Brief History of the PRISM Center and the PRISM Global Research Network (PGRN)

The PRISM Center at Purdue University and the PRISM Global Research Network worldwide engage with both theoretical and applied research projects; and applied, industry- and government-oriented R&D projects. Such rich combination enables the participating students and scholars to be exposed to real scientific, technological, business, and society’s challenges. It also enables responsible and responsive learning and feedback, better testing and validation. It also enables faster and competitive impact on application and implementation of research innovations, outcomes, and deliverables. Mostly, it enables the PRISM and PGRN members (fondly called “PRISMers”) to learn from and encourage each other, and strengthen and enjoy our PRISM Family worldwide. The purpose of this chapter is to (1) review these activities since 1980, through the projects, their sponsors, and the creative people involved with them; and (2) provide some perspective on the significance, progress, accomplishments, and future visions based on them.