Monthly Overview

April 2, 2021
Dear friends -

Winter is behind us here at the Center for the Environment and we have been busy! 

In March, we have continued working with our partners at the Hoosier Environmental Council and White River Alliance to make sure Hoosiers have access to accurate, scientifically sound, information on issues important to the safety of our public health and our environment. We also sponsored two major events; the first, Science Diplomacy: US and Latin America in a New Era of Cooperation, brought together two experts in the field.  And just last week, we led Purdue’s first conference on environmental justice, which featured a keynote lecture by environmental lawyer and new Deputy Assistant Administrator at the EPA, Dr. Carlton Waterhouse.

Below, we provide information about our upcoming Discovery Park Distinguished Lecture featuring soil ecologist Dr. Diana Wall, provide a research recap and highlight several affiliate achievements and awards for March.

We also encourage you to support Purdue’s Day of Giving on April 28th by making a contribution to the Center to help advance our support of environmental events, research, and students.
 
Upcoming Event
Global Soil Biodiversity: Establishing Common Ground For Sustainability
Featuring Dr. Diana Wall, Colorado State University

April 5, 2021 | 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Noted environmental scientist Diana Wall will present “Global Soil Biodiversity: Establishing Common Ground for Sustainability” at 1:30 p.m. ET Monday (April 5). Read more.

Click here to register for this seminar.
 
From our Researchers
Here is a sampling of faculty work published in the past month addressing key environmental challenges
What Problems Does Organic Cotton Solve?

Andrew Flachs
, Anthropology




"One warm afternoon several years ago, I was walking with Korianna, a farmer in Telangana, India, when I smelled something bad. The scent of diesel and sulfur wafted over the dusty red clay and fertile black earth characteristic of the Deccan plateau. Korianna pointed to fields of tightly planted, vibrant green cotton in the distance, where a neighboring villager was using a motorized sprayer to unleash pesticides onto crop rows. 'When they start to face losses, they’ll want to join us,' he told me." Keep reading.
 
Finding Balance Between Industrial and Natural Systems

Shweta Singh
Agricultural and Biological Engineering & Environmental and Ecological Engineering

"My fascination with engineering and models began when I first worked on an electrical model of logic gates in high school. So, I dreamt of becoming an engineer to build things; to me it was truly an adventurous journey. Fortunately, in this journey, I landed at Purdue, where Amelia Earhart once resided. Her stories are inspiring and give me courage to do things differently and to tackle the tough problems." Keep reading.
 
Bill Author, Purdue Expert Urge Hearing for Bill on Lead Testing In Preschools, Day Cares

Andrew Whelton
Civil Engineering & Environmental and Ecological Engineering

A state House bill would require preschools and day care centers to test for lead in drinking water and take action if lead levels are too high. Kids with lead poisoning can have trouble learning, behavioral issues, and poor kidney function. It’s especially harmful to children under the age of 6. Read More.
 
Achievements & Awards
Several graduate students and faculty researchers recently received fellowships, grants, and awards.
Two Purdue Doctoral Students Win Prestigious Sloan Post-Doctoral Fellowships to Study the New Carbon Economy

Janell Jett (Political Science) and Henry Seeger (Communication) have recently been awarded Sloan Post-doctoral Fellowships to study aspects of the New Carbon Economy through Purdue’s Center of the Environment as supported by the New Carbon Economy Consortium’s (NCEC) Fellowship Program. Read More.
 
The World’s First AI-Powered, Virtual Reality-Based Cybersecurity Training for First Responders is Being Developed



Researchers from Purdue University, led by C4E affiliate Mesut Akdere, and a team from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) are creating the world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered virtual reality-based cybersecurity training program for public safety officials. The joint three-year project began in September 2020 after receiving a $1.5M Homeland Security National Training Program (HSNTP)/Continuing Training Grant (CTG from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Read more.
 
Tipping Point Planner Project Honored with College of Ag TEAM Award

The Tipping Point Planner project, a joint effort by Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Purdue Extension, has been selected as a 2020 recipient of the Purdue College of Agriculture’s TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Award. Read More.
 
Liberal Arts Affiliates Receive Awards

Melissa Remis, C4E affiliate and Anthropology Department Head, received the Violet Haas Award, given by the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence. The Violet Haas Award recognizes individuals, programs or departments at Purdue that have effectively facilitated the advancement of women in hiring, promotion, education and salary, or have generally enhanced a positive professional climate for women at Purdue.

Laura Zanotti, former associate director of C4E, was recently selected as a winner of the 2020 Purdue Liberal Arts Excellence in Discovery and Creative Endeavors (EIDCE) Award. EIDCE awards are the college's highest recognition for scholarly achievement in your field.

Congratulations to Political Science professor Leigh Raymond, who was awarded a fellowship
 at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

Tara Grillos, Assistant Professor of Political Science, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for a project titled “Collective decision making and local public good provision: Experimental evidence.” Grillos will undertake the research with Michael Touchton of the University of Miami.
 
Purdue's Day of Giving
On April 28th, Purdue invites all of you to come together with the Purdue community throughout Indiana, across the country and around the world as we help the entire University take its next giant leap to build a better world together. A key goal of the Center is working to create this better world by addressing complex environmental challenges across disciplines to help improve human and environmental health.  If you wish to help us reach our goals by donating to the Center on Purdue’s Day of Giving, visit us here.
 
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