AGP Executive Report

Data Center Debate: Rep. Marlin Stutzman says data center operators should pay for the power and grid infrastructure they require, as Fort Wayne weighs Google’s proposed New Haven project. A new poll also found Hoosiers oppose data centers, adding political pressure around electricity demand and local impacts. Accessible Coding: Students at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired helped develop screen-reader tools for Microsoft MakeCode, making block-based coding more accessible to learners with visual disabilities. Health Tech: MED Institute joined an ARPA-H-backed consortium working to advance wearable biosensing. Defense Technology: Kratos has broken ground on radar and hypersonics testing facilities in Indiana; separate coverage reports a drone-related expansion near Crane. Indiana Research: IU scientists created compounds showing early promise in reducing Alzheimer’s-linked brain plaques. The findings are preliminary.

Defense Technology: Kratos has broken ground in Odon on facilities for AN/SPY-1 radar production and Helios hypersonics testing, expanding Indiana’s role in defense technology. Wearable Health Tech: West Lafayette’s MED Institute joined an ARPA-H-backed consortium developing a wearable biosensor to track inflammation after heart attacks; the federal program could provide up to $117.4 million over 4.5 years. AI in Indiana: A new roadshow will bring practical AI tools to Bloomington businesses, while IU faculty are working to define what students need to learn to thrive with AI. Research: IU scientists created compounds showing early promise in reducing Alzheimer’s-linked brain plaques. Data Center Demand: Indiana faces a workforce challenge as demand for data center workers rises, alongside growing concern over the facilities’ power and water needs.

Defense Technology: Kratos broke ground in Odon on $35 million in new facilities for Navy radar integration and hypersonics testing, expanding Indiana’s defense engineering and manufacturing capacity. Medical Research: IU scientists developed compounds showing early promise in reducing Alzheimer’s-linked brain plaques. Energy and Data Centers: A federal grid emergency highlights pressure on PJM, which serves Indiana; data-center demand is projected to triple to 29 gigawatts by 2030. Indiana Energy Projects: Zelestra secured $350 million to build a 203-megawatt solar farm on former mining land in Gibson County, with Meta as the power buyer and operations expected by late 2027. Crane’s Defense Workforce: A defense manufacturer is expanding drone-related operations near Crane, while NSWC Crane is building links with faculty to develop the future defense workforce. Infrastructure Innovation: Indianapolis rebuilt a runway using concrete designed to capture and store carbon dioxide.

Rural Health Workforce: Purdue Nursing won an HRSA grant to build rural healthcare career pathways with Tri-County schools, potentially expanding simulation-based learning and access to nursing education. Engineering Education: Purdue Fort Wayne’s undergraduate engineering programs tied for No. 44 nationally among schools without doctoral programs, and ranked first in the Midwest. Nuclear Energy: Purdue and the state will host an Indianapolis summit Oct. 19–20 on nuclear technology, construction, fuel and workforce development. Indiana Manufacturing: Batesville medical-device maker Med-Mizer plans a $9 million expansion, adding machinery and up to 73 jobs to grow production of hospital beds and patient-handling equipment. Purdue Research: A Purdue expedition reached remote Nikumaroro Island to investigate a satellite-detected anomaly that researchers think could be Amelia Earhart’s lost plane. Infrastructure Innovation: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway with concrete designed to capture and store carbon.

Campus Surveillance: Indiana University student groups are pressing IUPD to cancel its Flock license-plate-reader contracts. Records indicate the department bought at least five cameras, but police have not disclosed how many are in use. Workplace Safety Tech: NanoSieve won the National Safety Council’s 2026 Safety Innovation Challenge in Indianapolis for technology aimed at preventing hazardous-energy injuries. Data Center Workforce: Indiana’s rising demand for data-center workers is testing whether the state can grow its skilled workforce quickly enough. Lower-Carbon Infrastructure: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway using concrete designed to capture and store CO₂.

