Purdue News Digest

May 7, 1999 Purdue news summary for week of May 2-7 This digest contains summaries of the following stories from Purdue News Service and Agricultural Communication Service. All these stories, and more, are available on the World Wide Web (Instructions for retrieving stories and photographs via the Internet are at the end of this document.) 1. Purdue students win $4,500 for vegetarian gelatin dessert 2. Purdue research shines at nutrition conference 3. Purdue gives farmers 20-20 vision from 30,000 feet (9905f7) 4. New soybeans immune to cyst nematode 5. Purdue post-harvest researchers win '99 Team Award 6. Purdue News Roundup Purdue conference focuses on older workers Computer center honored by National Security Agency Purdue releases second edition of call center 'how to' book Purdue Notebook: Nine receive Distinguished Alumni Awards from School of Science; committee encourages faculty to invite Old Masters to their classes Nov. 8 and 9. 7. Agriculture calendar 8. Best Bets for Journalists 9. National Business, Finance and Technology Package 10. Inside Purdue and Perspective RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS 1. Purdue students win $4,500 for vegetarian gelatin dessert For those who prefer that their fluorescent foodstuffs be vegetarian, two Purdue students have invented a new gelatin dessert. Junior Ryan Howard and sophomore Faye Mulvaney, both of Indianapolis, developed "NuSoy Gel," a gelatin soy protein dessert that can replace Jell-O, that quivering dessert that is a staple at potluck suppers and family gatherings. The students created the new product for the fifth annual "Innovative Uses for Soybeans Contest," which was sponsored by the Purdue Agronomy Department and the Indiana Soybean Board. They received $4,500 for their effort. Gelatin is typically made from the animal protein collagen, which is extracted from skin, bone and connective tissue of food animals. The new vegetarian dessert is made from a gel base made of water, fructose, high-gelling soy protein and carrageenan, which is made from seaweed. "Our gelatin provides important nutrients," Mulvaney says. (Color photo available.) 2. Purdue research shines at nutrition conference Purdue built on its reputation as a leader in nutrition and food sciences at the recent national conference of the American Society of Nutritional Sciences. Not only did Connie Weaver, head of the university's Department of Foods and Nutrition, preside over the conference, but also 16 faculty from three Purdue departments presented 55 research papers or poster sessions. The society met as part of an interdisciplinary gathering April 17-21 in Washington, D.C. -- "Experimental Biology '99" -- which brought together six associations representing 12,000 scientists involved with biological and biomedical sciences. "I was very proud of Purdue's showing at this conference," Weaver said. "Clearly Purdue is not only doing significant research, but our colleagues recognize it as well." The Purdue research explored a wide range of topics, especially looking at ways to keep people healthy -- and thin. AGRICULTURAL NEWS 3. Purdue gives farmers 20-20 vision from 30,000 feet By the year 2020, farmers will check their crops by checking satellite images on the World Wide Web, says Chris Johannsen, a remote-sensing researcher at Purdue. "When a farmer sees a problem on a satellite image, he'll pull a GPS (global positioning system) unit out of his pocket, use it to guide himself to within a meter of the exact location, and treat it," Johannsen says. As a result, the farmer will nip nutrient deficiencies in the bud, stop pests before they spread, prevent crop damage and use less pesticide. The images are coming, but they won't come with a color-coded key. Farmers will need to know that a certain gray indicates hail damage or that a particular yellow-green signals the beginning of an insect infestation. Johannsen and his crew have created the Agricultural Validation and Verification Site to help decode aerial and satellite images. (Color photo available.) 4. New soybeans immune to cyst nematode Purdue researchers have developed the first commercial soybean variety with immunity to soybean cyst nematode. "This new germplasm was the only one of 200 progeny from the cross between Williams and Hartwig that had immunity to soybean cyst nematode," said John Ferris, Purdue nematologist. Soybean cyst nematodes are unsegmented parasitic worms found in 74 of Indiana's 92 counties. They are responsible for yield losses of up to 50 percent in some soybean fields. The soybeans will be available in a few years, when the seed stock is built up. 5. Purdue post-harvest researchers win '99 Team Award Dirk Maier, Linda Mason and Charles Woloshuk represent three different departments in Purdue's School of Agriculture, but they share a common goal of helping farmers control pests in stored grain. Their work has earned them the 1999 Purdue Agriculture Team Award in Teaching, Research and Extension, presented at a ceremony Thursday (5/6). Maier is an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, Mason is an associate professor of entomology, and Woloshuk is an associate professor of botany and plant pathology. They are leaders of the Post-Harvest Grain Quality Team (PHGQ), established at Purdue six years ago. The award, also established six years ago, recognizes collaborative efforts between Purdue faculty and staffs on interdisciplinary teams. The team will receive $10,000 to support its projects. (Color photo available.) MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS 6. Purdue News Roundup See summary of headlines at beginning of this document. 7. Agriculture calendar This calendar lists Purdue Agriculture events during the next four weeks. 8. Best Bets for Journalists Purdue Extension helps to curb drinking teens "Best Bets" also has details about these events: Suellen Reed, state superintendent of education, to attend Reading Recovery commencement celebration May 12; Maj. Gen. Richard E. Brown III, director of joint matters for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Air and Space Operation, to attend ROTC ceremony May 14; commencement ceremonies will be May 15 and 16; and the Purdue Board of Trustees will meet May 21. 9. National Business, Finance and Technology Package These stories were distributed nationally this week to business reporters. A Web site with links to all the stories and photos in this package is available. 1. Work-life programs good for business (Color photo available.) 2. Call centers open direct line to customer satisfaction, loyalty 3. Business, finance and technology briefs Smiles are dividends for Purdue economics students (Color photo available.) Y2K problem has its positives, Purdue retail expert says Purdue branches out with wood products technology major Purdue releases second edition of call center 'how to' book 4. Ethic experts 10. Inside Purdue and Perspective Check the on-line versions of Inside Purdue , the faculty/staff newspaper, and Perspective , a quarterly publication for alumni, parents of students, faculty and staff, for other news about Purdue. How to retrieve stories and photographs electronically Purdue News Service produces e-mail digests of stories on six topics: agriculture; business, finance and technology; education and careers; lifestyles; science and health; and weekly Purdue News (that's this digest). To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to this service: Address your request to: listserv@vm.cc.purdue.edu Use a mail form with no text or graphics Leave the subject line blank. 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