Past News
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.
Agritourism offers safe summer fun during COVID-19
June 22, 2020
By day, Marshall Martin is a professor of agricultural economics, the senior associate director of agricultural research and graduate education and assistant dean in the College of Agriculture. In the evenings, he’s known to many customers as just the “blueberry man.” While much at Martin Acres LLC, the West Lafayette farm he manages with his wife, Berdine, remains the same this year, they are taking precautions due to COVID-19. Martin is basing these necessary safety adjustments on guidelines for U-pick operations published by Purdue Extension.
Purdue Agronomy professor reflects on 35-year research project
June 10, 2020
"I was the new kid on the block when this project started in 1982,” said Eileen Kladivko, professor of agronomy at Purdue University. “I knew almost nothing about drainage, but that quickly changed.” Kladivko began her career at Purdue University as an assistant professor of agronomy. Little did she realize that for the next 35 years, she would work on a water drainage project that she initially learned about during her interview.
Purdue Agronomy professor reflects on 35-year research project
Cues for Ethnographers in a Pandemic-Altered World
June 8, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently altered many aspects of everyday life for people and cultures around the world. This fact presents some particularly unique challenges for those in the field of Ethnography. Assistant professor of Anthropology and Center affiliate within the Building Sustainable Communities Signature Research Area Jennifer Lee Johnson along with Alder Keleman Saxena, Assistant Research Professor of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, have developed a series of “cues” to be considered by ethnographers in a world undergoing numerous significant transformations.
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From Cows to People: New Testing Options for Coronavirus
May 29, 2020
When you think of COVID-19, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t cows. However, that’s exactly the link that Center affiliate and Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Mohit Verma hopes to increase testing abilities for the novel Coronavirus.
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Data Science, Human Behavior and Improving Responses to COVID-19
May 29, 2020
COVID-19 loves densely populated spaces. As we have seen in situations such as Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, spring break beach parties in Miami, Florida, and even large funerals in Williamsburg, New York, peoples’ behaviors, both individually and collectively, provide keys to how governments and policy makers might need to suggest, regulate or even mandate public movement and behavior to mitigate virus transmission. Two current studies involving faculty affiliates are investigating this through analysis of mobile phone data and through the creation of a software infrastructure that will help scientists investigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19 and suggest how we may better prepare for future epidemics in light of high-density locations.
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The Future of Sustainable Travel post-COVID-19
May 28, 2020
For most of us, it has been several months since we’ve traveled anywhere; though we may be eagerly anticipating our next trip, that travel likely won’t look the same. Jonathon Day, Center affiliate and Associate Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, has weighed in on the topic of sustainable tourism and what the travel industry may expect in upcoming months.
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