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150 Years of Innovation in Defense at Purdue
November 13, 2025
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Sponsored by Purdue College of Engineering, this event commemorates 150 years of Purdue’s contributions to defense innovation, featuring inspiring talks from military leaders, industry pioneers, and visionary thinkers. It honors the enduring legacy of Boilermakers—past, present, and future—who advance national defense through their work.
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9:00 AM | Loeb Playhouse | Opening Ceremony
Opening remarks from Purdue College of Engineering's Dean, Dr. Arvind Raman
An introduction to National Defense Society from Cian Mansfield, Purdue NDS President
NDS Week Overview from the NDS Week Planners
10:00 AM | Loeb Playhouse | Defense Innovation Panel
Featuring members of the Purdue Military Advisory Board
Moderated by Commander Ward "Mooch" Carroll, USN (Retired)
11:00 AM | Loeb Playhouse | Keynote and Fireside Chat
Keynote speech from former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Ms. Halimah Najieb-Locke
Fireside chat with the NDS Week Planners
12:00 PM | Loeb Playhouse | Guest Lectures
​12:00PM to 12:45PM | Commander Ward "Mooch" Carroll, USN (Retired), former fighter pilot and YouTuber
1:00PM to 1:45PM | Colonel Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, USAF (Retired), former experimental fighter test pilot
1:45PM to 2:00PM | Dr. Mark Daniel Ward, Executive Director of The Data Mine at Purdue University
2:00PM to 2:45PM | John Norberg, author of A Spirit of Service: Purdue University and the United States Military
Other Events
11:00AM to 3:00PM | Shuttle guided tours of Birck Nanotechnology Center and Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
11:00AM to 3:00PM | Tabling in MSEE Rice Design Studio including Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI), The Data Mine, Amelia Earhart Leadership for Space Careers, Veteran Military Success Center (VMSC), Lafayette Ninety-Nines, Semiconductor Student Alliance (SSA), Purdue Undergraduate Rocket Propulsion Lab (PURPL), Booz Allen Hamilton, Modern Technology Solutions Inc (MTSI), HySonic Technologies, and Small Business Consulting Corp (SBCC).
Keynote Speaker
Halimah Najieb-Locke
Ms. Halimah Najieb-Locke served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience at the U.S. Department of Defense. In this role, Ms. Najieb-Locke was responsible for assessing the health of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and recommending key policies, investments and actions designed to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the DIB. She was also responsible for advising on actions to safeguard the DIB from potential adverse actions domestically, as well as foreign interventions. Ms. Najieb-Locke oversaw the Office of Policy, Analysis, and Transition, the Office of Global Investment and Economic Security, and the Office of Manufacturing Capability Expansion & Investment Prioritization. Ms. Najieb-Locke currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy at Darkhive.
Purdue Military Advisory Board Panel Members
Lt. Gen. Chris Weggeman, USAF (Ret)
Lt. Gen. Weggemen previously held the roles of Commander, 24th Air Force and Commander, Air Forces Cyber, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, and as a combat-proven career long F-16 pilot his career culminated as Deputy Commander, Air Combat Command. Along the way, he has accumulated over 2,400 flight hours. Weggeman currently serves as a Managing Director for Deloitte.
Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson, USA (Ret)
Lt. Gen Gibson's previously served as the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for National Security Partnerships, Director of Intelligence for United States Central Command, Director of Intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, and Deputy Commanding General for U.S. Army Cyber Command. She currently serves as the Sergeant at Arms of the US Senate.
ADM Charles Ray, USCG (Ret)
ADM Ray held roles including 31st Vice Commandant, Deputy Commandant for Operations, Pacific Area Commander, Deputy Pacific Area Commander, the Fourteenth Coast Guard District Commander, and the Military Advisor to the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security. He held the role of Ancient Albatross for six years and currently serves as a leadership consultant.
Panel Moderator and Guest Speaker
CDR Ward "Mooch" Carroll, USN (Ret)
Ward Carroll is a former F-14 Radar Intercept Officer in the U.S. Navy, author, and YouTube channel host. He served in the Navy for 20 years and retired as a commander. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Carroll flew F-14 Tomcats for 15 years. He is the author of the Punk's Trilogy, a series of novels about life in an F-14 squadron during war and peace. He was named Naval Institute Press Author of the Year in 2001 for his novel Punk’s War and is also the author of Punk’s Fight and Punk’s Wing. Carroll currently teaches English & Ethics at the Naval Academy.
Guest Speaker
Col. Tucker "Cinco" Hamilton, USAF (Ret)
Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton is an experienced Experimental Fighter Test Pilot and former Chief of AI Test and Operations for the Air Force. He commanded the 96th Operations Group at Eglin AFB, overseeing cutting-edge flight tests on advanced platforms, including AI-enabled uncrewed systems. Starting his career as an F-15C pilot, Cinco has supported critical missions like Operation Noble Eagle, escorting Air Force One. His distinguished service includes leading tactical ISR operations in Afghanistan, pioneering automatic collision avoidance testing, and managing the F-35 flight test program. He has accumulated over 2,200 flight hours in numerous aircraft.
Guest Speaker
Mr. John Norberg
John Norberg is an Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame writer who is retired from Purdue University and the Lafayette (IN) Journal and Courier, where he wrote a newspaper column for more than forty-one years. Norberg authored A Spirit of Service: Purdue University and the United States Military, which takes a comprehensive look at the intersection of this great land-grant university and the US military since classes first began in 1874. Spearheaded by the Purdue University College of Engineering in recognition of its 150th anniversary, this book examines how Purdue Boilermakers have defended democracy, freedom, and independence in times of war and great duress.
