Past News
Report provides new framework for understanding climate risks, impacts to US agriculture
August 5, 2020
Agricultural production is highly sensitive to weather and climate, which affect when farmers and land managers plant seeds or harvest crops. These conditions also factor into decision-making, when people decide to make capital investments or plant trees in an agroforestry system. A new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture focuses on how agricultural systems are impacted by climate change and offers a list of 20 indicators that provide a broad look at what's happening across the country.
Report provides new framework for understanding climate risks, impacts to US agriculture
Real-time imaging can help prevent deadly dust explosions
August 5, 2020
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Dust explosions can be among the most dangerous and costly workplace incidents. Dust builds up in agricultural, powder-handling or manufacturing settings, causing hazards to employees and posing the risk of exploding. Researchers at Purdue University have developed an image- and video-based application using OpenCV algorithms that detect explosible suspended dust concentration. The app uses a camera or a video recording device to image and determine suspended dust and to accurately distinguish it from normal background noise
Shah Family Global Innovation Lab announces 4 seed grants, 1 travel grant
July 28, 2020
The Shah Family Global Innovation Lab has named its 2020 grant recipients. The awards are made possible through contributions from the Shah Family Endowment, College of Engineering, College of Agriculture and external partners. The core of the Shah Lab’s work is to utilize Purdue’s R&D and innovation strength to help create solutions to the bottleneck challenges of social sector organizations. Being true to that vision, the process began with inviting problem statements from non-profit organizations across multiple countries. The lab received 38 statements from 12 organizations working in Nepal, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Haiti, Zimbabwe and Laos.
Shah Family Global Innovation Lab announces 4 seed grants, 1 travel grant
Funded Project: Oak Ecosystem Restoration on Private Lands across the Chicago Wilderness and the Driftless Area
July 22, 2020
Congratulations to C4E Affiliate Zhao Ma, Professor of FNR, for her successfully funded project, “Oak Ecosystem Restoration on Private Lands across the Chicago Wilderness and the Driftless Area.
Announcement: C4E Affiliate Receives Support for 2 New Projects
July 21, 2020
Linda Prokopy, Professor of FNR and long-time affiliate of the Center for the Environment, has long worked on issues relating to soil and water health, particularly in regions of the Midwest. Recently, she and her team have also spent time looking at what motivates the adoption and continued use of agricultural conservation practices, like the use of cover crops and nutrient stabilizers, on both farmer-owned and rented lands. In June 2020, Prokopy received support for two new projects relating to these topics.
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Purdue University Students Creating At-Home COVID-19 Testing Device
July 15, 2020
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- A new technology out of Purdue University is on track to revolutionize coronavirus testing.
Purdue University Students Creating At-Home COVID-19 Testing Device
Virtual Travel
July 14, 2020
Technology that gives a person the sights, sounds and feeling of visiting a far-off destination may take a more prominent role because of the pandemic. But even those in the field of immersive technologies don’t expect a straight line to a world in which their wares satisfy our zest for travel the way an airline flight can.
Soil microbiome can improve carrot resistance to deadly fungus
June 30, 2020
The fungus Alternaria dauci is one of the most damaging pathogens in carrots, killing leaves above the ground and sometimes rotting the vegetables growing in the soil. Pesticides can be used to control the fungi, but they’re not widely available in developing countries and can’t be used in organic systems. Purdue University scientists have another solution. Rather than spray above ground, they’ve found that cultivating microbes under the ground can help keep carrots safe from Alternaria dauci.
Soil microbiome can improve carrot resistance to deadly fungus
C4E Affiliate Shweta Singh Discusses how Renewable Energy Expands Jobs in the Community
June 29, 2020
C4E Affiliate and assistant professor of ABE and EEE Shweta Singh is interviewed by Hoosiers for Renewables on how renewable energy can help promote job growth
C4E Affiliate Shweta Singh Discusses how Renewable Energy Expands Jobs in the Community
'Carbon Farming' Could Make US Agriculture Truly Green
June 24, 2020
ON A FARM in north-central Indiana, Brent Bible raises 5,000 acres of corn and soybeans that go into producing ethanol fuel, food additives and seeds. In Napa Valley, California, Kristin Belair picks the best grapes from 50 acres of vineyards to create high-end cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc wines. Both are part of a growing number of “carbon farmers” who are reducing planet-warming greenhouse gases by taking better care of the soil that sustains their farms. That means making changes like plowing fields less often, covering soil with composted mulch and year-round cover crops, and turning drainage ditches into rows of trees.