degree in 1999, is the chairman of the executive committee of 26 companies collectively known as The Heritage Group.

He began his career as a process engineer with Rock Island Refining Corp. where he was responsible for construction of a catalytic cracker, commonly used in oil refining. In the late 1950s, he founded Asphalt Materials Inc., an asphalt processing firm. Since then, he has established a string of other enterprises related to petroleum refining, asphalt processing, construction, aggregate production and waste management. He received a distinguished alumnus award from Purdue's College of Engineering in 1991.

All students in the program receive a $1,000 per month stipend and attend weekly professional development and research methodology seminars in addition to their research activities.

Writer: Bethany Bannister-Andrews, (765) 494-2073, bbannister@purdue.edu

Source: Jay Gore, (765) 494-1452, gore@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2006/SURF-14.jpg

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