Search
Loading
May 21st, 2017
The academic year has ended and summer is upon us. For our final From the Archives post until fall, we present a campus photo that fully embodies summer. Do you remember where on campus you could find this scene? What’s there now?
UPDATE:
This outdoor swimming pool was part of the Recreational Gymnasium, which was completed in 1957 and later renamed the Recreational Sports Center. The pool’s site west of the center now is occupied by the Morgan J. Burke Boilermaker Aquatic Center, which was completed in 2001 and adjoins the Co-Rec. The Co-Rec underwent a major renovation and expansion approved in 2008, and it was rededicated in 2012 as the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center.
Recreational Sports Center, circa 1960s
The pool photograph was taken on August 27, 1980, just as these students had arrived on campus for the academic year. Beyond the pool at right is the Purdue fire station, and across Third Street are Meredith and Shreve Residence Halls. Both are visible in the background of the full photo.
When the anniversary of this photo rolls around in three months, we’ll be back with more From the Archives.
Filed under: general, SPECMay 17th, 2017
Purdue University Libraries faculty and staff have been proud to host the “Big Ten Academic Alliance Collective Collection: Leveraging a Legacy to Shape Our Shared Future” conference this week at Purdue University. Below are tweets and images from the #BTAALib17, which began Tuesday morning at Purdue.
Highlights also include tweets and photos from the Tuesday evening reception in Purdue University’s new Wilmeth Active Learning Center. Conference attendees were among the first groups outside of Purdue to tour the new building.
Tuesday evening conference attendees were treated to a sneak peek inside the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center, which houses the Library of Engineering and Science, 27 classrooms designed for active learning (which will stay open after class hours to provide study space), data visualization and 3D printing resources, the Hiler Theater, group study rooms, computer work stations, 24/7 access (with Purdue University ID)… a few of the new building’s features.
The WALC, constructed on the former site of the Purdue Power Plant, which was used as a hands-on teaching facility for Purdue Engineering faculty and students, “represents the transformation of teaching and learning at Purdue.” The building features archival photographs of scenes from inside the former Power Plant. An audio tour (that can be experienced via an app on a mobile phone or through a website), which describes the murals and the artifacts showcased in the WALC, is an active learning resource that will be available when the building opens Aug. 7.
The 2013 article, “Full Steam Ahead,” in “Leadership” (“The Magazine of the Purdue President’s Council), demonstrates a vision for the place the Wilmeth Active Learning Center will hold in Purdue University’s history.
“Where once a smokestack stood — an iconic symbol of another era — soon a new a structure destined to be equally representative of its historical moment will rise on Purdue’s campus horizon: the [Wilmeth] Active Learning Center.”
The article also describes Libraries Dean Jim Mullins’ vision for the facility:
“The dean was an early and persistent champion of the concept of a new centrally located ‘learning commons’ — integrated with library facilities and services — that will further reinforce Purdue’s national leadership as an innovator in emerging trends in active learning and collaborative study needs. Research shows that library facilities remain the top destination to study for undergraduates at Purdue, Mullins says. And because information literacy is embedded in the new core curriculum, Libraries faculty play a greater role in instructing students how to locate, evaluate and judge information’s accuracy and value.”
Below are more tweets and photos of the #BTAALib17 attendees’ visit to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center.
May 15th, 2017
Purdue University Libraries Associate Professor and Head of the Health & Life Sciences Division Vicki Killion placed the first book on a shelf in the Library of Engineering and Science in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center Monday (May 15) morning.
Purdue University Libraries’ personnel from facilities and faculty and staff from the former separate Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; Physics; and Engineering libraries are working this week to merge the materials into the consolidated library in the new Wilmeth Active Learning Center.
The new building opens to the public Aug. 7.
More information about about the newly consolidated library and new building is available at blogs.lib.purdue.edu/news/2017/04/27/walc-move-faqs/.
Below are some photos of the first books moved into the Library of Engineering and Science, as well as a few photos of the inside of the building.
May 15th, 2017
A May 11 post from the Purdue Physical Facilities Communications alerts pedestrians to the construction projects near the Bell Tower. Various sidewalks and walkways around the Bell Tower, Wilmeth Active Learning Center, Brown Laboratory of Chemistry, Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry, and Stanley Coulter Hall remain closed for ongoing work in the area.
