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A NOTE FROM BERNIE ENGEL |
The
College of Agriculture continues to invest in technology that strengthens our
national and international leadership in plant sciences. But it’s not just
technology that drives our interest; it's the education of future scientists and the research in plant science across many departments of the college and beyond.
While we often describe these separately, they are all part of an
integrated effort. We are fortunate to have faculty adept at integrating all
three components of the land-grant mission: teaching, research, and outreach.
They’re at the heart of plant sciences at Purdue and our impact in Indiana and
around the world.
As you read the updates that follow in
Academics, Research, Data Management and Entrepreneurship, consider the
continuum of expertise we are developing here. Activity in plant sciences
ranges widely, from training undergraduate students in research, to
professional development of graduate students across the college and campus, to
exploring ways to move our work in controlled environments to the field, and
vice versa. Meanwhile, our faculty researchers continue to attract critical
dollars for their work.
Their research also helps to raise the
college’s profile. SeedWorld recently
highlighted the Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility as an example of
the future in plant science. And when
the Institute for Plant Sciences was highlighted during Purdue’s Ideas Festival
event that explored how food and technology may intersect in the future, more
than 10,000 people followed the live stream.
A lot is happening. Read on, and I think
you’ll agree that it continues to be an exciting time in plant sciences at
Purdue.
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All the best, |
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Bernie Engel, PhD
Associate Dean for Research
and Graduate Education
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ACADEMICS
Educating the next generation of plant researchers |
RESEARCH
Breaking new ground in plant science research
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DATA MANAGEMENT
Leading the digital revolution in plant phenomics
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Investing in the future of plant sciences
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ACADEMICS
EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLANT RESEARCHERS |
CPB GRADUATE STUDENTS TAKE THE LEAD |
CPB has initiated a graduate student
training and professional development program, which the Office of the Provost has recognized as the CPB
Trainee Association (CPBTA) — an official student organization.
A travel
award program was launched in March 2019, and the graduate trainees are
organizing a new seminar series in plant biology.
The
first CPB-led Graduate Recruitment Weekend was a success, with nine students
selected for admission into the PULSe/CPB graduate program for the 2019-2020
year.
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| SUMMER INTERNSHIPS INTRODUCE COLOMBIAN STUDENTS TO RESEARCH AT PURDUE
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CPB faculty
mentored seven students from Icesi University in Cali,
Colombia, this June and July. The seniors completed 10-week research
internships and established working relationships that may lead them back to
Purdue.
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MOLECULAR AG SUMMER INSTITUTE (MASI) |
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The 2019 MASI students celebrated completion of their summer research program
by showcasing their scientific posters and giving their presentations at
Corteva AgriSciences. |
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The 2019 MASI program supported 15
undergraduate students working under the direction of faculty mentors in plant
sciences. The students worked on their projects full time during their 11 weeks
on campus, and attended weekly science
communication workshops and events sponsored by the Office of
Academic Programs.
“I learned a lot about myself throughout the
summer, including learning the difference between thinking I'm working hard and
actually working hard,” said one MASI participant. “I also learned so much
about how research, professional communication and presentation, data
collection, and result assembly work in an academic setting.”
Added another participant: “Learning
about plant research has prepared me well for graduate school, where I plan to
perform many of the same techniques.”
Faculty are
encouraged to mentor one undergraduate student for next summer’s program. Faculty research mentors are required to
select their students before applying for the program. Student and faculty applications are both due by February
28, 2020.
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JANE ADE STEVENS RETIRES |
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Jane Ade Stevens has been a good friend to the
College of Agriculture. |
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The College of
Agriculture hosted a retirement celebration for Jane Ade Stevens, CEO of the
Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn Marketing Council, on Sept. 16. During her decade-long tenure, the
Purdue alumna fostered a positive relationship with the University that
supported research, teaching and extension, including field days, research and
innovation grants, and graduate student education. Her support for the Indiana
Corn and Soybean Innovation Center in its conceptual stage led Indiana corn and
soy farmers to invest in the facility, which is named to honor them. Stevens
received a 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Agricultural
Sciences Education and Communication as well as the 2018 Distinguished
Agricultural Alumni Award from the Agricultural Alumni Association. Purdue
Extension honored her with its Women in Agriculture Leadership Award in 2018.
