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2005 |
* Dos & Don'ts at the Gas Pump: Static Electricity Fires – How to Prevent Them
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Static electricity fires at self-service gas pumps can cause serious injury and even death, yet the fires can be prevented by following safety precautions. Purdue Extension developed a program about static electricity fires at gasoline pumps and how to prevent them. More than 25,000 copies of the program video have been distributed. It’s been translated into Spanish and French for use in Mexico and Canada.
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2005 |
* Educational Opportunities for Adult Learners
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Changes in the economy also dictate that Hoosiers need training and education beyond high school to develop the skills required for higher-paying jobs in growth industries. Across several Indiana counties, Purdue helped create learning centers to teach adult learners topics including computer courses, business trainings, GED test preparation, or Internet classes. More than 1,200 people participated in these training opportunities.
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2005 |
* Juvenile Diversion Program
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The juvenile crime rate is rising in Harrison County, which lies near the metropolitan area of Louisville. Purdue’s Community Systemwide Response (CSR) program developed a juvenile diversion program for first-time offenders, who attend with their parents or guardians. Since the program’s start in April 2000, 188 juveniles have participated. According to probation records, fewer than 10 percent returned to crime. Every child kept out of detention saves the county $700 per week.
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2005 |
* Purdue Agriculture helps reduce the brain drain
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College students create a “brain drain” when they get a degree in Indiana, then leave the state and take their knowledge elsewhere. This year, 73 percent of Purdue agriculture graduates are working or continuing their education in Indiana. The average starting salary for all agriculture graduates was $32,724. The highest paid jobs were in agricultural and food process engineering, with an average salary of $46,733.
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2005 |
* Showing children the wider scope of agriculture and science
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Purdue Agriculture faculty and staff are helping elementary school teachers whip up interest in science through hands-on classroom programs. They reached more than 1,500 elementary students with programs on enzymes, digestion, food processing, crop types, seed germination, water and erosion. One teacher said, “My kids had a great time with so many ‘hands-on’ segments. You don’t have to motivate much when they are truly involved.”
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2005 |
* Teaching youth about real life choices
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Young teens entering high school need a dose of reality to stress the importance of decisions they make now and in the future. Almost 400 students in two counties participated in a Reality Store, which simulated real-life choices and the consequences of their actions. Afterwards, 88 participants in Lake County stated they would definitely try harder in school. In Posey County, 204 participants said they would definitely seek more education after high school, and 170 had talked to parents or guardians about career plans.
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2004 |
* Biocontrol Workshops, Web Site Reduce Pesticide Use in Home Gardens
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U.S. homeowners apply more pesticides per acre on gardens than farmers apply on many crops. To reduce pesticide use, Purdue entomology professors developed a Web site to help gardeners learn about biological control of insect pests in home gardens. In the last six years, more than 700 Master Gardeners in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky attended workshops that used the site. Follow-up surveys show that more than 20% of workshop participants stopped applying insecticides, herbicides and fungicides for up to two growing seasons.
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2004 |
* Dealing with Diabetes
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The number of people with Type 2 diabetes has risen steadily for more than 25 years. Purdue Extension created a program on how good food choices and an active lifestyle can control the complications of diabetes and even prevent its onset. After the program was presented to 198 people in eight counties, 85% of the participants said they planned to change at least one behavior to prevent the onset of diabetes or help keep it under control. Also, a pre/post questionnaire indicated a slight, but statistically significant, gain in knowledge about diabetes.
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2004 |
* Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program’s Work Against the Invasion of Non-native Aquatic Nuisance Species
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One of the greatest risks to freshwater systems is the invasion of non-native aquatic species that can be spread by recreational water users, backyard water gardeners, aquarium hobbyists, the baitfish industry and commercial shippers. To prevent such invasions, the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program housed in Extension posted boat-landing signs for recreational water users, distributed 35,000 copies of a backyard water garden brochure, and developed a new educational Web site. An Extension specialist’s testimony to Chicago’s City Council helped spur development of legislation banning snakehead fish and live Asian carp; survey results revealed a 15% increase in boaters and fishermen who try to stop the spread of invasive species; and people from more than 125 countries accessed the Sea Grant Nonindigenous Species Web site 3,060,000 times in 2002-2003.
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2004 |
* Purdue Research Helps Anglers Avoid Mercury and PCBs
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Fish are a heart-healthy food, but people who fish U.S. waterways need to know which fish they can eat and still avoid exposure to contaminants. Most states issue fish consumption advisories due to excessive contaminants in fish caught recreationally. Purdue researchers developed lower-cost, more rapid methods for measuring PCBs and mercury in fish. The new methods cut costs from $500-$1,500 to approximately $50 per sample and can deliver results in days, rather than weeks or months. Reduced costs will allow federal and state agencies to create more accurate fish consumption advisories.