Nearby construction impacts can be viewed in a “Sidewalk closures by POTR, ME, and EE facilities continue.”
Follow Physical Facilities’ news feed at www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/index.html.
Questions may be directed to Rustin Meister, senior project manager, at (765) 496-9477 or rrmeister@purdue.edu.
Filed under: Alerts: ExpiredMay 7th, 2017
Graduation is almost upon us, so what better time to look back at other graduations in Purdue’s past? Here you can see Purdue students proceeding to their graduation ceremony, but can you tell where and when this photo was taken? What clues led you to your answers? Share your ideas in the comments and check back on Thursday for the reveal!
UPDATE:
On Tuesday, June 11, 1929, Purdue’s graduating class lined up on Memorial Mall and marched as a group to Memorial Gymnasium for a 9:00 AM ceremony. This photo, taken from the second story of Memorial Gym, shows their approach across the railroad tracks that led to the Power Plant in the center of campus. The former Purdue Hall is visible in the background. Family and friends gathered along the path to cheer on the soon-to-be graduates and the Purdue Military Band provided musical accompaniment for the ceremony. More than 600 students received their degrees that day.
The inside of Memorial Gym, set up for the 1929 graduation ceremony.
This was a tough one! Congratulations to all who participated!
Filed under: general, SPECMay 5th, 2017
Today (Friday, May 5), the Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS); Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will close at 5 p.m; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6. The libraries are moving to the newly consolidated Library of Engineering and Science in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, which will open Monday, Aug. 7.
More information is available at blogs.lib.purdue.edu/news/2017/04/27/walc-move-faqs/.
Filed under: Alerts: ExpiredMay 5th, 2017
Today and this weekend will be one that is bittersweet for many on the Purdue University campus–and especially so for many in Purdue University Libraries.
Many students are wrapping up their final exams and will soon head home for the summer, leaving their college lives behind for a time. Those who are graduating next week are preparing for commencement and are likely looking toward their new lives in the work world or in advanced degree programs.
And, here in Purdue Libraries, today and tomorrow, we are closing the buildings of six of our libraries–to start the process of the move to the new Wilmeth Active Learning Center (photo above).
The newly consolidated Library of Engineering and Science, along with the many active learning resources available in the Wilmeth Center, will officially open to the public Monday, August 7.
Information about the individual libraries that are closing, as well as for Purdue Libraries’ users, is just below.
Today (Friday, May 5), the Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS); Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will close at 5 p.m; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6.
The libraries that will remain open during the move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center include:
From May 7-June 11, Purdue Libraries’ users who need materials from the closed libraries can search for and retrieve materials by using the secure Interlibrary (ILL) System or UBorrow. An active Purdue Career ID is required for login. You will be notified when the material you requested is ready for pick up at the ILL Office in the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library or is ready for download. For currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars, we deliver the research material you need to your desktop or office quickly and efficiently.
From June 12 through the opening of the WALC (August 7), users will be able to submit requests for the materials located in the closed locations and pick up their materials from an open library of their choosing. After the WALC opens, materials in the closed libraries can still be requested in the Libraries catalog and will be delivered to an open library of their choosing. Office and desktop delivery for currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars will continue.
Here’s to the future, Purdue!
Filed under: CHEM, general, LIFE, PHAR, PHYS, PSET, Uncategorized, WALC
May 2nd, 2017
This release was written and first appeared online by Purdue News Service on May 1, 2017.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new book series from Purdue University Press will explore cutting-edge topics in aeronautics and astronautics enterprises, tell unique stories from the history of flight and space travel and contemplate the future of human space exploration and colonization.
The series, “Purdue Studies in Aeronautics and Astronautics,” will be edited by James R. Hansen, author of “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong” (Simon & Schuster, 2005, 2012). Hansen, the authorized biographer of Neil A. Armstrong, in 2008 donated 55 hours of one-on-one tape-recorded interviews with the famed astronaut to the Purdue University Libraries’ Division of Archives and Special Collections. “First Man” spent three weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. A new edition of “First Man,” from Simon & Schuster, is planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing.
