Digital technologies are rapidly developing to solve the world’s most pressing problems, and middle and high school students are eager to try their hand using them. Schools, however, may not have access to the right equipment, and teachers may struggle to find a way to fit digital content into curriculum standards without being familiar with the technology themselves.

“There is a rural digital gap,” Yaguang Zhang, clinical assistant professor in Online Education, Agricultural Sciences, Education and Communication, and Agricultural & Biological Engineering, said. “Small towns struggle a lot in getting materials and teaching support. Some of the students will have trouble in rural areas doing homework digitally.”

She chose Purdue for the chance to pursue an agriculture/engineering degree while also competing on the varsity golf team. Her goal is to work in the pharmaceutical industry, and she believes biological engineering is the right foundation for that path.

Meet Lana Malek, a biological engineering major from Hoče, Slovenia, who plans to graduate in May 2027.

Industrial waste, fragile supply chains and decarbonization targets rarely arrive one at a time. In a macroeconomic supply chain, choices made today inside one industry can cascade across suppliers, recyclers and regulators tomorrow. Traditional tools often treat these pieces in isolation, leaving decision makers without a unified view of how to design for true circularity. This fragmentation obscures feedback, delays investment and dulls accountability across value chains. Abhimanyu Raj Shekhar, a Bilsland Fellow and fifth-year PhD candidate in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, is tackling those challenges together.

Kingsly Ambrose, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, was recently honored with the SMV Technologies Ergonomics, Safety and Health Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers at its international meeting last month. This prestigious award celebrates outstanding contributions — including exemplary performance, product or program innovation, impactful research, educational initiatives or published works — that advance agricultural and biological safety and health.

The continually expanding toolkit from Mohit Verma’s laboratory at Purdue University now includes a portable, paper-based biosensor for identifying genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean. The GM crop biosensor, based on a method called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), offers a fast and less expensive alternative to the point-of-need molecular tools already on the market.

Purdue University and John Deere had been discussing opportunities to collaborate, and the development of an automated unloading system was the perfect chance to combine forces. Purdue didn’t just have technical expertise – the university also offered agricultural insight and the facilities to test emerging technologies in real-world conditions.

Adynamic team of student leaders from diverse agricultural fields, under the leadership of the Institute for Digital and Advanced Agricultural Systems (IDAAS), will host Purdue University’s first-ever Symposium of Digital Agriculture (SyDAg) and Hackathon Weekend. These landmark events will bring together researchers, industry professionals and innovators in a collaborative effort to shape the future of agriculture.

The dedicated students behind SyDAg include Ana Morales, Anna Mendes, Autumn Denny, Emmanuel Cooper, Erick Oliva, Gustavo Santiago, Harsh Pathak, Jeanine Arana, Leonardo Bosche, Leslie Aviles, Mariela Fernandez, Natalia Volpato, Megan Low, Pedro Cisdeli, Wily Sic and Thirawat Bureetes.

Four Purdue Agriculture student athletes were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for achieving grade-point averages of 3.70 and better during the 2024-25 academic year.

Andrea Vacca, the Maha Fluid Power Faculty Chair and professor of agriculture and biological engineering and mechanical engineering, moved from Italy to Indiana to optimize fluid power systems for vehicles in agriculture, aerospace and construction. For his 25 years of innovation, teaching and training and seven years of leading the Maha Fluid Power Research Center, he was recently nominated by leading fluid power industry representatives and inducted into the Fluid Power Hall of Fame of the International Fluid Power Society.

Caitlin Proctor
Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering & Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering
Project: Designing stable biofilms for drinking water systems
Total Intended Award: $500,000
Start Date: Aug. 1, 2025
Estimated End Date: July 31, 2030