Graduate Research Spotlight: Melissa Leiden Welsh

The Graduate Research Spotlight highlights graduate students and their work. This month’s spotlight is on Melissa Leiden Welsh, Youth Development and Agricultural Education; advisor Neil Knobloch.

Full story: https://ag.purdue.edu/arp/Pages/Graduate-Student-Spotlight.aspx#.VDQs70pdXvA

Clint Chapple to step down in Biochemistry

Dr. Clint Chapple has announced that he will step out of the role of head of the Department of Biochemistry to return to his scholarly activities, effective Fall 2015. "Dr. Chapple has led the department with passion and commitment," said Dean Jay Akridge. "He has been a great ambassador for the department over the past 6+ years." Dr. Rebecca Doerge, Professor of Agronomy and Distinguished Professor and Department Head of Statistics, will chair the search advisory committee for the next Biochemistry department head. The following faculty and staff have agreed to serve on the committee:

• Jim Forney, Professor
• Ann Kirchmaier, Associate Professor
• Joe Ogas, Associate Professor
• Sherry Pogranichniy, Undergraduate Program Administrator
• Andy Tao, Professor
• Beth Tran, Assistant Professor
• Vikki Weake, Assistant Professor

Dukes named head of PCCRC

Jeffrey Dukes, Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources and Biological Sciences, has been named the new Director of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center (PCCRC). He began the new position in September. The PCCRC, part of Discovery Park, was established in 2004 to serve as a hub for interdisciplinary research on climate change and its ecological, social, economic, and political impacts.

Ag Faculty go Back to Class

Two Agriculture faculty members were selected to present Back to Class sessions during the President's Council Annual Weekend events on October 10. Maja Makagon, Animal Sciences, presented on the topic of "Applied Animal Behavior: Improving the Lives of Farmers and Their Animals". Christian Butzke, Food Science, presented "Wine a Little, You'll Feel Better: Wine Appreciation the Purdue Way". The President's Council, established in 1972, is composed of leading donors to the University. During the Annual Weekend, members are invited to campus to participate in events, such as Back to Class, designed to help keep them up to date on the activities and innovation happening at Purdue.

Book Harmon Leadership Forum set for October 28

The Department of Animal Sciences announces the 2014 Book Harmon Leadership Forum on Tuesday, October 28. This year's speaker is Dr. Mike Lemmon, CEO of Whiteshire Hamrock, LLC, a company that supplies veterinary and human medical fields with FDA approved pigs for research and medical uses. He will speak on the topic of "Planning (Living) Your Personal Leadership Journey". Following the forum, the department will present its Distinguished Alumni awards.

More information: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/in_focus/2014/October/BookHarmonInformation.pdf

Ag Econ space to get renovation

At its September meeting, the Purdue Board of Trustees voted to name a 5,000-square-foot-space on the seventh floor of the Krannert building BECK's Floor for Agricultural Economics. The space will be repurposed to house the Center for Food and Agricultural Business and the Center for Commercial Agriculture, to provide distance-education studio capacity, and to provide conference and experiential learning space for Extension and undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty and staff of the two centers will focus on addressing the management and technological challenges of production agriculture and agribusiness management, and also will focus efforts on educating tomorrow's leaders through a variety of undergraduate and experiential learning activities. A donation of $1.4 million by Beck's Hybrids is expected to cover the project’s cost.

Faculty and Grad Students asked to take survey

Dr. Karen Plaut, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs, announces that Marianne Stowell Bracke, Associate Professor of Libraries, and Line Pouchard, Assistant Professor of Libraries, are leading a project to investigate data management practices in the College of Agriculture. They are seeking to collect information by asking faculty and graduate students to participate in a voluntary, anonymous Qualtrics survey. This survey should take no longer than 15 minutes. In addition to demographic information, questions relate to the types of data that you generate and use in your research, data sharing practices, and data management training that is needed for students.

The project has been approved by Purdue University Institutional Review Board. Your responses will help us better understand how scientists and researchers manage their data, which will then allow the Purdue Libraries to better serve your data management needs.

Please help in this research by participating in the survey. Survey closes Friday, October 24th.

https://purdue.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0BqGXqmPFmxHVDD

Purdue Parents Network a resource for Purdue employees with kids

The Purdue Parents Network (PPN) is a resource created by parents (and their concerned friends) for parents. The group's goal is to provide an avenue for parents within Purdue University to network, share information, and find support within the Purdue community. All Purdue employees with families (and those thinking of starting a family) are invited to join the Purdue Parent Network.