“I am thrilled to edit such an innovative series for the Purdue University Press,” Hansen said. “These titles will build on past titles from Purdue and showcase Purdue’s deep connection with space travel and innovation.”
The first title to be released in the series is “Piercing the Horizon: The Story of Visionary NASA Chief Tom Paine,” by Sunny Tsiao.
The book delivers new insights into the behind-the-scenes drama of the space race. Tsiao examines how Paine’s days as a World War II submariner fighting in the Pacific shaped his vision for the future of humankind in space. The book tells of how Paine honed his skills as a pioneering materials engineer at the fabled postwar General Electric Co. in the 1950s, to his dealings inside the halls of NASA and with U.S. presidents Johnson, Nixon and later, the Reagan and Bush administrations.
As robotic missions begin leaving Earth, Tsiao invites the reader to take another look at the plans that Paine articulated regarding how America could have had humans on Mars by the year 2000 as the first step to the exploration of deep space. “Piercing the Horizon” provides provocative context to current conversations on the case for reaching Mars, settling our solar system and continuing the exploration of space.
“This series on aeronautics and astronautics that span from science and engineering to policies and the human spirit will inspire the next generation of pioneers, explorers, and champions to dream and achieve the impossible. I cannot think of a better person to lead this exciting series than Jim Hanson,” said Tom Shih, head of the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue.
The series builds on Purdue University Press’s recent successful titles, such as “Calculated Risk: The Supersonic Life and Times of Gus Grissom,” by George Leopold (Purdue, 2016), and “Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA’s Record-Setting Frequent Flyer,” by Jerry Ross with John Norberg (Purdue, 2013).
“An international research center and aeronautics and astronautics program like ours, with such a rich tradition and such active ongoing research, deserves a fine publishing program. It will not only celebrate our institutional and national heritage, but also our human heritage and, indeed, bring important new thinking to new audiences,” said Peter Froehlich, director of Purdue University Press.” Our team is excited to be working with Jim Hansen on this new series for Purdue.”
Writer: Megan Huckaby, 765-496-1325, mhuckaby@purdue.edu
Sources: Peter Froehlich, 765-494-8251, pfroehli@purdue.edu
Tom I-P. Shih, tomshih@purdue.edu
James Hansen, hansejr@auburn.edu
April 27th, 2017
Purdue University’s newest building, the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), is on schedule to open to the public Monday, August 7.
After the end of the spring 2017 semester, the facility will consolidate six of the nine science libraries to form the Library of Engineering and Science in one location at the heart of campus. The WALC houses 27 collaborative active learning classrooms and will be a daily academic destination for approximately 5,000 Purdue students and faculty. (Read more about the background of the facility at www.lib.purdue.edu/walc/.)
After finals week (May 1-5), Libraries faculty and staff in the Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS); Engineering; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will begin the process of moving books and materials from their current locations on the West Lafayette campus to the new WALC or to other locations. The Chemistry; EAPS; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will close at 5 p.m. Friday, May 5; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6.
Below are some FAQs about the process of the six libraries moving to the new facility.
Q. Will the materials in the EAPs; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries be accessible during the move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center?
A. From May 7-June 11, Purdue Libraries’ users who need materials from the closed libraries can search for and retrieve materials by using the secure Interlibrary (ILL) System or UBorrow. An active Purdue Career ID is required for login. You will be notified when the material you requested is ready for pick up at the ILL Office in the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library or is ready for download. For currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars, we deliver the research material you need to your desktop or office quickly and efficiently.
From June 12 through the opening of the WALC (August 7), users will be able to submit requests for the materials located in the closed locations and pick up their materials from an open library of their choosing. After the WALC opens, materials in the closed libraries can still be requested in the Libraries catalog and will be delivered to an open library of their choosing. Office and desktop delivery for currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars will continue.
For questions, please contact the ILL Office at ill@purdue.edu or via phone at (765) 494-2800.
