Purdue Agriculture

Junior Olivia West energized and empowered by Forbes summit

Thursday, November 7th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  Do you have a cup of coffee ready? Good, you’re going to need it after just a glimpse at junior Olivia West’s schedule. Actually, agricultural economics major West said she feels invigorated rather than worn out by her full schedule. In addition to excelling in the classroom, West is a member…

D.C. event to focus on how science-based agriculture can feed a growing global population

Tuesday, November 5th, 2019 • University News Story

A Nov. 13 event in Washington, D.C., will bring together U.S. and Brazilian experts to share challenges, success stories and innovations that hold the promise for how agriculture can address the global food needs of a rapidly growing population.

How the food science Pilot Plant helps drive Indiana’s economy

Tuesday, October 29th, 2019

Indiana is one of the country’s top pumpkin growers. Also, another name for Jack o’ Lantern is Hinkypunk.

Friday, October 25th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  Hinkypunks. Hobby lanterns. Fairy lights. Corpse candles. Fool’s fire. All of these whimsical names, which originated in Ireland, once referred to the other-worldly lights of evil spirits that would appear in the night above bogs and swamplands. Centuries before science would explain away these ethereal flares as the ignition of decomposing…

Purdue scientist sending tomatoes into space to study plant defense

Wednesday, October 16th, 2019

By Brian Wallheimer Any trip to Mars, likely to take a year or longer, will require astronauts to grow at least some of their own food along the way since it can cost $10,000 to send a pound of anything just as far as Earth’s orbit. Astronauts will need the nutrients provided by fruits, leafy…

Purdue scientist working to remove persistent chemicals from drinking water

Tuesday, October 15th, 2019

By Brian Wallheimer Anyone who has enjoyed the ease of sliding a fried egg out of a Teflon-coated frying pan, not had to think twice about the grease from a cheeseburger soaking through the fast-food container, or watched rain water bead on a jacket rather than soak through can thank per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)….

Purdue partnering on 5G research to improve ag automation

Thursday, October 10th, 2019

By Brian Wallheimer Purdue University scientists are collaborating with colleagues at North Carolina State University and others on fifth-generation (5G) and beyond wireless network research that holds promise for improved farm machinery automation. The National Science Foundation and an industry consortium awarded $24 million to a partnership led by North Carolina State University to build…

Graduate Ag Research Spotlight: Kortany Baker

Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

KORTANY BAKER “My dream job would be at the CDC, working on the most deadly pathogens. But a big part of me wants to go into academia; I’ve had so many amazing, influential people in my life, I’d like to be that person for others.” — Kortany Baker, PhD student, Department of Biochemistry   THE…

Agricultural economics graduates selected for prestigious World Bank program

Monday, September 30th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  Francis Addeah Darko earned his Master’s and Ph.D. from Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics but his dreams of working for the World Bank started well before his matriculation. “I grew up in a village in Ghana where the majority of people were poor and most depended on agriculture,” Darko, who graduated in…

Dinner brings scholars and donors together

Friday, September 20th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  For students like Mikayla Applegate, an Agricultural Sciences Education and Communications (ASEC) senior, the scholarships she’s received over the years aren’t just acknowledgements of her excellent coursework and campus-wide engagement, they are what will allow her to graduate in May free of school-loans. “I will make it out of college without…

Graduate Ag Research Spotlight: Carmen Wickware

Monday, September 16th, 2019

CARMEN WICKWARE “A lot of professors or PIs are interested in the role the microbiomes play. We have a lot of collaborative efforts going on.” — Carmen Wickware, PhD student, Department of Animal Sciences   THE STUDENT Carmen Wickware came from Terre Haute to Purdue as an undergraduate open to any discipline that fit her…

Graduate Ag Research Spotlight: Travis Atkinson

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019

TRAVIS ATKINSON “Back home in Jamaica, electricity is expensive, so businesses can’t compete very well. With cleaner, cheaper and more efficient energy, the entire economy benefits.” — Travis Atkinson, PhD student, Agricultural Economics   THE STUDENT Travis Atkinson was the first person in his immediate family to earn a university degree. “The most important lesson…

New horticulture teaching garden dedicated

Monday, August 26th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose On Aug, 23 one of Purdue University’s newly revitalized greenspaces was dedicated as the Jules Janick Horticulture Garden. Janick, the Troop Distinguished Professor in the horticulture and landscape architecture (HLA) department and director of the Center for New Crops and Plant Products, recently led the effort to renovate this space. The…

Graduate Ag Research Spotlight: Hansel Mina

Monday, August 26th, 2019

HANSEL MINA “With time, I can help others — farmers, growers, people that handle the food, people that grow the food. That motivates me, that I will be part of the change.” — Hansel Mina, PhD student, Department of Food Science   THE STUDENT Growing up in Cali, Colombia, Hansel Mina noticed that despite his…

How Purdue Extension is helping Hoosiers respond to emergencies

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  Purdue Extension has a long history of serving rural communities across Indiana and Extension’s newest initiative exemplifies this tradition. On Aug. 12, Extension will launch the Purdue Rural Emergency Preparedness program (IN-PREP), a statewide program devoted to preparing rural Hoosier communities for emergencies and disaster relief. The initiative will focus on…

Data: Indiana farmers markets as affordable as grocery stores

Thursday, August 8th, 2019

Ariana Torres discusses prices with a grower at the Lafayette Farmers Market. Photo by Tom Campbell By Brian Wallheimer In the midst of National Farmers Market Week, a Purdue agricultural economist wants to dispel a persistent myth – that consumers can find better produce prices at the grocery store. Prices at a farmers market are…

Summer internships introduce Colombian students to research at Purdue

Tuesday, August 6th, 2019

Several of the seven students from Icesi University in Cali, Colombia, who completed 10-week research internships at Purdue this June and July are already making plans to return to West Lafayette. Icesi requires its seniors (fourth-year students) to complete a six-month internship before graduation. Alejandro Balcazar, who conducted research with Damon Lisch, associate professor of…

Six things you probably don’t know about kissing bugs

Monday, July 29th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  The Center for Disease Control recently issued a memo regarding the presence of the Triatoma sanguisuga insect in 12 states, including Indiana. Triatoma sanguisuga is better known by its common name, the kissing bug. Kissing bugs, which are common in Central and South America, can carry Chagas, a parasitic disease. The…

Lisa Mauer’s work unravels mysteries of processed foods

Wednesday, July 24th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose Next time you’re at the grocery store you might spare a thought for Lisa Mauer, professor of food science and co-director of the Center for Food Safety Engineering. Mauer, who was also recently named interim associate vice provost for faculty affairs, is a food materials scientist and devotes her research to…

Selfies with Poland’s President and other stories from this ASEC student’s trip abroad

Monday, July 15th, 2019

By Emma Ea Ambrose  During a trip to Poland in June, Courtney Dawn Kelley, incoming Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication (ASEC) senior, put her coursework into practice. Kelley traveled to Poland as part of the 2019 General Electric Poland Immersion Trip, an initiative designed to enhance multilateral cooperation in areas of trade and technology between…