Immersive Tech: Indiana University’s new Kinetic Immersion and Extended Reality Lab is bringing motion capture, virtual environments and a floor-to-ceiling LED soundstage to student and faculty projects. It’s expected to be fully complete by April 2027. Research Strength: Purdue climbed to No. 12 among U.S. public universities in the latest Times Higher Education rankings, with gains in research quality and influence; its research spending topped $1 billion in fiscal 2025. Farm Innovation: Primient and Sustainea are backing soil-health and carbon-sequestration practices on 1,000 acres near Lafayette, with university researchers helping farmers adapt the methods to their land. Tech Workforce: Indiana’s data-center boom is driving demand for skilled workers, raising questions about whether the state can expand its workforce fast enough. Cleaner Infrastructure: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway with concrete designed to capture and store CO₂.

Space Research: A Purdue-led team has reached Nikumaroro to investigate a lagoon anomaly that may be Amelia Earhart’s plane, using sonar and magnetometers. Farm Safety: Purdue’s latest report counts 17 Indiana agricultural work deaths in 2025; the fatality rate remains far above the statewide average. AI Infrastructure: Indiana’s data-center boom is increasing demand for skilled trades, while an aging workforce and immigration enforcement deepen labor shortages. Clean Energy: The 900-megawatt Mammoth Solar expansion is complete. Purdue partners on research zones testing crops, robotics and monitoring alongside solar panels. Medical Research: An IU glaucoma lab is using donor tissue, stem cells and AI to explore ways to protect—and potentially regenerate—damaged neurons. Engineering: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway with concrete designed to capture and store CO₂.

Spencer Cleanup: EPA testing has better defined groundwater and soil contamination at the Franklin Street Superfund site. None of 25 homes checked needed vapor mitigation; more groundwater sampling is planned for November, with cleanup recommendations expected in 2027. Farm Safety: Purdue recorded 17 Indiana farm-work deaths in 2025, far below past decades, but the fatality rate remains more than four times the statewide average across industries. Data Center Workforce: Indiana’s construction workforce has grown 37% in a decade, yet industry leaders warn it may not keep pace with surging demand for electricians, pipe fitters and builders at data center projects. High-Tech Revenue: West Lafayette expects SK hynix’s development district to generate about $500 million in property taxes over 30 years; the city approved a plan to distribute part of its share among local government and schools. Lower-Carbon Infrastructure: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway with concrete designed to capture and store CO₂ in the pavement.

STEM Education: Indianapolis Public Schools’ William Penn Middle School is Indiana’s 2026 STEM School of Excellence, earning a $20,000 state grant for hands-on science and technology programs. Biotechnology: At an IU symposium in Indianapolis, Sen. Todd Young highlighted Indiana’s growing biotech sector and its national-security role; IU also announced new defense-focused research awards. Climate Research: IU climate scientist Christopher Callahan says this year’s powerful El Niño could help researchers better understand how climate change affects the phenomenon. Infrastructure Innovation: Indianapolis International Airport has rebuilt a 10,000-foot runway with concrete designed to capture and store carbon dioxide. Space History: A new expedition to remote Nikumaroro Island includes researchers from Purdue and aims to investigate Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

Biotechnology: Sen. Todd Young highlighted Indiana’s life-sciences strength at an IU symposium, where new awards will support defense-focused research. STEM Education: Indianapolis’ William Penn Middle School was named Indiana’s 2026 STEM School of Excellence and will receive $20,000 for its programs. Infrastructure Innovation: Indianapolis rebuilt a 10,000-foot airport runway with concrete designed to capture and store CO₂. Purdue Research: A Purdue-backed marine archaeology team is heading to a remote Pacific atoll to investigate a submerged object that could be Amelia Earhart’s plane. Health Research: Purdue and Elanco broke ground on a One Health Research Institute, bringing animal and human health research together. Energy: Indiana launched a program to help communities prepare for nuclear development.

Carbon-Capturing Infrastructure: Indianapolis International Airport rebuilt a 10,000-foot runway with concrete that mineralizes and stores CO₂, a first for an airport runway. The $190 million project also earned the industry’s top Envision sustainability award. Purdue Expedition: A Purdue-backed team is heading to a remote Pacific atoll to investigate a submerged object that could be Amelia Earhart’s lost plane. Researchers expect to reach the site Oct. 13. Water and Growth: Hendricks County residents are opposing a proposed $48 million pump station and storage tanks that would help supply water to the LEAP innovation district, raising concerns about the development’s local footprint. Biotech Research: Purdue and Elanco have broken ground on a One Health Research Institute in Indianapolis, intended to advance animal and human health research and strengthen Indiana’s workforce pipeline. Student Engineering: Greater Lafayette Career Academy students took first and second place in Purdue’s electric go-kart competition, applying engineering and battery-performance skills on the track.

