Site Archive
“Even though some days I’m getting out of bed to reach the field before the flowers open, it’s easy for me to find the endpoint of who we’re doing this for,” said Jacob Pecenka, a Ph.D. student in entomology. “Watermelon growers in Indiana.”
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In a contest created to develop novel applications for soybeans, it’s hard to beat a 98% soybean crop stimulant that improves soybean growth.
In the 27th annual Student Soybean Innovation Competition, Cai Chen, Nate Nauman and Emmanuel Alagbe topped six other teams to claim the $20,000 prize. The competition, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, encourages Purdue student teams to create new products or materials from soybeans.
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In high school, Bryanna Nelson assumed she had “too much enthusiasm for too many things” to narrow her academic focus. But after hearing about opportunities in agricultural education, she noticed “the field took all my personal interests and combined them into one.
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A first-generation college student, Schull double-majored in biological engineering and natural resources at Cornell University, where a professor encouraged them to follow their research interests to Purdue. Schull is a programmer and hydrologist whose research focuses on water resource management using a food-energy-water nexus framework.
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“Plant nitrogen is important in determining the growth and quality of ornamental plants,” explained Ranjeeta Adhikari, a Ph.D. student in horticulture and landscape architecture. “But indoor growers have limited options for simple, reliable and affordable technology to measure it.” Through her research at Purdue University, Adhikari has taken steps toward removing the limitations.
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Technology has long fascinated Kirby Kalbaugh, but early in his career, his goal was to manage a hotel or an amusement park. The Cincinnati native worked full time while studying hospitality management at Purdue. After earning his degree in 1998, he held various hotel management positions in Lafayette — a town he had grown to love.
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“As the environment is changing, people are encountering many stressors that are driving them to adapt,” explained Becca Nixon. “I want to help support strategies that align with their values and improve their well-being.”
To achieve her goal, Nixon’s social science research focuses on people whose livelihoods are tied to the Swat and Kabul Rivers in northern Pakistan.
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Adebukola Dada grew up on a Nigerian farm where her father raised various plants and animals. “If our crops did not do well, I asked my dad to tell me why,” Dada recalled. “That’s up to you to figure out,” her father replied. Now a Ph.D. student in agronomy, Dada is on her way to finding the answers.
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Graduate students and researchers come and go from Purdue, but their computer applications stay behind. Programmer Ben Hancock maintains these legacy applications — greater in number than you might think — by managing servers, responding to users who need help and implementing fixes as needed.
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The hemp plant often thought to be native to North America, originated in the Tibetan Plateau, the world’s largest and highest plateau located in southwestern China. The multi-use plant predominantly harvested for its oil and fiber is gaining popularity with Hoosier growers as regulations change and the hemp byproduct industry grows.
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“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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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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Today Fox describes his current job responsibilities as “anything that needs done.” He consults with ASEC faculty and staff on technology-related issues, leads computer-related developments and activities in the department, and coordinates efforts with other university computing departments. “It’s a wide variety, basically whatever might pop up,” he says. “That’s developed over the years. There’s a lot of meeting with faculty and staff, making personal connections and earning their trust.”
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Agriculture was supposed to be a quick detour for Tiffanna Ross. Just one semester while she waited for space to open in the University of Guyana’s undergraduate biology program.
“But I developed a liking for agriculture and it worked out for the best,” said Ross, now a doctoral student in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue.
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Led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s initiative to end global hunger and enhance food security. More than 20 Feed the Future Innovation Labs are paired with experts from leading U.S. universities to help address grand challenges in agriculture and food security. Researchers at Purdue University power the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post-Harvest Handling (FPIL). FPIL seeks to reduce post-harvest loss, promote economic growth, improve nutrition, and enhance food security in Feed the Future target countries.
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Anton Terekhov knows it’s important to keep the analytical instrumentation at the Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research operating properly. But even as he focuses on maintaining the equipment, he also values the human talent that surrounds him at work every day.
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The College of Agriculture accounted for more than a third of Purdue researchers who asked for access and support to continue critical research when facilities closed this spring.
With about 15 wiliwili trees in the Lilly Greenhouses, and only 150 left in the wild after an insect pest decimated its population, Purdue oversees an important concentration of this deciduous tree native to Hawaii. Scott McAdam, assistant professor of botany and plant pathology, has been growing the trees for three years.
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