Plant Sciences - Purdue Agriculture
Plant Sciences Research and Education Pipeline Update
May 2016
A note from Karen Plaut
Karen PlautFrom field to greenhouse things are really growing with Purdue Plant Sciences.  Construction is wrapping up with the field facility at the Agronomy farm and design is well underway with the controlled environment facility on campus.  Please save the date for the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center building dedication on August 29th.  You can come and tour the facility and learn more about the capabilities, including drones, the Phenomobile, plant analysis, and seed processing.

Also, we have completed the interviews for the plant science faculty positions and have a great cohort of new faculty that will be joining us in August.See the newsletter for additional details.

Feel free to share the Plant Sciences handout among colleagues and those interested in engaging with Plant Sciences.  

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

Karen Plaut Signature Block
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 21 top tier candidates on campus. Thank you to everyone for the effort you have put into this search. Each candidate’s schedule was jam-packed with meetings with faculty from multiple departments.  We have done a great job of showing off what Purdue has to offer!  

Four candidates have accepted offers and additional offers are outstanding.  We welcome these new hires to the college of Agriculture and into the departments of Entomology, Forestry and Natural Resources, Botany and Plant Pathology, and Biochemistry. 
 
Plant Science New Faculty:
John Couture, Ph.D.
Sharon Kessler, Ph.D.
Sujith Puthiyaveetil, Ph.D.
Yun Zhou, Ph.D.
 
Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute
Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute
Pre-College

Student applications have arrived for the 2016 Pre-College Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute!  We are very happy to have several College of Agriculture faculty and staff members playing a role in the week as research mentors, tour guides, and guest speakers. These individuals represent research, teaching, and extension as well as the Departments of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Agronomy, Botany and Plant Pathology, and Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. 

Fourteen pre-college students will be on Purdue’s campus June 12th-18th, 2016.  These academically talented and gifted youth (rising juniors and seniors) from throughout Indiana will be working directly with a Purdue University faculty or staff member 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 a classroom setting.  Here’s what the 2015 cohort had to say about their experience!

If you have any questions please e-mail Amy Jones at jones176@purdue.edu
Undergraduate

Nine undergraduate students will be joining us for the Molecular Agriculture Summer Institute.  We are looking forward to another great summer of research supporting undergraduate student development. The program will run 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.

If you have any questions please e-mail Mary Helen Halsema at nesbitt@purdue.edu
 
Automate Phenotyping
The Controlled Environment Phenotyping Facility phase 1 design is underway.  This imaging facility will enhance plant sciences research and education in the College of Agriculture. This facility will replace Range 2 of the Lilly Greenhouses and will contain highly controlled potted plants growing on conveyor belts.  This plant imaging facility will allow users to schedule imaging of their plants and water on a precise schedule.  Plants grown in the new growth houses, up to full size corn, can be imaged as well as plants from nearby greenhouses in this new system.  The construction is set to begin fall 2016 and to be complete by the end of 2017.
 
Growth chambers, light rooms, and greenhouses improvements are beginning this summer 
The Whistler Growth Chamber renovation project is beginning.  It will start late fall 2016 and will be finished in fall of 2017.  This 1.2 million dollar project will renovate and upgrade utilities in Whistler B014, rooms in the subbasement and add 11 reach in growth chambers.  Whistler subbasement will have two additional light rooms added and others light rooms improved as part of the summer renovation project.  In addition to becoming more sustainable as our light rooms move to LED, our growth chambers will now rely on recycled chilled water vs. domestic water for cooling.  This renovation will increase Whistler’s growth room space from 328 sq-ft to 802 sq-ft.  

The Lilly greenhouse will have a pilot greenhouse improvement project for 3 ranges this summer as a direct result of researcher feedback we received as part of Bob Pruitt’s greenhouse evaluation.  Range 3, 5, 6 are the older greenhouses that have the best concrete floors but the worst environmental controls.  The improvements will include replacing the controllers, doing a deep cleaning, and replacing the lights.  The struggling Grow-tron controllers will be replaced with new Argus controllers.  Ron Steiner and his crew will rent a steam jenny (the same equipment they use at Disney to make the pavement look new each day) to clean all the concrete.  The lights will be repurposed and new 600W high pressure sodium lights, like in the current weed science greenhouses, will be installed.  Future plans may include replacing the stationary tables with mobile tables.  In addition, there will be some changes in space allocation in both facilities to accommodate the maximum number of users.
 
