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As state revenue shortfall worsens, Purdue plans comprehensive review of programs and processes
A Purdue steering committee will lay groundwork for a plan to meet the university's strategic goals in the face of uncertain economic conditions.
"We have already made across-the-board cuts, cut positions, curtailed hiring and travel, and withheld pay increases," said Al Diaz, executive vice president for business and finance, treasurer. "These steps helped us in the short run, but they cannot be sustained on a recurring basis. Now, we need to consider more systemic, long-term actions." More
Purdue Musical Organizations to present 'The Spirit of the Season'
Purdue Musical Organizations will present four public performances of the 76th annual Purdue Christmas Show "The Spirit of the Season" on Dec. 12-13.
"This year’s show is different," said Bill Griffel, Purdue Musical Organizations director. "We're telling an original story with character dialogue between the musical numbers, which will help deliver a beautiful message. To help us tell our story, we’re bringing back the big screens, so there’s not a bad seat in the house." More
Maize cell wall genes identified, giving boost to biofuel research
Purdue University scientists have helped identify and group the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production.
The Purdue scientists, led by Nicholas Carpita, a professor of plant cell biology, published their findings on the 750 cell wall genes in the journal Plant Physiology on Thursday (Nov. 19). They also were co-authors on a study, published Thursday (Nov. 19) in Science, that for the first time sequenced the genome of maize. More
Purdue to host winter commencement ceremonies
Purdue University will award degrees at its West Lafayette campus on Dec. 20 and at its Calumet campus on Dec. 15.
Ceremonies for the West Lafayette campus are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in Elliott Hall of Music. The Calumet campus ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. in the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Ind. More
Drug studied as possible treatment for spinal injuries
"Channel blocker"
 | Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed.
The chemical compound also might be developed as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. More
Purdue WL to limit smoking to specific areas
Purdue University's West Lafayette campus will become smoke free except in limited areas beginning July 1.
The campus-wide policy was announced Thursday (Nov 19) - coinciding with the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout - following input from faculty, staff and students. The new policy will confine smoking to limited designated campus areas and will prohibit smoking in all vehicles owned or leased by Purdue. More
New facility to test aircraft engines, alternative fuels
Purdue University will operate a new federally funded facility to test aircraft engines and develop alternative fuels in work that also aims to reduce the nation's reliance on imported oil.
The National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion is funded with a $1.35 million grant from the U.S. Air Force and will be housed in the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building at the Purdue Airport. More
New effort probes how two groups of viruses cause disease
Team of researchers
 | Purdue University is leading a team of researchers in a federally funded effort aimed ultimately at developing better vaccines and antiviral drugs against two types of disease-causing viruses by learning critical details about their life cycles.
The viruses also pose a potential homeland security threat because they have been used to make biological weapons, said Richard Kuhn, a professor and head of the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue. More
Annual report shows 2 percent gain in global carbon emissions
World atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, according to a report available online Tuesday (Nov. 17) in the journal Nature Geoscience.
The report, updated annually by a global team of climate experts that includes a Purdue University researcher, shows that global carbon emissions from fossil fuels rose 2 percent last year to a record high of 1.3 metric tons per person. More
Fat dogs, coughing horses to teach kids about health careers
Purdue University researchers will use a $1.3 million grant to help further students' understanding of the role animals play in keeping people healthy.
Timothy Ratliff and Sandra Amass of the School of Veterinary Medicine, received the five-year grant to create a new health science curriculum for third-, sixth- and ninth-graders; start a faculty mentor program in Indiana schools; create fitness programs centered around animals; and develop a museum exhibit focused on the links between animal and human health. The initiative, called Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses: Animal Contributions Towards a Healthier Citizenry, is being funded through a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. More
College of Education to unveil space images
Milky Way's core
 | Purdue University's College of Education will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy on Friday (Nov. 20) at Lincoln Elementary School in DeMotte, Ind., with the unveiling of two mural-sized images of the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
The images are from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory. More
Purdue, NASA research provides blueprint for molecular basis of global warming
Timothy Lee
 | A new study indicates that major chemicals most often cited as leading causes of climate change, such as carbon dioxide and methane, are outclassed in their warming potential by compounds receiving less attention.
Purdue University and NASA examined more than a dozen chemicals, most of which are generated by humans, and have developed a blueprint for the underlying molecular machinery of global warming. The results appear in a special edition of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Physical Chemistry A, released Nov. 12. More
Massachusetts medical-therapy company takes top prize at $100,000 Purdue life sciences competition
Koeris, Lu and Chau (L-R)
 | A Massachusetts medical-therapy company won the sixth Purdue University Life Sciences Business Plan Competition, a $100,000 event that highlights promising entrepreneurship efforts in the life sciences arena.
Novophage Therapeutics captured the $30,000 top prize during Tuesday's (Nov. 10) event at the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. The company is developing a disruptive biological therapy designed to increase the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments, slow the onset of antibiotic resistance and prevent harmful biofilms. More
Ag economist: Thanksgiving leftovers include money in pocket
Turkey and the trimmings might not be the only leftovers from this year's Thanksgiving feast. Americans should find a few more dollars left over after purchasing the annual meal, said a Purdue University agricultural economist.
Heading into the holiday, retail food prices generally are lower than one year ago, Corinne Alexander said. More
New 'finFET' promising for smaller transistors, more powerful chips
finFET illustration
 | Purdue University researchers are making progress in developing a new type of transistor that uses a finlike structure instead of the conventional flat design, possibly enabling engineers to create faster and more compact circuits and computer chips.
The fins are made not of silicon, like conventional transistors, but from a material called indium-gallium-arsenide. Called finFETs, for fin field-effect-transistors, researchers from around the world have been working to perfect the devices as potential replacements for conventional transistors. More
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