Department Notes

Two of John Huie's former bosses, Indiana Govs. Robert Orr, left, and Dr. Otis Bowen, right, attended Huie's retirement reception in June. Huie came to Purdue in 1968 as a professor of agricultural economics and an Extension economist for public policy and community development. He then worked in state government for nine years before returning to Purdue in 1985 as special assistant to the president.

Agricultural Communication

Purdue Agriculture Connections earned a first-place award in the 2003 publications and projects competition sponsored by the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association. A business card for animal sciences seniors to distribute and a sticker for them to wear at homecoming events won a second-place award. They were designed by Russ Merzdorf and edited by Jane Brown.

Agricultural Economics

Professor John M. Connor received the 2003 Jerry S. Cohen Memorial Fund Writing Award for his book Global Price Fixing: Our Customers Are the Enemy. The award honors publications concerned with principles of economic justice and/or federal statutes created to protect society from anticompetitive activity. The award, given by the trustees of the Jerry S. Cohen Memorial Charitable Trust, includes a cash prize of at least $8,000. Connor will donate part of his prize to his department, and the rest to fund a graduate research fellowship at the University of Wisconsin named for Professor Willard F. Mueller, to whom the book is dedicated.

Thomas Hertel has been named a distinguished professor of agricultural economics. He is an expert in the economywide analysis of trade policies and has served as a consultant for the World Bank, the European Commission, the government of Japan, the Ford Foundation and the Australian Productivity Commission.

Professor and associate department head Paul Preckel received the Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award from the American Agricultural Economics Association. The award goes to an instructor with 10 or more years of graduate teaching experience. It is based on quality of teaching; academic advising, counseling, and extracurricular activities with students; campus participation in instructional, course, and curricular improvement efforts; professional improvement in teaching for benefit of self and peers; and department/college/university teaching awards.

Agronomy

Sherry Fulk-Bringman, BA '76, the department's laboratory and outreach coordinator, received the 2003 Commendation Award from the Soil and Water Conservation Society at the group's annual meeting in Spokane, Wash., on July 30.

Corey K. Gerber, PhD '03, is director of the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center. Gerber is responsible for the design, planning, marketing, promotion and execution of the center's activities. He serves as a liaison between Indiana's agricultural sector and university crop production programs and staff to identify, promote and implement appropriate adult continuing education.

Cindy H. Nakatsu, a faculty member since 1995, has been promoted to professor, and Lauren McIntyre, a faculty member since 1999, to associate professor.

The department recognized four graduate students in May for excellence in research and education: Amy S. Berg as Outstanding Student in Education; Ann Kline as Outstanding Master's Student in Research; Christopher Baxter as Outstanding PhD Student in Research; and W. Kess Berg as Outstanding PhD Student in Research.

Greg Blumhoff received the 2003 Stevan J. Kristof Outstanding Graduate Student in Remote Sensing Award. Blumhoff was recognized for his research and teaching accomplishments in the remote sensing program.

Animal Sciences

Billy Baumgardt, BS '55, MS '56, received the American Dairy Science Association's 2003 Distinguished Service Award. A faculty member from 1980 to 1998, Baumgardt is the former director of Agricultural Research Programs. His research career resulted in the publication of 56 articles in refereed journals, chapters in four books, 51 abstracts, and numerous articles in trade and lay publications.

The department presented five annual W.R. Featherston Awards, established in memory of Professor W.R. Featherston. Tara G. McDaneld and Elizabeth Williams received the Featherston off-campus training fellowship, which provides financial support for master's or doctoral students to attend a career development program. Michelle L. Sparman received the Featherston early graduate career award, recognizing outstanding master's or doctoral students within their first two years of graduate study. Kylie Daniels received the Featherston outstanding graduate teaching award. Jonathan Townsend received the Featherston outstanding PhD award, recognizing the outstanding doctoral student.

The department will honor four individuals as its 2003 Distinguished Alumni on Oct. 4 during homecoming ceremonies. They are:

• Robert Book, BS '52, of Carmel, Ind., who spent 28 years with Elanco Animal Health, eventually serving as group vice president of agricultural marketing for 11 years.
• Gary Cromwell, MS '65, PhD '67, professor of animal sciences at the University of Kentucky, where his research focuses on the evaluation of nutrients and feed additives.
• Kristin Whittington, BS '92, of Edinburgh, Ind., a consultant for Creative Ag Solutions. Previously, she was the director of the Office of Agricultural Relations for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
• Todd Ripberger, BS '93, MS '95, of Windfall, Ind., a marketing associate for Elanco Animal Health who develops marketing plans for new cattle products. He was the 1993 winner of the G.A. Ross Award as the outstanding graduating male student at Purdue.
  

Biochemistry

Professor Victor Rodwell, a faculty member since 1965, received the One Brick Higher Award from Purdue President Martin Jischke. The award honors someone who has made a difference in the lives of students and faculty by going beyond their required job. Rodwell was the director of the Minority Access to Research Careers and Access Internally for Minorities (MARC/AIM) for 22 years, retiring in December. The program has hosted more than 750 undergraduate students for eight weeks of research in the summer, and more than half of the participants have gone on to enroll in graduate programs.