Featured New Phenotyping Tool
Featured new phenotyping tool  
The newest addition to the Phenotyping Core is a prototype multispectral imaging system from Aris Vision Company.  The “Aris Box” is a system designed to be easy to use for small samples including loose seed, Arabidopsis, corn ears, tissue culture and seedlings.  It acquires images under seven different colored pulses: blue, green, yellow, amber, red, far red, and infrared, to distinguish unique features in plant tissues.  The current model has a filter for chlorophyll fluorescence, but additional filters are possible for fluorescent proteins (GFP, RFP) and other features.  Images can be aligned over multiple time points to model growth and development rates.  Researchers are encouraged to discuss their needs and be early adopters.  Please contact April Agee Carroll: aprilcarroll@purdue.edu.
 
Phenomobile
Sensor customization underway on the Phenomobile
The Purdue TERRA project has purchased various sensors and are being fitted to a custom boom on the Phenomobile.  Other updates are underway to the Phenomobile including a modification to the windows to increase the size of the cabin.  This modification will allow room for a new GPS automated guidance system monitor and on-board data storage.The supplementary electrical power sources are being mounted.   
 
License to fly
We now have a Certificate of Authorization (COA) for the Federal Aviation Administrations to fly our 7 unmanned aircrafts at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education (ACRE).  A certified UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) flown by a licensed pilot can be flown at the farm.  Farm personnel will work directly with Mike Leasure, our unmanned aerial systems facilitator, to optimize flight times and complete the paperwork needed for each flight.  In addition, flight time MUST be scheduled with the farm superintendent, Jim Beaty, to avoid flying when others are in the field.  Safety and compliance coupled with great data are our top priority.  We are also discussing the possibilities of expanding our flying capabilities at ACRE and beyond to the PAC sites.  If you are interested in learning more about this new technology and how it can be applied to your research, please contact Mike Leasure at leasurem@purdue.edu
 
Drive Innovation
Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center construction is nearly complete.  The center, formerly the Agronomy Center Automated Phenotyping and Seed Processing facility, will support research related to plant phenotyping and technology innovation towards Smarter Agriculture™.  Substantial completion is set for May 13th and final painting and hardware is being wrapped up.  Over the next few months and throughout the summer, we will be outfitting the building with equipment that has been selected and recommended by the faculty, graduate students, post docs and research staff.  Jason Adams, the Automated Phenotyping Facility Manager, will be working on training videos featuring you, our own experts, and rolling those out as new equipment comes on line.  You will be able to log your training and track your skills using Purdue Passport.
 
Save the Date
FACULTY PREVIEW! Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center
Faculty, graduate students, post docs and research staff engaged in plant sciences research are invited to preview the new Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center on May 13th to learn more about its capabilities and discuss equipment, including drones, the Phenomobile, plant analysis, and seed processing.
 
Building Dedication – Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center
Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center
The building dedication and grand opening will be August 29th for the university and the public to attend.  Mitch Daniels along with the College of Ag will officially open the Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center (ICSC).  There will be tours and demonstrations to showcase the building’s capabilities. 

For more details, email Jason Adams at adams314@purdue.edu
 
Foster entrepreneurship
Plant Sciences Initiative Update - May 10th

As part of the larger Plant Sciences Forum to be held on May 10th, two EIRs (Entrepreneur in Residence) for Plant Sciences will provide a brief overview of their role, scope and charter of the Foundry.  One of the primary aims of Purdue Moves is to “move” the tremendous innovations stemming from Purdue Research into the marketplace, to make a significant difference on human progress.  The Foundry, and its resident EIRs, are a resource to help faculty, students and alumni entrepreneurs commercialize their innovations in plant sciences.  Currently, there are about twenty (20) active Foundry clients (faculty at the Foundry) with projects related in some way to plant sciences.  

The LaunchBox technology and opportunities through iCorps are available for faculty to enhance their understanding of how to develop a business plan and other skills to commercialize their products.  In addition, a $2 million Ag-celerator™ fund is available for individuals who want to make a pitch for up to $100,000 in funding.
 
Additional EIR with Ag experience joining the Foundry 

As shared during the last Plant Sciences Newsletter, Daryl Starr and Kay Kuenker serve as part-time Plant Sciences Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) at the Foundry.  In mid-May, Dan Dawes also will join the Foundry part time.  Although not solely allocated to Plant Sciences related projects, Dan comes to the Foundry with more than 30 years working for DuPont’s Ag business and will serve as an excellent resource in sales and project management.  
 
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