More information: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/in_focus/2014/October/PPN_InvitationToJoin.pdf

Students and employers connect at Career Fair

More than a thousand Agriculture students turned out to make connections with employers on October 7 at the College of Agriculture Fall Career Fair. The fair was at full capacity, with 134 companies occupying 154 tables. Office of Academic Programs staff helped students prepare for the Career Fair with a "Résumé Blitz" on October 6. Fourteen company representatives and four staff from the Center for Career Opportunities critiqued student résumés, and nine companies joined the students that evening for the Employer Panel Discussion and Networking Session,

Boilermaker Butcher Block taking orders for tailgaters

Football fans are invited to order the meat for their tailgates early through the Boilermaker Butcher Block. Orders placed by 5 pm on the Wednesday before a home football game can be picked up at Ross Ade Stadium or Purdue West shopping center up to four hours before game kickoff. Football fans will also find a Boilermaker Butcher Block products at several of the Ross Ade concessions this year. Pictured here are some members of the Butcher Block crew: L to R: David Gasper, Technology; Jessica Buening, Animal Sciences; Alan Mathew, Animal Sciences; Jacob Mattox, Ag Education; and Mike Booth, a member of the Meat Lab staff.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/boilermaker-butcher-block-offers-pre-ordered-meat-for-purdue-tailgates.html

TEAM Award call for nominations

Since 1995, Purdue Agriculture has recognized an outstanding collaborative effort within our programs and across the university. Nominations are invited for the 2015 Purdue Agriculture TEAM Award. The 2015 TEAM Award will be presented at a ceremony in May, and the winning team will be awarded $10,000 for program support. Nominations must be sent electronically to Becky Rice at rdr@purdue.edu by December 3.

TEAM Award guidelines and required nomination cover sheet: http://www3.ag.purdue.edu/dean/facultyinfo/Pages/TEAMAward.aspx

Training modules available for faculty and staff

Risk Management, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for Ethics and Compliance and the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources, announces the availability of the Risk Management Employment Claims Initiative education program. The program helps employees and supervisors understand employment-related issues such as discrimination, harassment, disability awareness and accommodations, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), overtime rates, and other university leave policies. Participants will complete four training modules and corresponding certification quizzes: 1) Equal Opportunity; 2) Americans with Disabilities Act; 3) Wage and Hour Issues for Employees and Supervisors; and 4) Family and Medical Leave Act and University Leave Policies.

The training modules and instructions for accessing the certification quizzes are located on the Purdue Employee Portal. Each training module is approximately 20 to 25 minutes long. Training on the Americans with Disabilities Act and Equal Opportunity will also fulfill College of Agriculture requirements for civil rights training as required by the USDA. All faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to complete these training modules. Faculty and staff participation in these training modules impacts the College's share of insurance costs.

Janet Ayres, Agricultural Economics, was recognized as the inaugural winner of the John Neiderman Rural Development Leadership Award at the annual meeting of the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development. This new award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in improving the quality of life, influencing policies, and fostering opportunities for growth and development for the betterment of rural Indiana. Professor Ayres leads the Center for Rural Development 

Mark Hall, Biochemistry, has received a Summer Science Program New Curriculum Prize and is now eligible to apply for additional funding to fully develop his proposal for a summer research experience for talented high school students from around the world. He received the prize for his curriculum titled "Using Biochemistry and Evolution to Characterize New Targets for Anti-Fungal Drugs." His proposal was one of two from the United States to win. SSP was founded to inspire motivated and talented high school students to become scientists, mathematicians and engineers by providing them with intensive interdisciplinary, collaborative research.

Jianxin Ma, Agronomy, has been named associate editor of G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, an Open Access Journal of the Genetics Society of America. Since the journal’s launch in June 2011, its editorial board of academic experts has been instrumental in shaping G3 into an important forum for the publication of useful genetics findings and resources.

Suzanne Nielsen, Food Science, was inducted into the Purdue Teaching Academy at a ceremony on September 24. Dr. Nielsen, who won a 2013-2014 Murphy Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, was one of nine faculty members inducted into the Teaching Academy this year. On September 23, Dr. Nielsen delivered the 2014 Richard L. Kohls Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Lecture as part of the College of Agriculture's Celebration of Teaching Excellence.

Renée McKee, 4-H Youth Development Program Leader & Assistant Director of Purdue Extension, received the 2014 Ruby Award for Distinguished Service from Epsilon Sigma Phi, the professional society dedicated to fostering professional development and excellence in the Extension system. The Ruby Award is ESP's highest recognition. Dr. McKee began her Extension career in 1977 as a 4-H Youth Agent in Carroll County, Indiana and was named Assistant Director and 4-H Youth Development Program Leader in 2003.

