We held our first 2021 Versiti Blood Center of Indiana blood drive (in conjunction with Biological Sciences) on Thursday, January 28, 2021. We were able to collect 28 units from those volunteering. This will be our last drive that is bus-only! The next drive will be held with one bus at Lilly Hall (loading dock) and one crew in the lobby of the new ABE Building! Look for opportunities to sign up!

The entire Fall semester webinar series, "Digging into the Data Pipeline" is archived and available for you to watch at your own convenience.https://ag.purdue.edu/digital-ag-resources/fall-webinar-series-digging-into-the-data-pipeline/

There is a new Spring semester webinar, "Data Driven Agriculture" and registration information is available at https://ag.purdue.edu/digital-ag-resources/spring-webinar-series/

Dr. Dennis Buckmaster, our own ABE professor and Dean's Fellow for Digital Agriculture coordinated both series and invites you to take advantage of the resources available at the Digital Ag Resources website.

ABE’s Dr. Bob Stwalley, president of the Lafayette School Corporation Board of Trustees and president of the Indiana School Boards Association, testified at the Statehouse on January 27^th against a measure requiring all high school seniors to apply for federal financial aid for higher education before they can graduate; against legislation prohibiting local schools from starting their school year before Labor Day; and in support of language transferring authoring for establishing school board member per diem rates to the State Board of Education.  Dr. Stwalley later testified on February 3^rd against the proposed expansion of the Indiana voucher system by adding Educational Spending Accounts (ESAs).

Professor Abigail Engelberth was selected to be an Early Career Board Member for ACS Sustainable Chemistry. One of the primary functions of the Boards in 2021 will be to guide the development of editorial content, sometimes referred to as front matter. A list of those chosen can be seen at https://pubs.acs.org/page/ascecg/editors.html

Professor Emeritus Bernie Tao sent a thank-you note to the staff and friends at ABE along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Thank you, Dr. Tao, for including us!

The Purdue iGEM Biomakers team won a gold medal this year at the 2020 (Virtual) Jamboree! Congratulations to Madhu Prakash, Ben Howard, Matthew Chan, Andres Dextre, Hailey Szadowski, Miles Thompson, Jieun (Grace) Lee, and Dalton Saylor as well as the rest of the team! Special thanks to Dr. Kevin Solomon and Ethan Hillman for coaching the team. 

The Graduate School's Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives is offering two programs: the Summer Research Program (SROP), which is geared toward undergraduate URM students that are considering graduate school, and the Graduate Bridge Program, which is designed to prepare incoming 2021 Purdue University URM Graduate Students. 

Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) 2021:  June 14 – July 23 

** Geared toward undergraduate URM students, considering Graduate School 

• 6 week Virtual Recruitment Program for URM students 
• 40 hours a week working for a faculty mentor (or a Graduate Student you appoint) 
• Professional development workshops (including guidance on graduate school applications, CVs, and personal/ research statements) 
• GRE preparation workshops 
• Mentoring from URM Graduate Students hired by our office 
• $3000 stipend to participant 
• Application fee waiver when applying to Purdue University Graduate School 
• $1800 Share Cost for College/ Department Faculty  
• To learn more about SROP URM Recruitment 2021 – please click HERE 

Graduate Bridge Program 2021:  June 28 – August 6 

** Designed for incoming 2021 Purdue University URM Graduate Students 

• 6 week Virtual Retention Program for URM students 
• Eligible to students begin their Purdue Graduate School career in Fall 2021 
• Fosters an inclusive community for incoming URM Graduate Students, contributing to a successful and positive experience, throughout their degree completion 
• Professional development workshops 
• Mentoring from URM Graduate Students hired by our office 
• $4000 stipend to participant 
• Reimbursement of One-way travel to Purdue University, by the Graduate School 
• $2800 Share Cost for College/ Department Faculty  
• Travel Grant from the Graduate School for one conference 

To learn more about BRIDGE URM Retention 2021 – please click HERE

With the opening of the new building for instruction this spring, ABE’s tractors entered the high bay for the first time.  Dr. Bob Stwalley brought the department’s Ford 3415 and New Holland T8050 into the facility during the initial week of the semester for the first lab of ASM 34500 – Power Units and Power Trains.  The location of the high bay on the west side of the building gives instructors the ability to temporarily locate large mobile lab equipment near the laboratory classrooms for student examination and study.  This will dramatically reduce lab logistical problems and student travel time, and it will be a significant enhancement for student learning experiences.  We’ll look forward to a variety of new machines and equipment entering the building in the future!