Q. Which libraries facilities will be open during the move to the WALC?
A. The libraries that will remain open during the move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center include the:
Q. What will the new WALC have to offer?
A. The Library of Engineering and Science in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center will consolidate six engineering and science libraries. The new facility also blends and integrates centrally scheduled active learning classrooms, library/information services, formal study spaces, collaborative work areas, and informal learning spaces. During the class day, 40 percent of the center will be library/study spaces, which, at the end of the class day, during the evening and throughout the night, expand to nearly the entire building. This flexibility of classroom/study/learning space allows for greater building efficiency. Date visualization and 3D printing resources will also be available once the building has opened for use.
In addition, the Reading Room provides a spectacular view of Purdue’s iconic clock tower, and an Au Bon Pain café and bakery will provide food services on the first floor and will open onto the patio adjacent to the building.
Q. After the Wilmeth Active Learning Center opens in August, how many libraries will be open on the West Lafayette Campus?
A. Below is a list of the libraries on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus before and after the WALC:
| Before WALC | After WALC |
| Archives and Special Collections | Archives and Special Collections |
| Aviation Technology | Aviation Technology |
| Black Cultural Center | Black Cultural Center |
| Chemistry | Engineering and Science |
| Earth, Atmospheric, Planetary Sciences (EAPS) | Hicks Undergraduate |
| Engineering | Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) |
| Hicks Undergraduate | Mathematical Sciences |
| Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) | Parrish Management and Economics |
| Life Sciences | Veterinary Medical Library |
| Mathematical Sciences | |
| Parrish Management and Economics | |
| Pharmacy, Nursing, Health | |
| Physics | |
| Veterinary Medical Library |
Q. What are the libraries’ hours for the remainder of the Spring 2017 semester and the Summer 2017 sessions?
A. The hours of each of Purdue University Libraries are listed at www.lib.purdue.edu/hoursList.
After finals week, Libraries faculty and staff in the Chemistry; EAPS; Engineering; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will begin the process of moving books and materials from their current locations on the West Lafayette campus to the new WALC or to other locations. The Chemistry; EAPS; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Physics Libraries will close at 5 p.m. Friday, May 5; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6.
Note: After the Fall 2017 semester begins, the WALC will remain open 24 hours per day (with PUID card swipe), and, as of Sunday, Aug. 20, the Hicks Undergraduate Library will no longer be open 24 hours per day.
In addition, the Hicks Undergraduate Library’s basement, which includes two IMPACT classrooms, B848 and B853, will close Saturday, May 6. Hicks Library users will no longer be able to access the basement of Hicks (which is one level below the ground floor, or “underground” library) after that date (May 6) until further notice.
Filed under: general, LIFE, PHYS, press_release, PSET, UncategorizedApril 25th, 2017
Last Friday, a project that Purdue University Libraries Assistant Professor Ilana Stonebraker has been working on for the last couple of months culminated with 14 teams of Purdue Univeristy students competing in the Krannert School of Management. The project was the PowerShift Case Competition and was sponsored by Accenture, the Jane Brock-Wilson Women in Management (WIM) Center, Purdue Libraries, and the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence.
“Our goal for the competition was to bring discussion of gender issues into the competitive environment of the case competition and encourage students to base their practice in management research,” explained Stonebraker, who co-developed the competition and is a Business Information Specialist at Purdue Libraries and an affiliated faculty member with the WIM Center.
For the inaugural contest, which was held in the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics, students were asked to research a Harvard Business Review Case that focused on a case of gender discrimination in a law firm. During the competition, student teams offered strategies for managing the fallout of the discrimination and presented plans for future implementation of gender-equal policies at the firm. The winners of the PowerShift Case Competition were named after the daylong event and included:
Judges for the PowerShift Competition included: Julia Hipps (formerly of Eli Lilly), Jacqueline Lemke (BASi), Patrick Mosher (Mosher Enterprises), Tom Puterbaugh (formerly of Spensa Technologies), Nina Swanson (PayPal), Heather Howard (Purdue Libraries), Michael Flierl (Purdue Libraries), Ilana Stonebraker (Purdue Libraries), and Cara Putman (Krannert).
For more information about the Jane Brock-Wilson Women in Managment Center, visit www.krannert.purdue.edu/centers/women-in-management/home.php. Learn more about Purdue Libraries at www.lib.purdue.edu.
Filed under: faculty_staff, general, Uncategorized