Dr. Bryan Boudouris, a Professor of Chemical Engineering and of Chemistry (by Courtesy) at Purdue University, has been selected to receive the American Physical Society's 2021 John H. Dillon Medal. Dr. Boudouris was selected for his "fundamental insights connecting polymer structure with charge transport in free radical conducting polymers, organic electronics, and functional block copolymers."

The Purdue College of Engineering named its 2020-2021 Engineering Fellows during a recent virtual event. Thanks to the generosity of benefactors Robert H. Buckman (BSChE '59) and his wife, Joyce A. Mollerup, five students each will receive a $10,000 gift upon graduation in 2021. Davidson School of Chemical Engineering student Christina Core, of Hudson, Ohio, is one of this year's recipients.

A research team led by Purdue University says it has found a way to make more efficient solar cells with materials previously thought to be too unstable for use. The dominant material used in solar cells is silicon, which Purdue Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Letian Dou says, in a recent Inside Indiana Business interview, is "pretty efficient" and has a reasonable cost, but is also very heavy. However, Dou says the new materials, called halide perovskites, are soft, flexible and "extremely cheap."

Purdue Chemical Engineering alumna Dr. Jennifer Sinclair Curtis has been elected as American Physical Society (APS) Fellow in the Division of Fluid Mechanics. Dr. Curtis is a 2013 Outstanding Chemical Engineer and a 2019 College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni.

Engineering isn't easy, and academic challenges can daunt undergraduate students, prompting them to leave the discipline. Student attrition tends to peak during the "sophomore slump." But a newly published study by Allison Godwin, associate professor of engineering education and, by courtesy, chemical engineering, CISTAR Workforce Development Co-Director; and Bryan Boudouris, professor of chemical engineering, demonstrates that this trend can be reversed. The research shows that redesigning a course to add cyber-assisted and active, collaborative learning can build students' motivation, confidence, and persistence – significantly boosting academic success.