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RESEARCH
BREAKING NEW GROUND IN PLANT SCIENCES RESEARCH
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PHENOTYPING GANTRY SYSTEM OPERATING
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| Members of the Phenomics Advisory Board observe the continuous operation of the phenotyping gantry at their Sept. 16 meeting. |
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Construction on the
phenotyping gantry at the Agronomy Center
for Research and Education (ACRE) was completed in July, and it is now collecting
continuous data from sensors in the field. It’s the first of its kind in the U.S.
in terms of sensor configuration, algorithms and intended use. Jian Jin, Agricultural &
Biological Engineering, has been developing algorithms that facilitate the
translation of data collected from the controlled environment to those from the
field.
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SOLAR ARRAY PROJECT UNDERWAY |
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| Mitch Tuinstra discusses
the solar project with members of the Phenomics Advisory Board. |
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An interdisciplinary project is exploring how
to produce electricity without
inhibiting crop yield. Corn has been planted under and around 56 solar
photovoltaic panels on less than an acre of land at ACRE. Rakesh Agrawal, Chemical Engineering, is partnering with Mitch Tuinstra, Agronomy, and faculty from Purdue and Florida A&M
University on the research. It started
with a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation in 2017 for
an NSF Research Traineeship program to develop solutions for sustainable food,
energy and water systems. The Traineeship Track is dedicated to effective
training of STEM graduate students in high-priority interdisciplinary research
areas, through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative,
evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. The
project was recently
awarded another $2.5 million from the NSF’s Innovations at the Nexus of Food,
Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS) program.
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2019 PLANT SYMPOSIUM
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The
2019 Plant Science Symposium, sponsored by the Center for Plant Biology (CPB) on
Sept. 6, focused
on plants and the environment, cell biology, and genetics and ecology and
evolution. Guest speakers included Jeff Dukes, Purdue; Paula McSteen, University of
Missouri; and Natalie Christian, University of Illinois and Oregon State. Additional
CPB speakers included faculty
members Damon Lisch, Jianxin Ma, Scott McAdam and Jennifer Wisecaver, postdoc Rajdeep Khangura and graduate research
assistant Noel Mano.
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CPB SCIENTISTS RAISING PURDUE'S PLANT SCIENCES PROFILE
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Natalia Dudareva, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry,
published a high-impact paper in Nature Communications that describes a new pathway in plant
metabolism.
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Jianxin Ma, professor of agronomy, published a ground-breaking
paper in Science Magazine that describes how nitrogen fixing bacteria
actively promote symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants like soybeans.
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Clint Chapple, Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, has
been appointed to the Executive Council of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Maureen McCann, professor of biological sciences in the Purdue
College of Science, will lead the society as president in 2020-2021.
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DIGITAL AGRICULTURE ROUNDTABLE
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During
his presentation at the Digital Ag Roundtable on “Climate Change: Measuring
and Adapting to It,” Richard Grant demonstrated how he measures greenhouse and
other trace gas emissions from agricultural operations. |
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Purdue showcased varied technologies in digital
agriculture at the Digital Agriculture Roundtable Sept. 10 at the Beck
Agricultural Center. Purdue researchers joined industry stakeholders and
members of the Wabash
Heartland Innovation Network, a consortium of 10 north-central
Indiana counties investing creatively in digital agriculture and next-generation manufacturing.
Attendees heard presentations on UAVs, climate change, a wide range of research
projects, progress at the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center (ICSC) and workforce development
for digital agriculture.
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CONTROLLED ENVIORNMENT PHENOTYPING FACILITY (CEPF)
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images from the X-ray — two side views and one top view from the same tomato
plant. |
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| New CT Scanner: The new CT root scanner
was integrated into the CEPF this summer. The X-ray machine complements current
phenotyping capabilities of the RGB and hyperspectral cameras, and allows
nondestructive plant measurements of above- and belowground plant
biomass. This instrument is currently being tested and optimized, with
availability for experiments to begin in January 2020.
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CEPF EQUIPMENT MODIFICATIONS
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In addition to the X-ray, a number of modifications have been made
to existing CEPF equipment. A new RGB side-view camera installed in June
provides opportunities to image seedlings and small plants less than 20 cm
in height. A major rebuild of the automated irrigation system will accommodate
a new, taller pot, which will be used with the CT root scanner. Plans also
are moving forward to install two short-wave infrared (SWIR) cameras, giving CEPF
the capability to collect data on the full vegetation spectrum of light in the
range of 400-2500 nanometers.
The Agriculture Research and Graduate Education office reminds faculty that
they may benefit from writing these types of resources and technologies into
their proposals. For more information, contact Yang Yang, director
of digital phenomics.