Mark Straw, executive administrator of the Indiana State Egg Board and owner of Strawridge Farms, has been named by Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann to the Indiana Grown Initiative Commission. The Indiana Grown program promotes the variety of food and beverage items produced by the Indiana agriculture industry. The commission, chaired by ISDA Director Ted McKinney, will provide guidance and direction to the staff of ISDA who will be responsible for connecting businesses that use or sell agricultural products such as restaurants, grocers, wholesalers, processors, and farmers’ markets with Indiana-based producers of meat, fruits, vegetables, wine and forest products.

Natural soundscapes may become ‘digital fossils’ of the future

Sounds are integral to Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” the book about two years he spent living in a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Massachusetts in 1846-47 - the wind blowing through the rushes, the rumbling of the ice melting in the spring, owls screeching in the night. Now, there is hardly a spot on the planet where our noise doesn’t mix with (or intrude on, from another perspective) the sounds of the natural world, says Forestry and Natural Resources Professor Bryan Pijanowski. Eventually, the only way people may be able to hear nature on its own terms is through an artificial digital world, much like “Star Trek,” says Pijanowski, who leads a Purdue-centered international effort to collect a digital archive of high-resolution video - and especially sound - from signature natural areas around the world. He presented his ideas during a lecture titled “Digital Nature” at the Purdue conference called “Dawn or Doom: The New Technology Explosion" on September 18.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/natural-soundscapes-may-become-digital-fossils-of-the-future.html

Purdue mapping technology could help farmers better understand their soil's functionality

Dr. Phillip Owens, Agronomy, has developed soil-mapping technology that provides visual information about soil functionality and productivity, which could increase profitability for farmers and growers as they cultivate their crops. Owens, shown here with doctoral graduate Jenette Ashtekar, said the USDA provides soil survey maps of the contiguous 48 states. These maps only classify and name soil types as broad units based on their appearance, while Owens' functional maps provide a broader spectrum of highly detailed information. "These functional maps show properties like organic carbon content, clay content, the location of water tables, the native nutrient potential, catatonic exchange and more," he said. "This information could impact how farmers choose to manage their land and their crops in order to decrease costs and increase profits."

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/purdue-mapping-technology-could-help-farmers-better-understand-their-soils-functionality.html

Natural gene selection can produce orange corn rich in provitamin A for Africa, U.S.

Professor of agronomy Torbert Rocheford and fellow researchers have identified a set of genes that can be used to naturally boost the provitamin A content of corn kernels, a finding that could help combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries and macular degeneration in the elderly. The team found gene variations that can be selected to change nutritionally poor white corn into biofortified orange corn with high levels of provitamin A carotenoids - substances that the human body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A plays key roles in eye health and the immune system, as well as in the synthesis of certain hormones. Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 250,000 to 500,000 children every year, half of whom die within a year of losing their eyesight, according to the World Health Organization. The problem most severely affects children in Sub-Saharan Africa, an area in which white corn, which has minimal amounts of provitamin A carotenoids, is a dietary mainstay.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/natural-gene-selection-can-produce-orange-corn-rich-in-provitamin-a-for-africa,-u.s..html

Next-Generation Cities: Designing Urban Areas with Climate Smarts

Cities can create their own microclimates that direct weather patterns—such as temperature increases—within and beyond their boundaries. The Summer 2014 issue of Agricultures magazine features stories of how cities are re-thinking their environmental footprint and tackling climate change. State Climatologist Dev Niyogi's research on the ways that a city directs weather patterns within its boundaries and beyond; the city of Carmel, Indiana's eco-friendly initiatives; and more.

Full story: https://ag.purdue.edu/agricultures/Pages/Summer2014/04-NextGenCities.aspx#.VByPkfldV8H

Boosting global corn yields depends on improving nutrient balance

Ensuring that corn absorbs the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is crucial to increasing global yields, a Purdue and Kansas State University study finds. A review of data from more than 150 studies from the U.S. and other regions showed that high yields were linked to production systems in which corn plants took up key nutrients at specific ratios - nitrogen and phosphorus at a ratio of 5-to-1 and nitrogen and potassium at a ratio of 1-to-1. These nutrient uptake ratios were associated with high yields regardless of the region where the corn was grown. "The agricultural community has put a lot of emphasis on nitrogen as a means of increasing yields, but this study highlights the greater importance of nutrient balance," said Tony Vyn, professor of agronomy. "We will not be able to continually boost global corn yields and achieve food security without providing adequate and balanced nutrients."

