Innovation in action: Purdue students place among top in world AI challenge
09-19-2025
Purdue students transformed classroom knowledge into industry-ready innovation, proving the real impact of their skills in a global AI competition.
A team of Purdue University students earned third place out of 80 international competitors in the 2025 TE-AI Cup, an annual artificial intelligence competition hosted by TE Connectivity. The team also ranked second among U.S. universities.
Representing Purdue as the university’s sole entry, the four-member group developed an innovative AI model to detect and diagnose faults in centrifugal pumps — critical systems used across industries. Unlike traditional models, which perform only as well as the data they were trained on, the team’s approach proved effective even under conditions the system had not previously encountered. The work has been patented, and the students are preparing a research paper based on their findings.
“This kind of breakthrough is like a successful businessperson adapting to a new country’s language and culture,” said team member Hyeong Kyun (Daniel) Park, a master’s student in statistics and computer science. “Our model can ‘do business’ in new conditions without prior experience and still perform well.”
The team included Park, along with Emma Mahan, a senior in computer and information technology; Keisuke Nakamura, a junior in computer science and data science; and Liam Stonestreet, a junior in artificial intelligence. Together, they spent nearly six months researching, developing and refining their model, meeting regularly with representatives from TE Connectivity and CPR Technology Cambridge.
The project was organized through Machine Learning @ Purdue, a student organization in the Department of Computer Science that provides students with hands-on opportunities to apply classroom learning to research and industry challenges. With support from the Department of Computer Science and Purdue’s Rosen Center for Advanced Computing, the team used the university’s high-performance computing cluster, Gilbreth, to train their model with advanced GPUs.
“This experience strengthened our technical skills and gave us the opportunity to apply state-of-the-art research ideas to real-world problems,” Park said.
As part of their recognition, the team received a $2,500 scholarship from TE Connectivity. Their model’s potential applications extend well beyond pump fault detection, offering promise for a wide range of industrial systems where early detection of mechanical issues can save time, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
About the Department of Computer Science at Purdue UniversityFounded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding program in the United States. The department continues to advance the computer science industry through research. U.S. News & World Report ranks the department No. 8 in computer engineering and No. 16 overall in undergraduate and graduate computer science. Additionally, the program is ranked No. 6 in cybersecurity, No. 8 in software engineering, No. 13 in systems, No. 15 in programming languages and data analytics, and No. 18 in theory. Graduates of the program are able to solve complex and challenging problems in many fields. Our consistent success in an ever-changing landscape is reflected in the record undergraduate enrollment, increased faculty hiring, innovative research projects, and the creation of new academic programs. The increasing centrality of computer science in society, academic disciplines and new research activities — centered around foundations and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, such as natural language processing, human computer interaction, vision, and robotics, as well as systems and security — are the future focus of the department. Learn more at cs.purdue.edu.
About the Department of Statistics at Purdue University
Our mission is to advance the frontiers of statistical sciences and data science in both theory and applications; to provide learning environments that produce well-educated data scientists, statisticians, probabilists, and quantitatively literate people; and to join with others in bringing the strengths of the statistical sciences to address societal needs. The Department offers the degrees of Bachelor of Science, Graduate Certificate, Master of Science, Online Master of Applied Statistics, and Ph.D. in Statistics. Our programs prepare students for careers in both industry and academia and prepare them to be leaders in their fields. The Department of Statistics is part of the College of Science at Purdue University and is housed in the Mathematical Sciences Building in West Lafayette, Indiana. Learn more about the department at stat.purdue.edu.
Writer: Alisha Willett, amwillet@purdue.edu
Sources: Daniel Park, Emma Mahan, Keisuke Nakamura, Liam Stonestreet