Purdue Administrative Operations spotlighted an exciting collaboration between the Grounds Department and HORT 317 students. This year’s project transformed the area around the newly renovated University Hall, giving students hands-on experience in plant selection, installation, and maintenance. The effort not only enhanced campus beauty but also bridged classroom learning with real-world practice. Read more: Grounds[Read More…]
This summer we had several upgrades/renovations at the HLA Plant Growth Facility. After nearly thirty years, the polyhouse underwent a full exterior upgrade! The result: improved aesthetics and light transmission. Work on the east wall revealed years of rust behind the evaporative pad system. Rusted steel was replaced before glazing was added. This ensured structural integrity[Read More…]
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the HLA Fall Event on November 7 at Meigs! It was an incredible evening filled with great food, friendly competition, and community spirit. We appreciate all who participated and made this event such a success. Cook-Off Winners Chili Cook-Off: José Cabezas wowed the judges with his spicy[Read More…]
This week’s spotlight are the students that work in the growing containers. They are fantastic and really help make sure those lettuce heads, salad greens, and basil keep making it into the bags every week! My name is Alison Fung and I am a senior in Agricultural Engineering. At the container farm, I normally do[Read More…]
Revenge of the Deer On Tuesday night, Mother deer and her two babies made their return to the farm in an attempt to plunder any accessible crops. An intern escorted the suspects off of the premises after a 15 minute high-speed chase. Suspects reportedly did not cooperate, running several circles around the farm before making[Read More…]
On November 6, Steve Hallett (HLA) and Bob Marzec (ENGL) led a lively discussion at the West Lafayette Public Library on sustainability and plant ecology, inspired by Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, this year’s Purdue English Department’s Big Read. They shared how the book’s themes shape their work in research, teaching, and service, offering[Read More…]
The Horticulture Crops Weed Science Lab published pumpkin research in the December issue of HortTechnology, available online now. The research investigated the potential of currently unregistered herbicides to control marestail in no-till jack o’lantern pumpkin production. The findings will be used to support expanded herbicide registrations to help pumpkin farmers better manage this glyphosate-resistant weed.[Read More…]
Shivika Aggrawal, a Ph.D. student in the Center for Community & Environmental Design – Dr. Aaron Thompson’s lab, has been sharing the lab’s research on social-ecological memory in agriculture at several forums. In August 2025, she presented the research at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting in Baltimore, engaging ecologists from across disciplines. In[Read More…]
The 2025–2026 College of Agriculture Teaching Awards were announced today, and we are proud to share that two members of the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (HLA) faculty have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to teaching. Kathryn Orvis will receive the Kohls Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, honoring exceptional dedication to undergraduate education and student success.[Read More…]
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