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/boosting-global-corn-yields-depends-on-improving-nutrient-balance.html

Federal grant awarded for organic tomato research led by Purdue

Purdue has received a $2 million federal grant to lead multi-institution research on breeding new varieties of organic tomatoes that would resist foliar diseases and still have the delicious taste that consumers want. The grant, awarded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, will also enable researchers to identify management practices that reduce disease pressure while protecting soil and water quality. Dr. Lori Hoagland, assistant professor of horticulture, is heading the project that includes researchers from North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T University, Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Organic Seed Alliance.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/federal-grant-awarded-for-organic-tomato-research-led-by-purdue.html

Purdue Extension conference to cover latest info on PED virus

A conference sponsored by Purdue Extension will present updated information on the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus as well as a panel discussion by swine experts. The Purdue PED Conference will be Oct. 21 at the Hendricks County 4-H complex and conference center, at the intersection of County Road 200 E and E. Main Street (Old U.S. 36) in Danville. The event will run 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EDT. The conference will be helpful to all swine producers, regardless of farm size, as well as to swine veterinarians and others in swine-related industries. Eight speakers of various swine expertise, including members of Purdue Extension, veterinarians from Indiana and a member of the Indiana Board of Animal Health, will present information on PED.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/purdue-extension-conference-to-cover-latest-info-on-ped-virus.html

Learn how to extend growing season with help of Purdue Extension

With the fall harvest upon us, Purdue Extension is reaching out to gardeners and operators of small farms who want to extend their growing season. Jodee Ellett, Purdue Extension’s local foods coordinator, said growing fruits, vegetables and flowers outdoors is possible well into winter with the right expertise and equipment, such as high tunnels - plastic-covered, low-cost structures that are similar to greenhouses. “High tunnels and other methods enable growers to extend the growing season and even grow year-round in Indiana under plastic sheeting,” Ellett said. Purdue Extension is offering a series of free webinars and workshops providing essential how-to and background information on topics related to year-round growing.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/learn-how-to-extend-growing-season-with-help-of-purdue-extension.html

Purdue Arboretum offers online database of plants on campus

A comprehensive online interactive database of the campuswide Purdue Arboretum is now available for students and visitors to enhance their learning and appreciation for plants and the environment. The Purdue Arboretum Explorer allows mobile device users to quickly locate and learn about the nearly 779 types of trees, shrubs and vines that comprise over 40,000 plants that are mapped throughout campus. It also allows users to learn about the university's environmental stewardship initiatives as well as historical landmarks, campus art, and other landscape features at Purdue. The goal of the arboretum is to enhance the university’s educational, research and outreach mission, promote environmental sustainability and add to the beauty of the 956-acre campus. "It is an opportunity to reach out not only to our students and researchers but to the public so they can interact with nature and better appreciate plants," said Paul Siciliano Jr., professor of horticulture and landscape architecture and the arboretum's director.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/purdue-arboretum-offers-online-database-of-plants-on-campus.html

'Second generation' bioenergy crops topic of meeting

Purdue Extension will co-host a meeting in Wabash, Indiana on opportunities and available technology for "second generation" bioenergy crops. The meeting will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Wabash County REMC at 350 Wedcor Ave. Doors will open at 9 a.m. Renewable energy Extension specialist Chad Martin stressed the importance of providing education on second-generation bioenergy sources such as switchgrass and other warm-season grasses. He said the meeting will be helpful to farmers, agribusiness professionals, Extension educators, state and federal agricultural staff, energy entrepreneurs, biofuel refinery employees and others interested in biofuels. Martin recently attended a conference in Iowa that focused on exploring conservation agriculture practices and bioenergy grass production. He toured DuPont's new second-generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Nevada, Iowa, that will be capable of producing 30 million gallons a year. At the Extension meeting, bioenergy experts will give presentations in the morning and field demonstrations in the afternoon.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q4/second-generation-bioenergy-crops-topic-of-meeting.html

Researchers uncover structure of enzyme that makes plant cellulose

Researchers led by Dr. Nick Carpita, Botany and Plant Pathology, have discovered the structure of the enzyme that makes cellulose, a finding that could lead to easier ways of breaking down plant materials to make biofuels and other products and materials. The research also provides the most detailed glimpse to date of the complicated process by which cellulose - the foundation of the plant cell wall and the most abundant organic compound on the planet - is produced. Cellulose is composed of several dozen strands of glucose sugars linked together in a cablelike structure and condensed into a crystal. The rigidity of cellulose allows plants to stand upright and lends wood its strength. The findings could be used to redesign the structure of cellulose for different material applications, and the structure of cellulose could also be altered to break down more easily for the production of cellulosic biofuels.

Full story: http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2014/Q3/researchers-uncover-structure-of-enzyme-that-makes-plant-cellulose.html