Purdue School of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Before Artemis II launched, Purdue's 27th astronaut Scott Tingle had one job: lose at cards.

As NASA's Chief of the Astronaut Office, Tingle sat down with the crew for a pre-launch card game, losing to each astronaut to absorb their bad luck before they boarded Orion for their journey around the Moon.

From launch-day traditions to frozen space toilets, Tingle's job is to make sure the humans' needs are given priority in every decision NASA makes.

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“I have come to believe that failures are just gifts.”

Audrey Powers (BS AAE ’99), Purdue’s 27th astronaut, shares how her first classroom setback shaped her approach to leading in human spaceflight operations. Failure isn’t the end. It is an opportunity to step back, learn, and try again.

Her advice to is to stay resilient.

Watch Audrey's full story here: https://buff.ly/ROJjyPw

She’s not going to space alone. 🚀

For AAE grad student Abigail Mizzi, every step toward the Purdue 1 mission has been shaped by the Boilermakers around her, from the mentors who challenged her to the students now helping bring her project to life.

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An AAE doctoral student helped to save this horse's vision! Sassy was seriously injured during a Michigan storm. She was brought to Purdue to treat the injuries to her face and skull.

After she was stabilized, Ece helped design and 3D-print a custom helmet to keep things in place during recovery, helping Sassy to heal properly and protecting her vision.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/5NjO2Ut

Dr. Shuting Yang, who earned her BS, MS and Ph.D. from Purdue AAE, is now teaching and inspiring future aerospace engineers at Tuskegee University. She was drawn to the university's strong support for hands-on learning – an educational goal that Purdue shares.

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“With every single one of these (mentors), ... they’ve all given me a feather to put in my wings to now fly.”

Abigail Mizzi (BSAAE ’25) was shaped by her experiences at Purdue: with her mentor, professor Steven Collicott, and clubs like Purdue SWE and Purdue Space Program.

Now she’s preparing to become the first-ever student to run a research experiment in space.

Read more about her story here: https://buff.ly/VbVXLjK

A research team led by professor Byron Pipes has published a paper studying the strength of carbon fiber reinforced polymers.

“Open-hole tensile behavior in 2×2 twill woven carbon fiber reinforced composites”, published in Materials Testing, Volume 68, Issue 6, examines how hole size and stacking sequence affect tensile strength. The study also evaluated three predictive strength models against experimental results.

Co-authors: R. Byron Pipes (John Bray Distinguished Professor of Engineering); Yelda Meyva Zeybek (former Purdue postdoc researcher); Kwanchai Chinwicharnam (MSAAE '22); and Gregory Bukata (MSME '22; MSAAE '23).

Read more here: https://buff.ly/CCtxIwu

AAE professor Jon Poggie is helping power a new immersive learning experience.

Virtual D-Day, developed by a Purdue-affiliated startup, is a historically grounded simulation of the World War II operation. The experience places learners in the middle of the events of D-Day and launched on Steam on June 2.

Read more here: https://buff.ly/4Ck4PSz

The new Hire Purdue connects alumni with students through job opportunities, mentorship and advocacy.

The Purdue Center for Career Opportunities launched this initiative to support the next generation of Purdue graduates. When alumni open doors, they help Boilermakers launch careers with confidence and continue the tradition of supporting one another across generations.

Together, we can Hire Purdue.

Learn more here: https://buff.ly/a42PUGF

West Lafayette is the best college town in Indiana.

WalletHub/Business Insider examined 30-plus metrics including affordability, social environment, and academic and economic opportunity to find that Purdue’s hometown is the best place to live out of all college towns in our state.

West Lafayette also ranks fourth among all U.S. small cities that are home to a college or university.

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