Karl Brandt is one of five faculty members to receive a 2003 Charles B. Murphy Award. The universitywide award recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching and is accompanied by a $5,000 cash award. Brandt is the former associate dean and director of academic programs for the College of Agriculture.

Scott Briggs has joined the faculty as an assistant professor. He formerly was a faculty member in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Virginia.

Doris Terry is a protein analysis core application scientist in the Protein Separations and Analysis Laboratory. She was hired in collaboration with Discovery Park and the Departments of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Medicinal Chemistry.

Botany and Plant Pathology

Fred Whitford, coordinator of the Purdue Pesticide Program, and the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service received the 2003 Monsanto Excellence Award in May. Whitford received the $15,000 research grant based on his long history of taking difficult technical issues about pesticides and making them understandable to Extension educators and the farming community.

Joseph Flaherty, a PhD student, presented his thesis research at the Melhus Symposium in Charlotte, N.C., at the annual meeting of the American Phytopathological Society in August. Flaherty was one of five students from across the nation selected as a Melhus Symposium Speaker.

Entomology

Brandi Schemerhorn has joined the faculty as an adjunct assistant professor and research entomologist. Her research will focus on genetic variability within and between populations of Hessian flies, Hessian fly genomics, and predicting occurrence and spread of virulence to wheat resistance genes in response to selection pressures.

Food Science

Mark Morgan, an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, has joined the food science faculty. Morgan, a faculty member since 1992, will teach process control and computer integrated food manufacturing courses. His research specialty is sensor development for food and biological processing systems utilizing electrical properties, spectroscopic and color image analysis of biological materials, and food processing controls.

Carlos Corvalan is teaching food processing and statistical process control courses this fall. His research interests are the application of computer modeling to food processing, thermal processing and sheeting/flaking processes. Corvalan previously was an associate professor in the bioengineering department at the University of Entre Rios in Argentina.

Professor Bruce Hamaker, director of Purdue's Whistler Center for Carbohydrate Research, has received a Trask Technology Innovation Award. The Trask Technology Innovation Program was established in 1974 to help Purdue faculty make an invention or new technology more marketable or patentable.

Professor Philip Nelson has been elected to the International Academy of Food Science and Technology in recognition of his international service to the field of food science and technology.

Department Head S. Suzanne Nielsen has been selected as the first School of Agriculture Outstanding Graduate Educator.

Forestry and Natural Resources

Bryan C. Pijanowski and Linda Prokopy have joined the faculty as associate professors. Pijanowski's area of interest is integrated land use and landcover change modeling. He had been a faculty member at Michigan State University. Prokopy had been a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her research and teaching interests are environmental policy and planning, water resources planning, community involvement and public participation, water supply and sanitation in developing countries, and environmental justice.

Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Matthew Kirkwood is the department's newest faculty member. He previously taught courses in design, construction and computer-oriented design at Oklahoma State University. Kirkwood graduated from Ball State University with a BS in environmental design and a BLA in landscape architecture. He earned a master's in landscape planning and design from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Matthew Jenks, a faculty member since 1998, has been promoted to associate professor, and Rob Sovinski, a faculty member since 1992, to professor.

The German Academic Exchange Service awarded a fellowship to Natalia Dudareva to conduct research at the Max Plank Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany. Dudareva, an assistant professor and an internationally recognized expert in floral scent production, will investigate the regulation of monoterpene emission by snapdragon flowers during her sabbatical this fall.

Horticulture students selected professor Bruno Moser as the outstanding teacher and professor Peter Goldsbrough as the outstanding counselor in 2002-03. Landscape architecture students recognized professor Greg Pierceall as the outstanding teacher and professor Rob Sovinski as the out-standing counselor. Tanya Quist was recognized as the outstanding graduate teaching assistant.

Professor Greg Pierceall received the 2003 Award of Distinction from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. This award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the profession of landscape design.

Professor P. Allen Hammer received the 2003 Southeast Greenhouse Conference Horticulture Initiative Award. Hammer was recognized for his numerous contributions to the greenhouse industry, including his participation in the national poinsettia trials and his involvement with the Vic and Margaret Ball Internship Committee and Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation Board.

Patty Sobieck, a graduate student working with associate professor Bruce Bordelon, has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the American Society of Enology and Viticulture and a $1,000 scholarship from the society's Eastern Section. Sobieck is investigating the effects of sunlight exposure on monoterpene content of Traminette grapes.

Youth Development and Agricultural Education

Associate professor Pam Morris, PhD '97, has been selected as an Indiana Campus Compact faculty fellow for 2003-04. The fellowship provides $5,000 to help Morris expand the theory and practice of service learning at Purdue. It is the second fellowship Morris has received this year. The other is the Committee on Institutional Cooperation Academic Leadership Program Faculty Fellowship.