Site Archive
“In every generation, there are new discoveries that shift the trajectory of the industry,” said Ayodeji “Ayo” Aderibigbe, a doctoral student in the Department of Animal Sciences. “That motivates me to work hard and be among a group of people who are dedicated to improving global food security. I want to be a problem solver, not just a solution announcer.”
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As a professor of agricultural economics at a major research institution, Nicole Olynk Widmar relies on Purdue’s high-speed internet. But once she leaves campus and arrives home about 15 minutes later, Widmar counts herself lucky to even connect to the internet. Zoom can, at times, be a pipe dream.
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Are you looking for Halloween activities for children? Here’s a festive page with a corn maze, “carving” pumpkins and connect-the-dots. (Bonus: you can teach your little one a fun fact about bats!)
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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented large hurdles to overcome, particularly for Purdue’s new incoming students. Allie Kingery, the department’s undergraduate academic adviser, approached the food science club officers with the idea of making a Philip E. Nelson Hall Scavenger Hunt video for the department’s freshmen seminar class. Purdue’s Food Science Club jumped at the opportunity to help. The club members remembered having the scavenger hunt in the beginning weeks of their freshmen year and how fun it was to explore the building.
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Whether she was growing up in rural England, attending high school and college in Michigan and graduate school in North Carolina, or now living and working in West Lafayette, Linda Prokopy has always been keenly aware of the landscapes that surround her.
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With horticulture degrees from Purdue, assistant professor of weed science Stephen Meyers and his wife Jess were ahead of the curve – or ahead of the carve – when it came to growing pumpkins.
Meyers has always been interested in horticulture, professionally and personally. When the couple recently moved back to Indiana, they decided to use some of their land to grow and sell pumpkins, which afforded Meyers a deeper appreciation for some of the gourd’s temperamental tendencies.
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Want to cook like the ancient Egyptians? You don’t need a fancy cookbook or the ability to read hieroglyphics, all you really need is a sourdough starter.
Sourdough starters’ first recorded use harkens back to ancient Egypt, circa 1500 B.C., although many historians posit similar culinary devices were used as early as Neolithic times. The ability to bake bread with a complex flavor and soft interior revolutionized the Egyptian kitchen. Several thousand years later, sourdough is having another moment.
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Foodborne illnesses linked to produce make regular news headlines these days. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has investigated outbreaks of Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli related to mushrooms, peaches, onions and clover sprouts just this year. FDA averages more than a dozen similar outbreaks annually.
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As a machine systems engineering specialist, Andrea Vacca, professor of agricultural and biological engineering (ABE) and mechanical engineering, understands what makes a machine tick, including the apparatus of interdisciplinary research as well.
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“There’s an element of gambling to lumber,” said Mark Smith. “Lumber is a commodity market so it’s up and down all the time.”
Purdue alumni Mark and Jenny Smith faced the fluctuations for 31 years as suppliers of lumber and plywood, but never experienced shifts as abrupt as those in 2020. Within a span of months, the owners of Great Lakes Forest Products, Inc. saw their expanding business reduced to a bare-bones crew before unexpectedly needing to hire a record number of employees.
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Songlin Fei, winner of the 2020 Agricultural Research Award, has made his mark on the world’s forests through advanced remote sensing technologies.
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Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, has announced that Linda Prokopy, professor of forestry and natural resources, will be the new department head for horticulture and landscape architecture (HLA). Prokopy, a member of the College of Agriculture faculty for 17 years, was selected after a national search.
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Jones’ family began dairy farming in Star City, Ind., in 1942. Four generations later, the family is still milking cows along with growing corn, soybeans and alfalfa, mainly used to feed back into the dairy herd. They were the first dairy farm in Indiana and the tenth in the nation to adopt robotic milking practices. Jones’ parents, Sammy and Pam, manage the day-to-day operations with her brother, Josh, who is a Purdue Agriculture and Biological Engineering graduate. Amy helps on the farm each month along with her sister, Christy, a Purdue Animal Sciences alumna, and her brother, a Purdue Liberal Arts alumnus.
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The COVID-19 pandemic guaranteed this year to be like no other. The pandemic affects people of all ages, but it has been especially challenging for children as schools went virtual and youth organizations were forced to cancel activities and trips. Knowing it is critical for youth to engage in hands-on learning experiences to build life skills, Indiana 4-H was determined to continue reaching youth statewide.
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Eager to learn more about her field, Michaela Covington enrolled in Purdue’s Master of Science Biotechnology Innovation & Regulatory Science (BIRS) program six months after graduating from college, becoming the youngest person in the summer 2020 graduating class.
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