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Indiana is making a comeback from the recession, and a state university is helping lead the way, the university's president said Thursday.
Dr. Martin C. Jischke, president of Purdue University, spoke at a luncheon Thursday to Kiwanis and Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce members. Jischke was in Warsaw to learn more about the community and about local industry, especially the orthopedic industry.
As a land grant university, he said, Purdue focuses on learning, discovery and engagement.
"Everything we do is focused on meeting the needs of the state," he said. "So I'm here to learn what Purdue can do for you and for your community."
States that have the greatest chance of thriving in a global economy successfully have joined forces with research universities, Jischke said, and "Purdue is situated to be an engine for powering the economy in Indiana."
Of several important aspects of Indiana's economy, Warsaw's orthopedics industry is an example of the life sciences, he said. One out of nine jobs in Indiana is directly related to the life sciences-health care sector.
At Purdue's Discovery Park, an interdisciplinary research and education center, faculty and students are making advances in nanotechnology and biotechnology, he said, inventing more sensitive medical devices and stronger materials.
Biomedical research, which is expanding at Purdue, also is focusing on applying engineering to help solve health problems, he said, and the facility is attracting "first-rate faculty to the state of Indiana and attracting new business to the state."
Purdue also is in the forefront of developing new ways to use information technology to impact the state and country, he said, and applying digital technology to help solve societal problems.
By 2013, he said, health care spending in the United States is projected at approximately $3.4 trillion.
Delivery of health care can be made more economical and more streamlined, and Purdue researchers are working on improving safety and providing more efficient deployment of personnel, as well as streamlining procedures and health care systems.
Indiana's economy relies heavily on industry, and Purdue's Center for Advanced Manufacturing "helps Indiana manufacturers use high technology to drive their manufacturing," he said.
For example, Jischke said, Indiana is a major producer of hardwoods, but productivity is challenged, because when cutting hardwood trees, tools overheat and damage the lumber.
To help overcome this problem, a researcher in mechanical engineering at Purdue developed air-cooled cutting tools that cut faster and last twice as long as previous tools.
"That's an example of bringing technology to a traditional industry," he said.
Purdue also is making progress in transportation and logistics, as well as encouraging entrepreneurship for inventions made by students and faculty, so the technology and innovation will stay in the state.
Jischke, who came to Purdue in 2000 from Iowa State University, said, "I believe in Indiana. I have come to love this state, and I believe in its future. ... Purdue is a can-do university that can and will make all the difference for Indiana."
