WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — TEDxPurdueU, Purdue University's independently run TED organization, will host its second Salon event, "Back to the Future: Tomorrow's Technology Today," at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Room 224. The event is free and open to the public.

Looking 10 years ahead, what will future technology have in store for us? Purdue professors, current Purdue students and recent graduates will spark discussion about innovation and how the latest technology will shape our future. Through storytelling, the speakers will discuss the motivation behind the technologies they have developed and how they will help transform agriculture, energy infrastructure and the way we live.

Austin Deardorff, co-founder of Aerial Agriculture LLC

Deardorff is a senior in mechanical engineering at Purdue. Austin previously worked for Zimmer Biomet, a company that manufactures biomedical devices such as knee and hip replacements, before starting his own company. In 2015, he co-founded Aerial Agriculture to build drones in-house to capture specialized multispectral images of the entire crop fields. This technology helps reduce farming-related costs while increases agricultural production.

Eckhard A. Groll, Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Groll also serves as director of the Office of Professional Practice at Purdue. Groll received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Hannover in Germany. His research focuses on the application of fundamental thermal sciences to energy conversion systems, components, and their working fluids. Groll will talk about the net-zero energy RENEWW house, in West Lafayette, that he and his research team have been working on. The systems in the house are powered by clean and renewable energy by converting heat waste from appliances and "gray water" from showers and sinks.

Vilas G. Pol, associate professor of chemical engineering

Pol earned his Ph. D. in chemistry from Bar-Ilan University of Israel. Prior to coming to Purdue, he worked as a material scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, focusing on improving electrode materials and designing their surface architecture for superior, long-lasting rechargeable batteries. He continues his research work at Purdue where he leads a team dedicated to advancing commercial energy storage technology. Pol will talk about his team's work on upcycling, using plastic waste to create valuable carbon nanotubes and spheres for use in batteries and lubricants.

Everett Berry and Kyle McNulty, co-founders of Perceive, Inc.

Berry and McNulty are both recent Purdue graduates with bachelor's degrees in computer engineering and electrical engineering respectively. They have both co-authored papers on multimedia systems on large-scale video analysis. Together they co-founded Perceive, Inc., a Purdue-based startup that helps retailers measure and understand more about their in-store shoppers through the use of a concept called deep learning. This deep learning technology will help increase safety and efficiency of facilities such as factories, stores and airports.

For more information, visit https://tedxpurdueu.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter, @TEDxPurdueU.



Writer: Lindsay Neufer, TEDxPurdueU marketing co-chair, lneufer@purdue.edu

Contact: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-9712, aeeddy@purdue.edu