Appointments, honors and activities

• Faculty and staff honors:

- Lionel J. (Bo) Beaulieu, director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development, has been given the 2014 Distinguished Rural Sociologist Award by the Rural Sociological Society. The award recognizes a member of the RSS for career contributions to the field of rural sociology through research, teaching, extension, public service, and/or public policy. Beaulieu has been head of the PCRD since 2013. Before that, he was director of the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University. In receiving the award, Beaulieu was recognized for creating a voice for rural sociology within both regional and national decision-making arenas. The RSS is a professional social science association that promotes the generation, application and dissemination of sociological knowledge. It seeks to enhance the quality of rural life, communities and the environment.

- Darren Henry, director of diversity initiatives for Krannert School of Management, has been named a 2014 Emerging Leaders Award recipient by 100 Black Men of Indianapolis Inc. The award recognizes accomplishments and involvement in Indianapolis. The 100 Black Men of Indianapolis is a youth development organization founded in 1984. It services more than 700 Indianapolis youth through mentoring-based educational programs.

• Student honors:

- Jeffrey Peters, a doctoral student in agricultural economics, joined 459 young researchers from around the world at the 2014 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on Economic Sciences in Germany. Peters, a native of Cincinnati, was nominated to attend the conference by the Office of the Vice President for Research and passed an international selection process. The conference earlier this month featured lectures and panel discussions with 17 Nobel laureates in economics and one Nobel laureate in literature. The meeting aims to provide an open exchange of economic expertise and spark cross-cultural and intergenerational conversations among economists worldwide. Peters, who also earned master's degrees from Purdue's Lyles School of Civil Engineering and Krannert School of Management, founded TEDxPurdueU, an independent offshoot of TED Talks, an online and live lecture series.

- The Purdue chapter of the Society for Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science will receive a Chapter Role Model Award from the society. The Purdue chapter is receiving the award, which will be presented at SACNAS' national conference next month in Los Angeles, for "outstanding governance." SACNAS is dedicated to fostering the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists – from college students to professionals – to attain advanced degrees, careers and leadership positions. The organization serves over 25,000 students and professionals each year and includes 110 individual chapters.