The Merit Fund was started as a way for PESC to give back to the engineering community by providing monetary support for engineering organizations on campus. Through this award, the Council strives to encourage and facilitate the creation and implementation of a wide array of engineering related activities and programs that will have an impact on Purdue and the community.
If you are a Purdue Engineering Organization looking for sponsorship of one of your engineering-related events, please check back here on that date to download your application!
Spring Merit Fund 2012 Award Recipients:
Purdue Engineering Student Foundation: Funds were given to support the 2012 Engineering Expo. The event gives over 350 students in grades 6-12 the opportunity to experience engineering design and practices. Scholarships are also given to potential students to encourage them to pursue a Purdue engineering degree.
Purdue Space Day: Purdue Space Day is a free, hands-on, and action-packed day for students in grades 3-8. Students participate, depending on grade level, in 3 engineering activities and are given a presentation by a Purdue alumnus astronaut. This year, PSD was a huge success, hosting 570 grade school students and Purdue astronaut, Gary Payton.
Purdue Formula SAE: Sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers, this team competes annually in a competition at Michigan International Speedway. The competition consists of a variety of events involving not only racing, but also marketability, cost analysis, and other engineering design concerns.
High Altitude Balloon Team: The HAB team launches a meteorological weather balloon every semester to gather atmospheric data and understand radio communication technology with regards to high flying vehicles. The equipment traveling with the balloon consists of a variety of sensors that record pressure and temperature, among others. They also participate in the Intercollegiate High Altitude Balloon Competition at the University of Evansville.
Biomedical Engineering Society: The Fall 2012 BMES Lecture Series hosts distinguished biomedical engineers from industry and academia. The lectures given are highly influential to current BME students and first-year engineering students. The general public is also encouraged to attend.
Purdue American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers: Purdue ASABE members compete annually in the International Quarter Scale competition. Their tractor, built and assembled from scratch, is judged by various criteria including innovation, manufacturability, and ergonomics, along with performance in a tractor pull. Team members gain quality experience working on a team and performing engineering design.
Students for the Exploration and Development of Space Rocket: SEDS Rocket is a new division of SEDS that will be competing against other schools in a Rocket competition. Their rocket must fly to 10,000 feet and be equipped with at least 2 atmospheric sensors. The team gives participating members unique, technical experience.
IEEE ROV Team: The ROV team competes annually in the Marine Advanced Technology Education Center’s (MATE) International ROV competition. Team members construct a new Remotely Operated vehicle every year and must “sell” it to industry professionals at the competition. Their ROV this year is a piece of astounding complexity that can convey information about a shipwreck, extract oil from the wreckage, and even transport biological specimen away from the site. After the competition, the ROVs are used to promote STEM activities to younger students.
SEDS Lunabotics Team: The Lunabotics team is constructing a “Lunabot” for NASA’s Lunabotics Mining Competition. The team has each phase of design well planned and is poised to be successful. It is another newly formed project of SEDS and is a great opportunity for students to participate in a team to deliver a technical project.
Boiler Green Initiative: BGI strives to make Purdue’s campus environmentally friendly. They are planning on installing green roofs on Knoy Hall. Funds were given to support the equipment needed to collect data prior to the installation to ensure the most effective use of the green roofs.
Purdue Engineering Outreach: PEO is a new group founded last spring that focuses on teaching STEM concepts to younger students. Some of the activities they have in mind involve hands-on construction of bottle rocket launchers, crystal radios, and light bulbs, among others. They also aim to collaborate with other student organizations’ outreach programs to make outreach more effective.
Purdue American Society of Civil Engineers: Purdue ASCE competes annually in the ASCE Great Lakes Regional Conference. This year they will be competing in the Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, Environmental Design and Model Testing, and Land Surveying events along with a Technical Paper presentation. In preparation for this competition, members get to apply what they have learned in class to actual engineering design.
Spring Space Forum: Organized by SEDS, the Spring Space Forum hosts speakers from space industry and other fields who are knowledgeable about the opportunities and controversies of space. Students and community members are encouraged to participate in a question and answer session following the presentations.
Purdue Global Design Team – Hydropower Team: The Hydropower Team has modeled a hydro-turbine in Bangang, Cameroon that will supply roughly 1,000 homes with electricity and create around 100 new jobs in the community. This year, the team will be building a full-scale prototype for testing and the data obtained will be vital in planning the construction of the actual turbine, which is planned for May 2012.
Congratulations to all of these organizations! Keep up the good work!