The Big Idea Challenge is a new program that will provide resources to interdisciplinary teams of Purdue faculty and students pursuing bold proposals that address global challenges. Professor David Ebert led the team for "Harnessing Technology and Information Fusion to Enable Resilient and Sustainable Food-Water Balance under Evolving Environmental Conditions" while Professor Yong Chen led the team for "Photonics Science and Technologies for Security, Energy, and Healthcare Applications."