Administration

Danica Kirkpatrick has joined the staff as events and educational activities coordinator. A member of the Purdue softball team as an undergraduate (SLA '00), Kirkpatrick will coordinate the campuswide Spring Fest, Purdue Agriculture's presence at the Indiana State Fair and the Farm Progress Show, and other activities originating from the dean's office. Kirkpatrick previously was convention sales manager for the Lafayette-West Lafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Seventeen Purdue Agriculture faculty members have earned promotions. To professor Arun K. Bhunia, food science Joan R. Fulton, agricultural economics Robert J. O’Neil, entomology Gerald E. Shively, agricultural economics Bernard Y. Tao, agricultural and biological engineering To associate professor Mark A. Balschweid, youth development and agricultural education Barbara L. Golden, biochemistry Greg J. Hunt, entomology Gurmukh S. Johal, botany and plant pathology Rebecca Krisher, animal sciences Joseph P. Ogas, biochemistry Edmond A. Pajor, animal sciences Barry R. Pittendrigh, entomology Paul C. Siciliano Jr., BS '86 & 90 horticulture and landscape architecture Daniel B. Szymanski, agronomy Kim L. Wilson, horticulture and landscape architecture Jin-Rong Xu, botany and plant pathology

Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Professor William E. Field received the Indiana Civil Rights Spirit of Justice Award. Field established the Breaking New Ground Resource Center, which has become internationally recognized as the primary source of information on rehabilitation technology for farmers with disabilities.

Keith Cherkauer has joined the faculty as an assistant professor, working in the area of hydroclimatology. Cherkauer received his bachelor's degree in physics from Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.; a master's in aerospace engineering (environmental remote sensing) from the University of Colorado, Boulder; and a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. He worked for two years as a research scientist in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington.

Bernard Tao was named the Indiana Soybean Board Professor in Soybean Utilization Research by the Purdue Board of Trustees. Tao, a professor in agricultural and biological engineering, will help create value-added products from soybeans. The professorship was funded in partnership with the Indiana Soybean Board.

Agricultural Economics

Professor Frank Dooley received the College of Agriculture Outstanding Counselor Award at the university Honors Convocation on April 4.

Vickie Maris, BS '86, and two student interns, Laura Eagin and Amanda Pauwels, won a silver award in the annual ADDY competition for a poster they created. The awards are sponsored by the Association of Advertising and Marketing Professionals. Maris is marketing manager for the Center for Food and Agricultural Business. The poster promoted the center's national conference in November.

Agronomy

Laura Bowling has joined the department as an assistant professor in the area of watershed hydrology. Bowling received her PhD in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington in 2002. Her research interests are evaluating human influences on land surface hydrology and hydroclimatology using observational, remote sensing and simulation tools, as well as the effects of land use and climate change on local environments.

Purdue teams placed second and eighteenth at the 10th annual collegiate turf bowl competition in San Diego. The event was part of the 2004 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America International Golf Course Conference and Show. Students Todd Armbruster, Steven Biehl, Maureen Clark, Andy Eick, Nick Gressley, Daniel Mudd, Jim Newman, David Shell, Justin Stewart and Andrew Thompson participated in the event along with 65 other collegiate teams. Purdue placed 0.5 points behind the winning team from Iowa State University. Purdue teams finished fourth in 2002 and second in 2003. The threehour competition included the identification of soils, seeds, grasses, diseases, insects and weeds, and it covered mathematics, plant physiology, and growth and development.

Animal Sciences

Wayne Singleton, BS '66, received the Hovde Award on Dec. 13 at the 2003 Indiana Farm Bureau State Convention. The Hovde Award is presented annually to a Purdue faculty/ staff member who has made significant contributions to the citizens of Indiana. Before his retirement in 2003, Singleton worked to improve reproductive efficiency in swine and cattle breeding herds. He was a pioneer in the successful use of artificial insemination in swine, promoting the practice through teaching techniques and training sessions. He developed a television series on swine production management, Improving Swine Production Efficiency, that was broadcast throughout the United States.

