Sustainable Solutions for Agriculture.  That is what the last few weeks on campus have brought us: an opportunity to educate people and think about the current practices and future oppor-tunities for agriculture, food and natural resources and to think about how to develop sustainable solutions for the future. It all started on April 1 with Ag Week, a student organized event to help introduce the rest of campus to agriculture. Some numbers from Ag Week: On Milk Monday, students served 1,000 grilled cheese sandwiches and 1,000 cups of Boiler Tracks ice cream. Tuesday’s feature event was Hammer Down Hunger, where 1,000 volunteers packed 150,000 meals for distribution to those in need in Greater Lafayette as well as Haiti and Honduras. On Wednesday, students served 1,150 sausage breakfast sandwiches and on Thursday, the line of 1,500 stretched around Memorial Mall to get hamburgers. Ag Week wrapped up on Fry-Day, when students served free fries for more than four hours. More than half of the people who were served were from outside the College of Agriculture and while free food may have drawn them in, they also got more information on where their food comes from. Congratulations to Alexie Schroeder and all our students for their unbelievable work and dedication to spreading the word about food and agriculture. 

A highlight of Ag Week was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s visit to campus and his public conversation with President Mitch Daniels. Speaking to a standing room only audience, the Secretary and President discussed many issues important to agriculture including trade; workforce development; the use of gene editing technologies in developing a sustainable agricultural system; the importance of agriculture; and the importance of people. Secretary Perdue had one important connection to Purdue: he took an executive education class taught by Dr. Dave Downey, Emeritus Professor of Agricultural Economics, that he said made a big difference in his career (Dr. Downey flew in from Arizona just to attend this event). It was great to hear about the impact that one of our Boilermakers had on the Secretary. 

While these events were spectacular, they were just the start of this month’s discussions on sustainable solutions for the planet. Chef Joseph Yoon of Brooklyn Bugs, invited by Andrea Liceaga of Food Science, gave a lecture to a packed room to discuss “What IF we used insects as our protein source?” Not only did we learn about the small amount of water and land that insects use, we also learned that 80% of the world’s countries eat insects as part of their food supply! This entertaining and tasty event led right into Spring Fest, with a weekend of perfect weather that brought thousands of community visitors to campus. Clubs and departments from all across campus had activities that not only entertained but also demonstrated the importance of food, agriculture and natural resources for our planet. From plant necklaces, to cricket eating (and spitting), to lessons about insects and interacting with live animals, both children and parents learned a lot and had great fun. 

The following week, we moved on to a global perspective with “What IF we end global hunger?”, a colloquium that brought thought leaders from around the world together to talk about what steps are needed to end global hunger. Speakers discussed nutrition security, global policies, the use of technology, and many other topics. All agreed on the fact that hunger has been on the rise in the last three years and that we have a moral imperative to provide nutrition security and end global hunger. Well-known author Roger Thurow is summarizing the colloquium’s discussions and will help us formulate a roadmap for the future. While the Ending Global Hunger Colloquium was happening on campus, a Purdue group was in Washington DC, where together with individuals from the African Development Bank, they launched the Scale Up Source Book that was put together as result of our September Scale UP Conference. This sourcebook provides an e- blueprint for scaling up new technologies in developing countries and will serve as a very valuable reference for the future.   

These are just a few of the exciting things happening now and being planned in the College of Agriculture as we look forward to a sustainable future for agriculture, food and our natural resources. With the leadership of our faculty, staff and students in addressing these big issues, I know we will be on the front lines of the innovation that will make a difference around the world.

All the best,

Entrepreneurial academy advances faculty commercialization possibilities

The Entrepreneurial Learning Academy is accepting applications from Purdue faculty interested in finding out more about the commercialization possibilities for their research. Tenured or tenure-track faculty including research and clinical faculty are eligible.

Board approves winter recess for 2019-20

At the recommendation of President Mitch Daniels, Purdue University’s Board of Trustees on April 12 approved for 2019 the addition of a four-day winter recess on Dec. 23, 27, 30 and 31 for faculty and staff on the West Lafayette, Northwest and Fort Wayne campuses. The four days are in addition to approved university holidays already scheduled for Dec. 24, 25, 26 and Jan. 1, 2020.

NASA picks Purdue for new institute researching space habitats

NASA announced that Shirley Dyke, a Purdue engineering professor, will lead a new research institute dedicated to designing and operating deep space habitats. She will lead the new Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats institute (RETHi) to be located in West Lafayette.

‘Transformative' microscope to be installed at Purdue

Purdue has partnered with five other organizations known for advanced life sciences research to purchase a Thermo Scientific Krios G3i Cryo Transmission Electron Microscope. The microscope will be housed in the CryoEM facility at the Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology.

Feedback sought regarding Purdue’s Institutional Review Boards

Purdue's Human Research Protection Program and associated Institutional Review Boards have undergone significant changes over the past 18 months. The Purdue research community is being asked for its feedback regarding the changes as well as for suggestions regarding future process improvements.