Johann R. (Joe) Garwood, Ag Mech 1978

On Monday, October 5, the ABE Department said good-bye to an alum and valued friend of the department. Joe Garwood ended his battle with cancer on Wednesday, September 30, and services were held at Kings Point Church of God in Maineville, Ohio, at noon with visitation preceding the service. Tufts Schildmeyer handled the arrangements.

Joe was a 1978 graduate of what was then known as the Agricultural Mechanization degree. He founded numerous businesses, including precursors to eBay and Amazon, and was still running five of them at the time of his death. Honored in 2012 with the Outstanding ABE Alumnus Award, and in 2014 with the Distinguished Agriculture Alumnus Award, Joe was a frequent visitor to the department and loved interaction with our students. He was the moving force behind the ABE Entrepreneurship Day which has grown into the College of Agriculture Entrepreneurship Event, with this year’s event named in Joe’s honor, and now his memory. Joe was passionate about making the most of his education and wanted to share that with our students. He spoke in many classes and inspired the resuscitation of the Purdue Creamery as a senior project last year, and there are plans to continue to pursue the project.

Joe leaves behind his wife, Lisa, and our thoughts and prayers are with her in particular.

Indiana AgrAbility staff presented in the Indiana State Farm Service Agency (FSA) lender meetings.  There were four meetings FSA held in four regions of Indiana to inform cooperating banks about their guaranteed loan programs from USDA.   Amber Wolfe, Cindy Chastain, and Steve Swain presented AgrAbility and how AgrAbility could help their customers continue to farm with a disability.

Indiana rural rehabilitation specialist, Steve Swain, presented a session on Practical Assistive Technology Assessments to a class of graduate students for Dr. Brad Duerstock.  The session included information about AgrAbility and the process of conducting farm and home modification assessments.  The session concluded with examples of farm assistive technology and home modifications.

The 9^th Annual Ecological Sciences and Engineering Symposium, titled “Inequality in Complex Systems: Characterizing Global Disparities,” took place on September 21, 2015, and it featured several sessions discussing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding inequalities in inherently complex environments. Rachel Sparks, a 2^nd year Master’s student in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, placed second overall at the symposium’s graduate student poster session for her poster, titled “Mapping Energy and Resource Use in an Experimental Hydroponic Food Production System.” Her project investigates system energy flux and plant responses to lighting through design, building, and testing of a hydroponic food production system. Dr. Bob Stwalley, a professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, is her project advisor. Congratulations, Rachel!

On September 25, 2015, Darren Seidel placed second in the poster competition at the 58^th annual Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG) meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The poster competition included a large number of entries with poster presentations focusing on industry, undergraduate, and graduate research studies. Darren’s poster, “Identifying Origins of Fecal Load in Urbanized Sections of the Concho River, Tom Green County, Texas”, served as his undergraduate research project at Angelo State University, while completing a BS in Animal Science and Geosciences. Darren is currently a first semester M.S. student pursing a degree in Agricultural Systems Management with ambitions of pursing a Ph.D. in the near future. Seidel states “The 58^th annual AEG meeting was a unique experience. I had a great time networking with industry leaders and meeting AEG members that I hope to stay connected with for a long time. I would like to say a special thank you to Angelo State University and Purdue University for making my experience a possibility.”  Darren’s current project involves the investigation of the hog manure production and use cycle in Midwestern commercial farms. Dr. Bob Stwalley, a professor in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, is his project advisor. Congratulations, Darren!

Register NOW for the Purdue Student Soybean Product Innovation Competition!

Online Registration:  https://engineering.purdue.edu/ABE/Academics/Competitions/index_html

Why should you compete?

• Competition is a unique opportunity only offered to Purdue students
• Opportunity to work with others outside your major
• Show potential employers a completed product made by YOU
• Winning team will earn $20,000
• Runner-up will earn $10,000
• Every team that successfully finishes the competition will receive a nice completion award