Jay Gephart, Al G. Wright Chair of Purdue Bands & Orchestras, Student Life
Gephart will discuss the arts and cultural experiences available at Purdue and share the vision for the future. This year, he established an arts and cultural alliance with representatives from the various arts organizations, cultural centers, and academic arts departments in Student Life and the College of Liberal Arts. They are working to strengthen the cohesiveness of Purdue’s arts and cultural areas and integrate the arts and culture across campus.
Gregory Fraley, Terry and Sandra Tucker Endowed Chair of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture
Jenna Schober, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, College of Agriculture
Nina Wilson, Graduate Research Assistant, College of Agriculture
Policy makers and consumers are demanding improved welfare for animal food, so Fraley, Schober, and Wilson will explain novel efforts to improve duck welfare through neuroscience and the development of AI to interpret duck language. Since birds are insulin resistant, they will also share the efforts to better understand nonclassical actions of insulin to benefit diabetes research.
Kasie Roberson, Clinical Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and Head of the Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute, Mitch Daniels School of Business.
Roberson will introduce a coaching mindset to help leaders communicate in ways that build ownership, strengthen trust, and elevate performance across teams. Explore how asking better questions, listening more intentionally, and guiding conversations differently can help others think more clearly, take greater responsibility, and grow in their roles. She will also highlight the Center for Working Well’s Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute, a new transformational student experience through the Mitch Daniels School of Business.
Sooyeon Jeong, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, College of Science
Jeong will present a series of research projects exploring how interactive AI technologies can support people through social and relational interaction. Some projects include the development of a social robot that enhances people’s psychological well-being in their homes and a multimodal approach to make a robot more empathetic. She will also discuss how robot technologies can be better designed to support older adults’ privacy and digital health literacy.
Rich Dionne, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance and Codirector of the Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering, College of Liberal Arts
Theater productions, theme-park experiences, escape rooms, and museum displays increasingly rely on complex engineering. Dionne will highlight the ways structural, mechanical, electrical, and control engineering impact the entertainment industry and share how Purdue is leading the charge to prepare students for the growing field of entertainment engineering.
Stephanie Thomovsky, Clinical Professor of Veterinary Neurology and Head of Small Animal Hospital Physical Rehabilitation, College of Veterinary Medicine
Thomovsky will share a case study of a clinical canine patient with neurological disease at the Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She will discuss performed diagnostics, surgical treatment, and disease recovery with physical therapy, showcasing the specific disease progress a veterinary student learns in the classroom and puts into clinical practice.
David Umulis, Senior Vice Provost for Indianapolis, Purdue University
Purdue’s expansion into Indianapolis is now in its third year and continues to grow a career-ready workforce for Indiana and the nation. Umulis will share updates on the strategic plan underway for the university’s growing presence in Indianapolis.
Michael Weber, Professor of Finance, Mitch Daniels School of Business
Weber will share how households form inflation expectations and why those expectations often differ from traditional economic models. Discover how personal experiences, information sources, and trust in institutions shape economic behavior and the effectiveness of monetary policy. Weber will also present global survey work conducted in collaboration with the Bank for International Settlements to improve economic models and guide more effective communication strategies for policymakers.
Mike Wendt, Department Head of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Wendt will explain how the immune system surveils the body to eliminate cancer cells and how tumor formation is a failure of surveillance mechanisms. He will discuss how current and developing anti-cancer therapies work to reactivate immunity against cancer.
Cherise Hall, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Purdue University
A Purdue education is in high demand, as is proven by the 80,000-plus undergraduate applications received annually. However, Purdue is at the bottom of the Big 10 for the percentage of Pell recipient students. Hall will discuss how a university fundraising strategy focused on Purdue’s financial accessibility can transform the recruitment and retainment of low-income students.
Xing Wang, Clinical Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods, Mitch Daniels School of Business
Wang will showcase how student teams partner with industry professionals to develop data-driven solutions for real business problems. She will highlight the integration of analytics, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement.
Steven Collicott, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
Collicott will explain the Purdue 1 spaceflight mission, including why this flight is ideal for many areas of science and how Purdue undergraduates are involved in experiments. He will highlight some of the unique opportunities and challenges they are facing when creating experiments to function in weightlessness. Collicott will also share the flight’s historic firsts, such as the first graduate student to fly to space to conduct their own thesis research.