The W.R. Featherston Awards, recognizing outstanding accomplishments of animal sciences graduate students for 2003, have been presented to Michelle L. Sparman, MS '03, Early Graduate Career Award; Tara Mc- Daneld and Elizabeth Williams, Off-Campus Training Award; Kylie Daniels, Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award; and Jonathan Townsend, Outstanding PhD Award. The Featherston Awards were established in honor of the leadership and dedication to graduate students exhibited by W.R. Featherston, a faculty member from 1962 to his death in 1980.

Mike Schutz, associate professor and Extension dairy specialist, has been appointed coordinator of the department 's Extension team. Schutz has provided leadership for milker training workshops, milk quality programs and the Purdue Dairy Extension Team.

Alan Sutton received the meritorious service award from the Indiana Pork Producers Association. The award honors pork producers and allied industry representatives who go the extra mile to support the industry. Sutton's research in environmentally friendly diet composition and dietary effects on animal waste has helped set standards for feed formulation in the pork industry. Sutton received the award at the association's annual meeting in Indianapolis in January.

Biochemistry

Professor Victor Rodwell received the College of Agriculture Outstanding Graduate Educator Award last month. For 23 years, Rodwell directed a program that brought more minority students to Purdue and encouraged them to enroll in graduate school and to seek careers in higher education.

Botany and Plant Pathology

David Doll and Sarah Knapke, seniors, and Sarah Kessans, a junior, have received the 2004 Ag Research Fund Scholarship, worth $2,000. The scholarships are awarded to top students who are exploring topics in agricultural research.

Burt Bluhm, MS '03, received the 2003-04 Indiana Seed Industry Graduate Student Award at the Indiana Crop Improvement Association's annual meeting in Indianapolis in February. Bluhm is continuing his research toward a PhD with Professor Charles Woloshuk. Bluhm was the department 's Outstanding Master's Student for 2003. food.”

Entomology

Professor Christian Y. Oseto received the College of Agriculture Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award during the university's annual Honors Convocation on April 4.

Professor Cliff Sadof received the 2004 recognition award in urban entomology from the north central branch of the Entomological Society of America. A faculty member since 1990, Sadof was honored for his work in ornamental entomology at the organization 's annual meeting in Kansas City in March.

Professor Gary Bennett received the Indiana Pest Management Association Hall of Fame Award for national and international contributions to the pest management industry. Bennett has been a faculty member since 1970.

Food Science

The Institute of Food Technologists is honoring four food science professors:

Richard Linton received the Harold Macy Food Science and Technology Award from the Minnesota Section of the Institute of Food Technologists in May in Minneapolis. Linton was cited for “food technology transfer or cooperation between scientists and technologies in academics, government or industry.”

Bruce Watkins will receive the Babcock-Hart Award for “contributions to food technology that have resulted in improved public health through some aspect of nutrition or more nutritious food."

James BeMiller, BS '54, MS '56, PhD' 59, and Maribeth Cousin have been elected Fellows of the institute. They will be honored at the organization's annual meeting in July in Las Vegas.

Forestry and Natural Resources

Jane Alexander, MS '93, administrative manager, received the College of Agriculture Outstanding Service to Students Award at Purdue's annual Honors Convocation last month.

Rick Meilan has joined the faculty as an associate professor in the Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center. Meilan earned his doctorate in botany and forestry at Iowa State University and his master's and bachelor's degrees from Humboldt Sate University. He had previously been a research associate professor in the Forest Science Department at Oregon State University.

Jack Seifert, regional Extension forester at the Southeast Indiana Purdue Agriculture Center, has been awarded Fellow status in the Society of American Foresters.

Professor John W. Moser Jr., PhD '67, a faculty member since 1967, received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Certificate of Appreciation from Dale Bosworth, chief of the U.S. Forest Service, in recognition of outstanding contributions as a member of the Chief's Select Review Team for the Southern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis Program. Moser also received the 2004 Indiana Society of American Forester's Meritorious Service Award in recognition of outstanding service and dedication to the profession.