HAMMOND — A professor whose research contributed to a Nobel Prize, the awarding of a record number of degrees and growing enrollment of higher achieving new students highlight an eventful 2013 for Purdue University Calumet.

Contributor to Nobel Prize

Professor of Physics Neeti Parashar participated on the team of worldwide researchers who discovered the Higgs boson subatomic particle. The Higgs boson, also referred to as the “God particle”, is considered a vital building block for shaping understanding about the composition and interaction of all matter in the natural universe. Its discovery confirmed the theory of the Higgs field, for which theorists Peter Higgs and Francois Englert received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Degrees awarded

The awarding of nearly 2,200 degrees during the year increased to more than 49,000 the total number of Purdue degrees that Purdue Calumet graduates have earned. Baccalaureate and master’s graduates earned more than 97 percent of the year’s degrees.

More enrollees better prepared to graduate

University efforts to attract more students better prepared to persist successfully and graduate continued to produce impressive progress. Overall fall enrollment of 9,422 at northwest Indiana’s largest university included an entering freshman class that recorded an average ACT score of 21.8, up from 19.9 in 2009. What’s more, 54 percent of entering freshmen enrolled after compiling a high school grade point average of at least 3.0, compared to just 24 percent of the incoming 2009 class. Additionally, 96 percent of nearly 800 first time college enrollees are attending full time, suggesting their intention to graduate in a timely manner.