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2004 |
* Scientists Unravel Lice Genome
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Head and body lice are worldwide health problems. Body lice, in particular, can carry diseases such as typhus, yet little is known about the genetics of this pest. Purdue entomologists have taken the first step in unraveling the genome of lice, which could lead to better, safer, and less expensive control of these parasites.
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2004 |
* 4-H Builds Character
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Survey results show that the number of high school students who admit to cheating, lying and stealing significantly increased over the past 10 years. To address this issue in Johnson County, a joint school and community committee developed the "4-H Builds Character" initiative to reinforce character traits in extracurricular activities. As a result, at least 537 members of 4-H clubs were taught character education. 4-H leaders report a difference in members’ behavior at club meetings, a greater respect for each other, and examples of integrity and initiative.
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2004 |
* Fun with Science 4-H Enrichment Programming
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At the request of teachers and parents, 4-H Extension educators in Boone and Marion counties developed a "Fun With Science" school enrichment program. Educators used the hands-on program to teach the scientific method and proper preparation of a science fair entry to more than 2,000 youths. Evaluation information from teachers of about half the students showed that 344 of those youth participated in local science fairs. One teacher said, "This year we had students place at the regional science fair. The work of our Extension partners contributed to this success."
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2004 |
* Purdue Extension Reaches Out through Community Learning Centers
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Despite the large number of higher education campuses in Indiana, time, budget and distance constraints create barriers for many residents. Purdue Extension, with partners throughout the state, helped develop seven community-based learning centers where Hoosiers take credit and non-credit courses, improve and develop new workforce skills, and enrich life skills. Participants take credit courses through the Indiana College Network, a consortium of more than 40 colleges and universities. To date more than 2,000 students have enrolled in more than 200 educational programs.
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2004 |
* 4-H in the Classroom Provides Hands-On Learning in Public Schools
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Purdue Extension in Marion County provides local teachers with grade-appropriate educational materials through the 4-H in the Classroom program. The materials supplement traditional classroom lessons with a hands-on, interactive approach to learning, something teachers look for to improve student performance on state-required achievement tests. Teachers access the six science-based enrichment programs through the Web, which makes it easy to incorporate them into lessons. During the 2002-03 academic year, the program reached 4,563 students who came from all 11 Marion County public school corporations, private and parochial schools, and home-schooling families.
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2004 |
* Forensic Science Courses Teach Students the Science Behind CSI
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Crime scene investigation captures both public interest and media attention. It is also a rapidly expanding career field, due to new crime-solving techniques—many related to advances in science and technology. During the 2002-03 academic year, Purdue developed three forensic science courses. Combined enrollment in these classes exceeded 500 students the first time the classes were offered. Purdue plans to expand course offerings in the field and develop an interdisciplinary curriculum in forensic science.
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2004 |
* New Food Science Course Helps Students Explore Careers
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The Purdue Food Science Department took action when freshmen and sophomores asked for an additional course to help them explore food processing operations and careers. In 2003, Introduction to Food Processing linked six freshmen with senior mentors and equipped them with skills that led most of them either to jobs on campus or to summer internships related to food science. Participants are overwhelmingly positive and urge others to take the course.
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2004 |
* Students Learn to Navigate New Technology
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Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are two of today’s fastest-growing technologies with applications in government, business and industry, conservation, education and everyday life. Through workshops held by Purdue Extension in LaPorte County, youth learned the basics of GPS and GIS. One group learned to operate GPS units to navigate their way through Indiana Dunes State Park. Others learned to locate their homes using digital GIS maps or to add data to GIS maps. The new skills will help them in the job market.
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2004 |
* Youth Learn about Wildlife While Improving Interpersonal/Social Skills
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As natural resources dwindle, the fate of wildlife rests in human hands. The 4-H/FFA Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Career Development Event teaches high school students basic wildlife ecology and management practices through a series of activities that also emphasizes oral and written communication, decision-making, teamwork and leadership. Students in the program have reported that one out of five wrote out a wildlife plan to improve habitat on a combined total of 280 Indiana acres owned by family or friends. Half immediately adopted at least one practice they’d learned.
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2003 |
* Learning Center Takes University Courses to Clinton County
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Clinton County Workforce Development Committee identified changing educational needs for workforce development, lifelong education and higher education. Educational needs identified included computer literacy, skills for coping with rapidly increasing diversity, and opportunities for higher education at a time and place convenient for the non-traditional student. New technology, student services and expansion of educational opportunities is making it possible for our county to compete in the new economy with a highly educated and skilled workforce as opposed to a low wage workforce.
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