AI in Health Care: At a Fort Wayne summit, author and CBS correspondent David Pogue highlighted AI’s potential in medicine, including research using lung scans to identify future disease risk, while warning about risks such as scams and autonomous cyberattacks. Student Engineering: Greater Lafayette Career Academy teams took first and second at Purdue’s electric go-kart competition, after weeks of testing designs, gearing and battery performance. Indiana Research: Purdue and Elanco have broken ground in Indianapolis on a One Health Research Institute, while six IU projects received grants for biotechnology defense research. Manufacturing: Nucor proposed a $105 million expansion of its Indiana pole-making operations.

Agricultural AI: Indianapolis startup Ovix-AI has begun piloting its farm assistant with Midwest growers. The system combines weather, satellite, soil and crop data to flag risks and suggest next steps, with farmers making the final decisions. Manufacturing: Nucor is proposing a $105 million expansion of its Crawfordsville pole factory, adding automated production space and an expected 100 jobs, subject to approvals. Indiana Legacy: Margaret Hamilton, who led software development for NASA’s Apollo missions, has died at 90. Born in Paoli and an Earlham graduate, she helped establish software engineering as a discipline. Farm Science: Indiana’s swings between downpours and hot, dry spells raise concerns about soil nitrate loss and late-season crop deficiencies. Data Center Debate: Owen County and Gosport have paused or restricted data-center proposals as local officials weigh rules and potential impacts.

Space and Computing: Margaret Hamilton, the Apollo software pioneer who helped make the Moon landing possible, has died at 90. Born in Paoli and a graduate of Earlham College, she helped establish software engineering as a field. STEM Education: Crothersville sixth graders are learning microbiology, engineering and civics through a zombie-apocalypse project built around their own ideas. Biotech Research: Purdue and Elanco have broken ground on a One Health research institute focused on connections among human, animal and environmental health. IU also awarded six grants for biotechnology defense research. Robotics: Fishers-based Arrive AI demonstrated its robot handoff system and delivery-network software at an investor showcase.

Indiana Space Legacy: Margaret Hamilton, the Paoli-born software pioneer whose work helped guide Apollo astronauts to the Moon, has died at 90. Robotics: Fishers-based Arrive AI demonstrated its robot handoff system and network simulation at an investor showcase. Advanced Manufacturing: Indianapolis firm Mears is adding copper-nickel metal 3D printing, expanding local production of corrosion-resistant parts for ships and offshore industries. Nuclear Readiness: Indiana launched a program to help communities prepare for potential nuclear development. Life Sciences: Purdue and Elanco broke ground on an Indianapolis One Health Research Institute focused on connections among human, animal and environmental health; IU Health has also begun administering the first U.S. doses of a newly approved brain-cancer imaging agent. Defense Tech: Greene County’s agreement advances coordinated development and promotion of WestGate@Crane.

Autonomous Tech: Fishers-based Arrive AI demonstrated robot package handoffs, drone delivery and its logistics software at an investor showcase, putting Indiana-developed autonomous delivery technology on display. Biotech Research: Purdue and Elanco broke ground on a One Health Research Institute, a major partnership bringing together research on human, animal and environmental health. Indiana Innovation Hubs: Greene County’s agreement to coordinate development and marketing at WestGate@Crane could strengthen the region’s technology and research ecosystem. Energy Infrastructure: Zelestra secured $350 million to build a 203-megawatt solar project on reclaimed mining land in Gibson County, backed by a long-term agreement with Meta. Meanwhile, Indiana Michigan Power says data-center growth could help lower residential rates, even as communities debate the costs and impacts of new facilities. STEM Education: A grant is expanding robotics and computer-science opportunities for White County 4-H students.