Purdue Agriculture in Focus March 2022

Engaging with the World

Earlier this month, we had a new first since the pandemic started more than two years ago. College of Agriculture faculty and staff led seven groups with 125 students on study abroad programs to places like Ireland, Costa Rica, and even Hawaii – our first study away trip rather than abroad – to re-engage with agriculture, food systems, nature and more around the world. Our college made up 45 percent of the students participating in Purdue spring break study abroad programs this year.

All were vaccinated before traveling and tested before returning to the U.S. They came back with new experiences, new friendships, new knowledge, and an appreciation for what the world has to offer. We have included a couple of photos for those of us who stayed behind!

Study Abroad Groups 2022

Student opportunities will continue this summer, including a six-week undergraduate program at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines funded by the National Science Foundation. Hosted by Dr. Diane Wang and Gary Burniske, it is an opportunity for students to work with IRRI scientists and engage in rice research.

Solving Global Challenges

Our faculty continue to have a global impact. As you enjoy your next cup of coffee, work being done at Purdue will ensure you are able to enjoy that coffee well into the future. Coffee plants around the world are experiencing extensive damage from a fungal pathogen called coffee rust, which reached Hawaii for the first time in 2020. Dr. Catherine Aime is working to sequence the coffee leaf rust genome with the goal of developing cultivars resistant to the fungi.

Dr. Paul Ebner has developed a tool to help farmers assess and change their biosecurity practices to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever which has reached the Dominican Republic. At the same time, Dr. Mohit Verma and a team of researchers are developing a rapid test to detect African Swine Fever on the farm.

Drs. Tesfaye Mengiste, Damon Lisch and Gebisa Ejeta recently discovered a gene that confers broad protection from anthracnose, rust and target spot in sorghum. This research continues the legacy Purdue began many years ago to enhance sorghum used as a food source in many developing countries. For context, Dr. Ejeta won the World Food Prize in 2009 (the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for Agriculture) for his work that brought many out of poverty by developing sorghum that is resistant to a parasitic weed called Striga.

Supporting Farmers around the World

Purdue faculty and staff also have a direct impact on farmers across the world through our Extension programs. Elysia Rodgers, an Extension educator, won the 2021 volunteer of the Year award for participating in the Farmer to Farmer program in Trinidad and Tobago. The program has provided technical assistance to over 175 Extension officers, farmers and producers.

Many other international engagement activities led by Purdue faculty and staff are happening through programs like Science Animations Without Borders and enumeration training in Cambodia. We are also welcoming international visitors back to campus, including the Washington Mandela Fellows who will visit Purdue this summer to study entrepreneurship.

Want to learn more about our international activities? Check out the Encompass newsletter from our International Programs in Agriculture (IPIA) office.

I want to thank faculty and staff, as well as Dr. Jerry Shively and his staff in IPIA, for their efforts to help our college continue its leadership in solving grand challenges around the globe and giving our students a broader world view.

March 2022

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Purdue Ag in the News

Purdue Next Moves: Plant Sciences 2.0

Dates and Deadlines

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