Jay Gephart, Al G. Wright Chair of Purdue Bands & Orchestras, Student Life
Gephart will discuss the arts and cultural experiences available at Purdue and share the vision for the future. This year, he established an arts and cultural alliance with representatives from the various arts organizations, cultural centers, and academic arts departments in Student Life and the College of Liberal Arts. They are working to strengthen the cohesiveness of Purdue’s arts and cultural areas and integrate the arts and culture across campus.
Gregory Fraley, Terry and Sandra Tucker Endowed Chair of Poultry Science, College of Agriculture
Jenna Schober, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, College of Agriculture
Nina Wilson, Graduate Research Assistant, College of Agriculture
Policy makers and consumers are demanding improved welfare for animal food, so Fraley, Schober, and Wilson will explain novel efforts to improve duck welfare through neuroscience and the development of AI to interpret duck language. Since birds are insulin resistant, they will also share the efforts to better understand nonclassical actions of insulin to benefit diabetes research.
Kasie Roberson, Clinical Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management and Head of the Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute, Mitch Daniels School of Business
Roberson will introduce a coaching mindset to help leaders communicate in ways that build ownership, strengthen trust, and elevate performance across teams. Explore how asking better questions, listening more intentionally, and guiding conversations differently can help others think more clearly, take greater responsibility, and grow in their roles. She will also highlight the Center for Working Well’s Hayes Leadership Coaching Institute, a new transformational student experience through the Mitch Daniels School of Business.
Sooyeon Jeong, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, College of Science
Jeong will present a series of research projects exploring how interactive AI technologies can support people through social and relational interaction. Some projects include the development of a social robot that enhances people’s psychological well-being in their homes and a multimodal approach to make a robot more empathetic. She will also discuss how robot technologies can be better designed to support older adults’ privacy and digital health literacy.
Rich Dionne, Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance and Codirector of the Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering, College of Liberal Arts
Theater productions, theme-park experiences, escape rooms, and museum displays increasingly rely on complex engineering. Dionne will highlight the ways structural, mechanical, electrical, and control engineering impact the entertainment industry and share how Purdue is leading the charge to prepare students for the growing field of entertainment engineering.
Stephanie Thomovsky, Clinical Professor of Veterinary Neurology and Head of Small Animal Hospital Physical Rehabilitation, College of Veterinary Medicine
Thomovsky will share a case study of a clinical canine patient with neurological disease at the Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She will discuss performed diagnostics, surgical treatment, and disease recovery with physical therapy, showcasing the specific disease progress a veterinary student learns in the classroom and puts into clinical practice.
David Umulis, Senior Vice Provost for Indianapolis, Purdue University
Purdue’s expansion into Indianapolis is now in its third year and continues to grow a career-ready workforce for Indiana and the nation. Umulis will share updates on the strategic plan underway for the university’s growing presence in Indianapolis.
Michael Weber, Professor of Finance, Mitch Daniels School of Business
Weber will share how households form inflation expectations and why those expectations often differ from traditional economic models. Discover how personal experiences, information sources, and trust in institutions shape economic behavior and the effectiveness of monetary policy. Weber will also present global survey work conducted in collaboration with the Bank for International Settlements to improve economic models and guide more effective communication strategies for policymakers.
Mike Wendt, Department Head of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
Wendt will explain how the immune system surveils the body to eliminate cancer cells and how tumor formation is a failure of surveillance mechanisms. He will discuss how current and developing anti-cancer therapies work to reactivate immunity against cancer.
Cherise Hall, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Purdue University
A Purdue education is in high demand, as is proven by the 80,000-plus undergraduate applications received annually. However, Purdue is at the bottom of the Big 10 for the percentage of Pell recipient students. Hall will discuss how a university fundraising strategy focused on Purdue’s financial accessibility can transform the recruitment and retainment of low-income students.
Xing Wang, Clinical Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods, Mitch Daniels School of Business
Wang will showcase how student teams partner with industry professionals to develop data-driven solutions for real business problems. She will highlight the integration of analytics, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement.
Steven Collicott, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
Collicott will explain the Purdue 1 spaceflight mission, including why this flight is ideal for many areas of science and how Purdue undergraduates are involved in experiments. He will highlight some of the unique opportunities and challenges they are facing when creating experiments to function in weightlessness. Collicott will also share the flight’s historic firsts, such as the first graduate student to fly to space to conduct their own thesis research.
President’s Council // 765-494-9290 // pc@purdueforlife.org
Office of Special Events // 765-494-0900 // specialevents@purdueforlife.org
President’s Council // 765-494-9290 pc@purdueforlife.org
Office of Special Events // 765-494-0900 specialevents@purdueforlife.org
