2nd Lt. Drake Ott

Meet 2nd Lt. Drake Ott, a perception engineer whose journey to the fast lane began with dual enrollment at Purdue University Northwest in 2018. “I joined the Purdue family in 2018 as a dual enrollment student,” he says, describing how an early start in engineering later paved the way for an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in electrical engineering and commissioning into the U.S. Army, Ott was drawn back to Purdue’s “high academic standing, world-class engineering, and rich military history.” Through the Purdue Military Research Institute and a connection with Professor Shreyas Sundaram, he found his place on the Purdue AI Racing Team—closing the loop on a path that came full circle.

Now a master’s student in electrical and computer engineering, Ott oversees LiDAR and RADAR systems, designing and optimizing algorithms that help the autonomous racecar detect rivals at speeds exceeding 150 mph. “My primary role on the Purdue AI Racing Team is a Perception Engineer,” he says, explaining how he processes terabytes of sensor data to keep the vehicle on track. He also foresees AI’s impact extending far beyond motorsports, noting that “AI becoming more reliable and prevalent can help the world in countless ways,” from improving farming methods to powering cutting-edge cars. In Ott’s words, the exciting future of physical AI is already here—and it’s being built at Purdue.