2025 BGR ENTERTAINMENT CHALLENGE MINI-GRANT RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED  

What does it feel like when humans and robots interact? Can you imagine the possibilities of AI-generated visual backdrops? Are you curious about the science and engineering behind the creation of the iconic Boilermaker, Purdue Pete? This summer during Boiler Gold Rush, you can explore these questions and more as part of the 2025 BGR Entertainment Challenge. 

The Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) Entertainment Challenge is a mini-grant opportunity developed collaboratively between Orientation Programs and the Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering. Together, these units provide funding for faculty or students whose research efforts lend themselves toward the creation of interactive and performative technology installations on campus during Boiler Gold Rush, Purdue’s week-long new-student orientation program. Grants of up to $3,000 are offered each year to select proposals that integrate technology, art and performance in novel ways, with preference given to proposals that can be scaled to a larger spectacle, event or pedagogical framework. 

Five projects have been awarded $3,000 mini grants and will be showcased on select dates: 

• August 19 during Boiler Gold Rush in Indianapolis 
• August 20 and 21 during Boiler Gold Rush in West Lafayette  

Purdue Pete Unveiled: The Story and Technology Behind the Mascot  

Project team:  Garam Kim, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Polytechnic Institute 

Ronald Sterkenburg, Professor, School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Polytechnic Institute 

This project aims to introduce Purdue students to the unique story and advanced manufacturing process behind Purdue Pete, Purdue Athletic’s iconic mascot. 

 The manufacturing of Purdue Pete mirrors techniques used in the aerospace industry, involving reverse engineering, 3D laser scanning and precision mold-making with CNC milling. The final structure is created by curing carbon fiber composite prepregs in an autoclave under elevated temperature and pressure. This complex process highlights the sophistication of composite technology, offering students a chance to appreciate Purdue Pete’s creation on a technical and artistic level. 

Visitors to the BGR Entertainment Challenge will explore Purdue Pete’s evolution through displays of his design iterations and stories, a 3D model, mold samples, and an educational video of the manufacturing process. 

Mixed-reality Laser Tag 

Project team: Julian Triveri and George Takahashi, The Envision Center 

With support from the Purdue University Envision Center, this project creates a mixed-reality game environment using multiple Meta Quest 3 mixed reality headsets, each worn by a player in a large empty space. The headsets display a mixed-reality play environment that is unique and immersive. Players compete in teams and score points by accomplishing gaming objectives similar to that of a game of laser tag.  

Machine Learning in Motion II  

Project team:  Frederick C. Berry, Professor, School of Engineering Technology, Polytechnic Institute

Renee Murray, Senior Lecturer, Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, College of Liberal Arts 

This project is an interactive installation that includes real-time video and audio projection and manipulation. As participants move through the space, web cameras capture data on their changing locations and use that data to impact video and sound in real-time. Students will see the effect of their movements on projected images creating a unique work of choreography. Videos from each day of BGR will be layered together to create a collage effect. Every participant will shape and evolve the outcome of the art. 

AI Immersive Photo Fusion (based out of Purdue Indianapolis)  

 Project lead:  Josh Polk, Site Director and Assistant Professor of Practice, Computer Graphics Technology, Polytechnic Institute 

This project aims to create an interactive and immersive experience that engages and showcases the Purdue student community and demonstrates innovative applications of AI in art. Through the novel and unique use of these visual technologies, printable and shareable composites will be generated, merging subjects within captivating scenic backgrounds and unique, projected, foreground elements. 

Integrating Human Physiology and Industrial Robotics through Smart Textiles and Immersive VR Experiences 

Project team:  

Ramses V. Martinez, Associate Professor, Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering and Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering

Beatriz Castro, PhD, Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science 

This project proposes the integration of Virtual Reality (VR), wearable technology, and gamification to offer students an immersive and interactive experience in exploring human physiology and human-robot interaction. Using Purdue University’s state-of-the-art VR CAVE in the Department of Industrial Engineering, along with portable Meta Quest 3 VR headsets and smart textiles, the experience invites students into a dynamic exploration of interconnected physiological systems and industrial robotics. This project emphasizes hands-on engagement through real-time physiological feedback and interactive storytelling, ultimately enhancing students’ understanding of technology’s impact on both the human body and industry through two interconnected VR scenarios: “Exploration of the Human Body Systems” and “Digital Twin Integration in Industrial Robotics Simulation.” 

BGR Entertainment Challenge projects are opportunities for faculty and students to explore engaging ways of sharing their research with the university campus, especially to students new to Purdue. During Boiler Gold Rush, students will have opportunities to interact with BGR Entertainment Challenge projects, learn more about the research behind them, and discover novel ways to combine multiple interests in their studies at Purdue, from dance and computer programming, neuroscience and projections design, or virtual reality and physical science. 

To learn more about the BGR Entertainment Challenge and past projects visit https://centers.purdue.edu/fusion-studio/bgr-entertainment-challenge/.