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HIGH ACTIVITY AT ICSC
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ICSC had a busy summer with several labs using the workspace and a
large amount of plant processing taking place. Facility users have adapted quickly to using the iLab software. A list of
equipment is available here.
Close to 200 UAV flights this year were based out of ICSC.
More than 700 guests have come through to date in 2019, and over 6,000
people since the facility opened.
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PURDUE EXTENSION UAV PROGRAM
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Jeff Boyer, superintendent at the Davis Purdue
Agricultural Center, discussed drone technology at the September Phenomics
Advisory Board meeting. |
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Twenty or more Agriculture &
Natural Resources Educators are flying UAVs over crop fields across Indiana,
and several more are training to use the technology. From
their initial focus on crops, the Educators are discovering new uses for the
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
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POSTDOC OPENING
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The
Institute for Plant Sciences has an immediate opening for a postdoc to work in
the Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility. This individual will
coordinate the development of software data pipelines in high-throughput plant
phenotyping and big data analysis that enable the operation of current and
future imaging and sensing systems in Purdue’s phenotyping facilities.
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DATA MANAGEMENT
LEADING THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN PLANT PHENOMICS |
CEPF DATA ANALYSIS
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Two
corn plants scanned by the hyperspectral cameras at CEPF. |
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The hyperspectral camera system at CEPF is generating daily images
from data beyond what the human eye can see. The CEPF system can automatically
calculate the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for each pixel,
resulting in colormaps in addition to the original pictures. These can help
researchers identify critical areas in the plant under different scenarios and
treatments. Next steps are to use this data to estimate the plant nutrient
content and predict stress before symptoms are visible. |
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AG DATA SERVICES
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In his new position as the college’s director of agricultural data
services, Aaron Walz is working to accelerate development and
implementation of data pipelines, from the point of generation of data to the
production of new insights.
Ag Data Services is part of ARGE-supported services
that also include the CEPF, ICSC and microscopy. Its goal is to make data
expertise, tools, methodologies and services accessible to faculty, staff and
graduate students. |
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF PLANT SCIENCES |
PURDUE AG-CELERATOR
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The winner of the spring 2019 Ag-Celerator investment was
Rogo Ag LLC, a
pioneering agricultural technology company. The startup’s primary technology,
SmartCore, is an autonomous robot designed to collect accurate, repeatable soil
samples in fields and return the samples directly to farmers or growers for better decision making about
fertilizers. The
Purdue Ag-Celerator Fund will invest $100,000 to support the company’s further
work.
Thirteen semi-finalists are participating in the current
fall 2019 round. Finalists will be announced December 3, with Demo
Day scheduled for December 16.
The
Purdue Foundry and Office of Technology Commercialization brought 18 startups
to the showcase at Forbes AgTech Summit in Indianapolis Sept. 19. |
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AG SOY PRODUCT INNOVATION REALIZATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ASPIRE)
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This
year’s ASPIRE interns with Bill Arnold, managing director of the Foundry
Studio. From left: Thomas Smith, Team SoyShield; Sungwuk Choi, Andy Kim and
Chris Tague, Team Mean Bean Frosting; Arnold; and Lauren Oparah, Team Luma. |
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Five successful competitors from the 2018-19 Purdue
Student Soybean Innovation Competition were awarded 2019 ASPIRE Internships.
Sungwuk Choi (biological engineering), Eung Baek (Andy) Kim (biological
engineering), Lauren Oparah (biological engineering),
Thomas Smith (first-year engineering) and Chris Tague (chemistry) continued
working on their soy-based products with a paid nine-week internship last
summer. They participated in research and customer delivery activities, attended
professional development seminars, built their research network and advanced
their soy-based prototype toward commercialization and/or a student startup
company. Thomas and Lauren also pitched for Ag-Celerator funding. |
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FIRESTARTER OFFERED TO ASPIRE STUDENTS
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ASPIRE students, funded by the Ag-Celerator, are working in partnership
with the Purdue Foundry to complete their Firestarter training. The Foundry offers
Firestarter (formerly LaunchBox) to support entrepreneurship and
commercialization by connecting entrepreneurs with resources. Graduates of the nine-week program
leave with a 10-slide pitch deck, executive summary and assignment to a Purdue
Foundry Entrepreneur-in-Residence. |
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  © 2019 Purdue University An Equal Access/Equal Opportunity University |
Nancy Alexander, Editor, Purdue Agricultural Communications
Erin Robinson, Senior Communications Specialist, Purdue Agricultural Communications
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