The View Ahead – Spring 2018

Purdue Agriculture scientists conduct high-impact research in many areas such as muscle development, water quality, and on-farm decision-making, to name just a few. This issue of Envision, however, highlights some of the surprising things we’re doing that you may not associate with agriculture.

Did you know that more than half of the faculty members in the Department of Biochemistry belong to the Purdue Center for Cancer Research? Read about the work that Drs. Andy Mesecar, Beth Tran, Xiaoqui Liu, Humaira Gowher and Andy Tao are doing to discover the causes of cancer and potential treatments.

We’re also finding new ways to use waste products. Dr. Andrea Liceaga in Food Science is making chorizo sausage out of invasive Asian carp. Waste Not Want Not is an innovative partnership between Purdue Extension and Food Finders that connects farmers and food banks. In Forestry and Natural Resources, Dr. Doug Jacobs uses plastic bottles as planters for trees, and Dr. Eva Haviarova is helping train people to make school furniture from offcuts and other waste wood.

For practical applications, we turn to Food Science, which has a new minor in fermentation science. A hops and brewing analysis lab complements the minor and provides new information in this fast-growing area. The lab connects faculty and staff on campus with hops growers throughout Indiana and beyond. We hope you’ll enjoy learning about these and other surprising things going on in the Purdue College of Agriculture. As always, let us know what you think — we look forward to hearing from you!

Karen Plaut, PhD
Interim Dean, College of Agriculture