March 2016

A note from Karen Plaut
Purdue's Board of Trustees officially approved naming the phenotyping facility the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center. We are grateful for the support of our Indiana corn and soybean farmers and look forward to a building dedication in the fall. We will also be hosting a preview for plant sciences faculty and researchers in the month of May. I encourage you to participate in this opportunity to learn more about the facility's capabilities, including drones, the Phenomobile, plant analysis, and seed processing. In addition, a new grant program ($50,000 each for corn and soy) will enable you to develop new tools and technologies for automated phenotyping. Keep an eye out for the e-mail with these grant opportunities and begin to think about what novel tools you may want to develop.

The Board of Trustees also granted permission to proceed with construction of the controlled environment phenoytping facility, which will furnish various imaging technologies.

Plant Sciences has a new look! Download our latest handout and feel free to share among colleagues and those interested in engaging with Purdue Plant Sciences.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions at kplaut@purdue.edu.

All the best,



Karen Plaut, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Affairs
Director, Ag Experiment Station

Expand plant biology 

Faculty Recruitment Update
Since January we have hosted 18 top tier candidates on campus with more scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks. In total we received 354 applications from all  over the world, including Australia, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. 

Two individuals have already made second visits to campus and another four to return in the coming weeks. Offers have been made from three different departments in the college with one candidate being offered a joint appointment. One of those offers was accepted last week.

For a list of candidates, schedules, and seminar recordings, click here.


Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute

Undergraduate Fellows Program
Consider having Purdue undergraduate students work with you in the Undergraduate Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute (MASI) Fellowship!

This program is held May 26th - July 31st and is designed to expose undergraduate students to the wide-ranging field of plant sciences and STEM fields, develop their knowledge of the research process and tools used by professional researchers, and increase their proficiencies in technical communication. MASI is open to all undergraduate students enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program through the College of Agriculture. Students with a GPA of at least 3.0 will be given preference for acceptance into the program and funding. MASI participants are expected to engage in research activities approximately 40 hours per week. The majority of the time should be spent in a lab. Students are responsible for securing their own housing. 

Funding for the fellowship is split between the Office of Academic Programs, faculty mentor's department, and a faculty mentor. Applications are due April 1, 2016 and can be found here. 

Pre-College Fellows Program
Please encourage high achieving high school youth with an interest in biological and life sciences to explore Purdue University at the Pre-College Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute (Pre-MASI) June 12th - 18th!

Pre-college MASI is a one-week residential program held at Purdue University, West Lafayette for academically talented and gifted youth (rising juniors and seniors) throughout Indiana. The program is free to accepted applicants and is sponsored by the College of Agriculture's Office of Academic Programs and industry partners. Youth will work directly with faculty or staff on a laboratory experiment and present their experiment at the conclusion of the program. The program will also include tours of various facilities and field trials in and out of the classroom. Here's what the 2015 cohort had to say about their experience!

We ask that you encourage youth with an interest in science and technology to apply to Pre-College MASI by completing an application and returning it to our office, postmarked no later than April 15th. Please share this with other colleagues who may have youth with an interest.

Automate Phenotyping

Purdue Trustees approve controlled phenotyping facility
On Friday, February 26th, Purdue's Board of Trustees gave authorization to move forward on the Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility, which will enhance plant sciences research and education in the College of Agriculture.

The Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility approval makes it possible to move forward to plan, finance, construct, and award a construction contract for the estimated $6.25 million project. At approximately 7,300 square feet, the state-of-the-art plant imaging facility will have controlled environment chambers for plant growth and various imaging technologies. Plants grown in any greenhouse can be imaged in the new systems.

Click here for the full press release via WLFI.



Sensor customization underway on the Phenomobile
A custom sensor boom has been designed for the Phenomobile and is currently being fabricated with sensor mounts for use at the start of the growing season. We are also in the process of purchasing an onboard computer for data storage, as well as added accessory electrical power to run sensors and other electronics. The team is working with a private company to fit an automated vehicle guidance system and multiple monitors for video camera inputs in the cab. 


License to fly
We now have seven unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) pending approval under our Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate of authorization (COA) for the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE). Note: Any COA requires pre-approved, registered aircraft systems with FAA issued N numbers. There are strict regulations around flying any certified UAS, which include notice to airmen prior to flying, recording of all routes flown, and they must be operated by a licensed pilot. Mike Leasure, associate professor of aviation technology, is a FAA certified pilot and our Unmanned Aerial Facilitator.

If you are interested in learning more about this technology and how it can be applied to your research, please contact Mike Leasure at leasurem@purdue.edu or Jason Adams at adams314@purdue.edu.

Drive Innovation

Purdue Trustees approve phenotyping facility building name
Trustees approved naming the phenotyping facility, located at ACRE, the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center in recognition of a combined $4 million investment in the facility from the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council. The center, previously called the Agronomy Center Automated Phenotyping and Seed Processing Laboratory, will support research related to plant phenotyping and technology innovation.

Click here for the full press release. 

Photo taken 2-19-16 by Jim Beaty.

 Summit February 29th through March 2nd to showcase an automated field measurement and data analyss system for improving sorghum biofuel production. This event attracted more than 2,100 attendees and brought together experts from different technical disciplines and processional communities to think about America's energy challenges in new and innovative ways.

Purdue was featured several times during the event, including special video footage of an interview with Mitch Tuinstra, Wickersham Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Research and Scientific Director of the plant sciences initiative, that aired on the main stage prior to an afternoon session. This special video footage can be seen below.

Purdue's research is funded in part by DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

Foster entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial Extravaganza
The Entrepreneurial Extravaganza was held on March 11 at the MatchbBOX Coworking Studio in Lafayette with 200 in attendance. There was a lot of energy, information exchanged, and networking which we hope will inspire more entrepreneurs in plant sciences. This event was hosted by the College of Agriculture, Purdue Foundry, and the Plant Science Networking Gathering.

New Entrepreneur in Residence for Plant Sciences

Kay Kuenker joined the Purdue Foundry earlier this year as an entrepreneur-in-residence to work directly with Purdue faculty, students, and alumni entrepreneurs to help commercialize innovations in plant sciences.

Kay comes to the Foundry from Dow AgroSciences where she spent nearly 29 years, most recently serving as Vice President for Government Affairs, Public Affairs & Sustainability in Indianapolis. She received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in mathematics from Central Michigan University.

Through Ag-celerator(TM), the plant sciences innovation fund, our researchers are enabled to move innovations to the public where they can help people. If you are interested in meeting with Kay to learn more about this program, please email her directly at kuekerk@gmail.com. 

"As a client of Purdue Foundry, innovators can receive help in developing the marketability of their product or service, and can have access to additional funding, educational programs and networking events," said John Hanak, Purdue Foundry director of venture capital and funding resources. "The entire process supports the Purdue entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing innovators with the assistance to successfully launch a startup."

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