Purdue News
September 1994
Providing a well-rounded education and producing well-rounded graduates is the goal
for most universities, and Purdue is no exception. Whether it's bugs or burgundy,
the power of women or putting greens, there's a course for just about every interest
-- and an equally interesting instructor who brings his or her own brand of excitement to
the classroom. Here are a few of the selections for the fall semester.
Bug appreciation
Entomology Professor Tom Turpin helps students become "astute consumers of entomological
information" in his course, "Insects: Friend & Foe." Turpin also oversees the annual
"Bug Bowl" each spring on campus, which features cockroach races, human caterpillar crawls and cooked insect treats. His course covers the basics of insect biology,
insects in art and literature, and human/insect interaction. In one assignment, students
take home a crawly critter as a pet. CONTACT: Turpin, (765) 494-4568.
Golf, anyone?
Purdue's Department of Agronomy offers a course called "Golf Turf Management" to teach
students the proper way to maintain a golf course. This will be the first time the
course has been offered to Purdue students as part of the department's turf science
curriculum. The class, taught by Associate Professor Clark Throssell, will cover topics
including the construction and care of putting greens; management of the rough, tees
and fairways; and managing a budget and staff. CONTACT: Throssell, (765) 494-4785.
Impact of women
Researcher Carolyn Johnson teaches a class called "Black Women Rising." She looks
at the role of black women and their impact on the economy, politics, and social
and cultural issues in the black community. CONTACT: Johnson, (765) 494-5680.
Game theory
Despite the title of the course, it's not all fun and games in the Department of Economics'
"Game Theory" class. Dan Kovenock, professor of economics, says students in this
course mathematically model the strategies, rules and payoffs encountered in games
like tic-tac-toe. The modeling technique of formally specifying strategies, rules
and payoffs is then applied to many real-world situations such as bargaining between
businesses and labor unions, the auction of offshore oil leases, or decision making
in litigation. CONTACT: Kovenock, (765) 494-4468. Note: Kovenock previously taught the
course; Charles Noussair, assistant professor of economics, is teaching the course
now.
Herbs, spices and medicinal crops
Jim Simon, associate professor of horticulture, teaches a five-week miniclass that
introduces students to the commercial herb, spice and medicinal plant industry in
North America. The one-credit course, "Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Crops," covers
all facets of production of these temperate and tropical plants, from sowing to harvest, postharvest
handling, and processing to marketing. Simon plans class discussions on the commercial
opportunities for new aroma compounds (such as oils), natural pesticides, natural antioxidants and medicinal compounds. The class meets from Sept. 26 through Nov.
1. CONTACT: Simon, (765) 494-1328.
Wine tasting
Enologist Richard Vine helps students develop discriminating palates in his "Wine
Appreciation" class. Students must be 21 to enroll. Vine works with the Indiana Wine
Grape Market Development Council to educate the public on the science of wine and
wine-making. Vine also helps amateur winemakers ferment with the best in his book, "The Home
Winemaker's Guide," which helps clarify the cloudiest of wine-making questions without
the slightest bouquet of wine snobbery. CONTACT: Vine, (765) 494-6500.
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
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