News Briefs

Purdue archivist loses final round on Jeopardy!

Adriana Harmeyer, with 11 consecutive correct Final Jeopardy! answers, aimed for her 16th win on Jeopardy! but was overtaken by a graduate student from Birmingham, Michigan. The correct Final Jeopardy! answer, “What is Polo?” was given by Tekla Sauter, but it was Basile who celebrated his first victory. Harmeyer won a total of $349,600 and is currently back in Purdue.

Purdue moves up in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School Rankings

Purdue University has made significant strides in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 Best Graduate School Rankings, with 13 programs in the top 10. The agricultural and biological engineering program maintained its No. 1 spot for the fourth year, while several engineering departments saw considerable improvements. The Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business also had its information systems and part-time MBA programs ranked for the first time.

The School of Nursing made noteworthy achievements too, with the Doctor of Nursing Practice program climbing seven spots. Purdue has also seen positive results on the QS World University and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Lafayette’s new Columbian Park playground opens up

The newly renovated Columbian Park playground in Lafayette is now open following a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Children flocked updated playground, which features new towers, slides, shade sails, and a padded turf hill with additional slides. Renovations began in February as part of a broader effort to enhance Columbian Park, according to Mayor Tony Roswarski, who emphasized the city’s commitment to improving parks and recreational opportunities for residents.

Former Purdue recruit commits to BYU

Top-40 basketball recruit Kanon Catchings signed with BYU Tuesday, nearly two weeks since he asked to be released from his letter of intent to sign with the Boilermakers.

“My family and I met with (BYU) coach (Kevin) Young and the coaching staff last week and we immediately clicked,” Catchings told ESPN. “I knew right away this was the best fit for me.” Young took over the reins after Mark Pope left for Kentucky in April. Catchings has strong basketball bloodlines as the nephew of WNBA Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings.

A 6-foot-8, 185-pound small forward, Catchings averaged 15.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season with Overtime Elite in Atlanta. Current BYU assistant Tim Fanning coached him at Overtime Elite and helped recruit him for the Cougars.