WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Jim Danielson and Sean Kleinschmidt spent the summer before their freshman year at Purdue University turning a Porsche with a blown engine into an electric-powered vehicle.

Purdue Freshmen Jim Danielson and Sean Kleinschmidt spent last summer turning a 1987 Porsche 924S -- like the one pictured above -- into an electric-powered vehicle.

Their red, 1987 924S will be one of the featured vehicles at the alternative and fuel-efficient transportation show that is part of Purdue’s Green Week. The show will be from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 24) on the west side of Stewart Center.

Danielson of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Kleinschmidt of Prospect Heights, Ill., are high school friends who are now first-year engineering students. They started work on the car in late May and finished in early August.

They bought the Porsche for $500, then sold parts from it that they didn’t need for about the same amount. They spent about $6,000 on the conversion. They hope to get $4,000 of that back through an Illinois program that rebates costs for alternative-power conversions.

The car runs on a deep-cycle, lead acid marine battery and a forklift motor. At this point, it can reach a speed of 55 miles an hour. But the Porsche has a range of only about 50 miles on each battery charge, so Danielson and Kleinschmidt will bring it to West Lafayette on a trailer.

The Purdue Sustainability Council is sponsoring the Green Week transportation show. It also will feature vehicles from Purdue’s hybrid fleet, student-built solar race cars, a battery-powered Volkswagen Beetle built by a professor, a Volkswagen Rabbit converted to run on biodiesel fuel including used vegetable oil, and even a motorized couch.

Judged and people’s choice awards will be given in the fuel-efficient and alternative-powered categories.

Alternative and fuel-efficient vehicles still can be entered in the show. To enter, e-mail Robin Ridgway, Purdue’s director of sustainability and environmental stewardship, at rmridgway@purdue.edu

Also during the transportation show, the Boiler Green Initiative will offer free bicycle tune-ups.

More information on Green Week is available at http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability/

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Nearly 5,300 new students will arrive Saturday (Aug. 15) at Purdue for Boiler Gold Rush, a weeklong student orientation program that includes presentations, international student check-ins, a University Resource Fair, and welcome lunches and dinners.

New students and incoming freshmen cross the tracks at Boiler Gold Rush (Photo via Purdue University)

“Boiler Gold Rush provides new freshmen and transfer students with an opportunity to learn about Purdue’s array of resources, make connections with faculty and staff, make friends and get to know the campus,” said Andrew Koch, director of Student Access, Transition and Success Programs, the department that coordinates Boiler Gold Rush. “Research shows that students who attend Boiler Gold Rush have significantly higher retention rates than those who opt out of the program.”

Purdue President France A. Córdova will address new students at an opening ceremony, which starts at 9 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 16) at the Elliott Hall of Music.

All freshmen and transfers who plan on living on-campus and are participating in Boiler Gold Rush will move into university residence halls over the weekend, said Barbara Frazee, executive director of University Residences. The remaining residents, including freshmen who did not participate in Boiler Gold Rush, will move in Aug. 17–23, she said.

Boiler Gold Rush events include:

• Boilermaker Basics, 10:15-11 a.m. Monday (Aug. 17) at the Slayter Center will give students an overview of Purdue’s athletic traditions, including the “All-American” Marching Band, Purdue Pete and cheerleaders. If it rains, the event will be moved to the Elliott Hall of Music.
• FreeZONE presentation, 2:25-3:20 p.m. Tuesday (Aug. 18) at the Elliott Hall of Music is a student-written and performed theatrical session about diversity at Purdue.
• Purdue 101: How to be a successful Purdue student, 2-2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 19) at the Elliott Hall of Music is a session with Marcy Towns, associate professor of chemistry, and Mick La Lopa, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management.
• University Resource Fair, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 19), is at the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union. Resources include Study Abroad, Diversity Resource Office, Women’s Resource Office, Student Employment, Purdue Libraries and others.
• Student groups will discuss themes in “Stealing Buddha’s Dinner,” the University’s Common Reading selection, from 4-5 p.m. Aug. 19 at various campus locations.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. -– A new student orientation called “I Am Ivy Tech” will take place at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette on Thursday, August 6 from 8 am to noon.

The orientation will offer tips and information advantageous to a student’s first year of college.

General information and presentations about transitioning to college, student success, and the many student services available on campus will be covered, as well as, a library resources tutorial and a hands-on guide for using the student web-portal, Campus Connect.

All first time students, registered for classes, and their parents are encouraged to attend.

To reserve a place at “I Am Ivy Tech” please contact Eric VandeVoorde at (765) 269-5462 or evandevoorde@ivytech.edu.

Ivy Tech Community College is located at 3101 S. Creasy Lane, Lafayette, Indiana.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.