III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 830 

Recognizing the 150th anniversary of Purdue University Engineering. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 

Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 150th anniversary of Purdue University 

Engineering. 

Whereas, in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Act 

of July 2, 1862 (commonly known as the ‘‘First Morrill 

Act’’) (12 Stat. 503, chapter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), 

which granted land to States that agreed to use the land 

to teach ‘‘agriculture and the mechanic arts’’; 

Whereas the Indiana General Assembly— 

(1) in 1865, voted to participate in the Act of July 

2, 1862 (commonly known as the ‘‘First Morrill Act’’) 

(12 Stat. 503, chapter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), and 

planned to build an institution; and 

(2) in 1869, chose Lafayette, Indiana, in Tippecanoe 

County, for the new institution, Purdue University; 


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Whereas, in 1874, the first engineering student at Purdue 

University began taking engineering classes with an engineering instructor; 

Whereas, in 1882, 1888, and 1904, Elwood Mead received 

degrees from Purdue University, and, in the 1930s, 

Elwood Mead directed the development of the Hoover 

Dam; 

Whereas, in 1891, the 85,000-pound test locomotive Schenectady, the original ‘‘Boilermaker Special,’’ arrived at Purdue University to be used in the first locomotive testing 

lab of its kind; 

Whereas Reginald Fessenden— 

(1) from 1892 to 1893, while at Purdue University, 

initiated experiments for wireless transmission of the 

human voice-radio; and 

(2) in 1900, succeeded in sending the first wireless 

transmission of the human voice-radio; 

Whereas, in 1921, Donovan Berlin graduated from Purdue 

University and later designed important World War II 

planes, the P–40 and P–36, the only numerous battleready fighters available in the United States at the outbreak of the war; 

Whereas, in 1921, Games Slayter graduated from Purdue 

University and later developed coarse fibers that facilitated the commercial production of the first fiberglass 

product; 

Whereas, in 1927, Roscoe George graduated from Purdue 

University and later, with colleague Howard Helm, became the inventor of all-electronic television receivers; 

Whereas, in 1929, Charles Ellis, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue University from 1934 to 1946, drew the 


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blueprint design for the Golden Gate Bridge and oversaw 

test borings for, and the surveying and setting of, the 

towers of the Golden Gate Bridge; 

Whereas, in 1933, Edward Purcell graduated from Purdue 

University and, in 1952, with Felix Bloch, won the Nobel 

Prize in Physics for finding a way to detect the extremely 

weak magnetism of the atomic nucleus; 

Whereas, from 1935 to 1937, Amelia Earhart was a visiting 

professor in the aeronautical engineering department of 

Purdue University; 

Whereas, in 1907 and 1948, John Atalla earned degrees from 

Purdue University and later co-developed the metal-oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistor, the most widely 

used type of integrated circuit in the world and the most 

manufactured human artifact in history; 

Whereas Iven C. Kincheloe, Jr.— 

(1) graduated from Purdue University in 1949; 

(2) in 1956, became the Air Force test pilot that 

flew the Bell X-2 to 126,000 feet, becoming the first person to reach space; and 

(3) was selected to fly the X-15 to become first citizen of the United States in space, but was killed in another test flight on July 26, 1958; 

Whereas, in 1947, 1948, 1950, and 1981, Robert C. Forney 

earned degrees from Purdue University and later led the 

development of many new polymeric resins, most notably 

Dacron polyester fiber; 

Whereas Virgil ‘‘Gus’’ Grissom— 

(1) graduated from Purdue University in 1950; 

(2) in 1959, was in the first group of astronauts in 

the United States; 


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(3) in 1961, was the second citizen of the United 

States in space, piloting Mercury-Redstone 4; 

(4) was the command pilot for Gemini 3, the first 

2-person space flight of the United States; and 

(5) would eventually die while serving the United 

States on January 27, 1967, in the Apollo 1 flash fire 

at Kennedy Space Center; 

Whereas, in 1955, Neil Armstrong graduated from Purdue 

University and later became the first person on the 

Moon; 

Whereas, in 1956, Gene Cernan graduated from Purdue University and became the last person to set foot on the 

Moon as of 2024; 

Whereas, in 1960, Paul McEnroe graduated from Purdue 

University and developed the globally ubiquitous barcode; 

Whereas, in 1969, Purdue University founded the Women in 

Engineering Program, a first-of-its-kind program in the 

United States and model for other universities that aimed 

to recruit women into the engineering field, and to help 

retain women while at the Purdue University campus; 

Whereas, in 1974, Les Geddes began a distinguished teaching 

and research career at Purdue University that spawned 

life-saving innovations including— 

(1) burn treatments; 

(2) miniature defibrillators; 

(3) ligament repair; and 

(4) tiny blood pressure monitors for premature infants; 

Whereas, in 1974, the Purdue University Black Society of 

Engineers invited every Black engineering society to a 

conference at Purdue University and, from that meeting, 


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the National Society of Black Engineers was created and 

became the largest student-managed organization in the 

United States, with more than 20,000 members and more 

than 790 chapters on college and university campuses; 

Whereas, Purdue University is known as the ‘‘Cradle of Astronauts’’, as 27 graduates of Purdue University have 

been selected for space travel and nearly 1⁄3 of United 

States spaceflights have included a graduate of Purdue 

University; 

Whereas, Purdue University is home to various academic programs that rank in the top 10 in the United States, including programs for— 

(1) agricultural and biological engineering; 

(2) industrial engineering; 

(3) aeronautics and astronautics; 

(4) civil engineering; 

(5) mechanical engineering; 

(6) electrical and computer engineering; and 

(7) environmental and ecological engineering; 

Whereas, as of 2024, Purdue University produces more than 

5 percent of engineering students in the United States, 

and continues to expand; and 

Whereas Purdue University has produced several Nobel Prize 

laureates, astronauts, and numerous ideas that have advanced humankind: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes— 

3 (A) the 150th Anniversary of Purdue Uni4 versity Engineering; 


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1 (B) the consequential impact that Purdue 

2 University Engineering, and other programs at 

3 Purdue University, have had on the United 

4 States and the world, due to the engineering re5 search, study, and feats of their graduates; 

6 (C) that Purdue University Engineering— 

7 (i) continues to provide nationally rec8 ognized programs for its students; and 

9 (ii) is a treasured resource for individ10 uals in the great State of Indiana, the 

11 United States, and the world; and 

12 (2) encourages individuals in the United States 

13 to celebrate Purdue University Engineering and its 

14 graduates on their accomplishments and contribu15 tions to the world. 

Æ 


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