1

Volume 9 Number 2 Spring 2000

by Tom Campbell

“We cannot claim to be an institution of globalprominence if we don’t make an intentional andproactive effort to address the internationaldimensions of what we do in the agricultural sciencesand related disciplines.”

Dave Sammons, associate dean,director, International Programs in Agriculture

Winter has hit Moldova like an unexpected punch inthe gut. And Benton Wisehart’s adopted hometown ofNisporeni is doubled over in its clutches, motionlessand helpless.

There are no lights on in Wisehart’s one-bedroomflat. In fact, there hasbeen no electricityfor some time. Thesmall Europeannation whose mainindustry seems to bemanufacturing thenational debt, turnsthe electricity offduring peak hours tosave money.

It has beensnowing nonstop fortwo days. But thesnowplows sit idle,too. Another cost-cutting effort. Andlike the nationaldebt, the snowoutside just keepspiling up.

The wind roarsaround and throughWisehart’s $10-a-month apartmentlike a freight train.But it’s not the windthat wakes Wisehartfrom his deep sleep.His small, mostlyempty refrigerator has come alive with theunmistakable rattle and hum provided by electricity.

The refrigerator is Wisehart’s electricity alarm clock.“I am surprised that my little refrigerator will wake

me out of a sound sleep,” Wisehart says. “I am equallysurprised that I can get together enough self-motivationto go out in a blizzard at 1 a.m. and finish writing agrant proposal.

“We rarely have electricity. When we get some, itusually is turned on in the middle of the night.”

Wisehart pulls the blankets tightly around his head.The 1998 Purdue grad and Peace Corps volunteerwould love to stay under the covers. But the refrigeratormotor is a siren’s song. He knows he must get up. Thereis work to do.

Purdue’s International Programs in Agriculture(IPIA) led Benton to the Soviet Republic. While mostof Purdue’s study abroad students may not feelcompelled to join the Peace Corps, Michael Stitsworthsays studying abroad can be a valuable tool in buildinga resume.

“It’s one more tool in the tool kit,” says Stitsworth,associate director of Purdue’s IPIA. “It makes ourgraduates better prepared to compete in the global arenaof agriculture.

Moldova owes millions of dollars to its neighbors(Ukraine to the north, east and south, Romania to thewest) for utilities. Without notice, power throughout thecountry is shut off. The Moldovan government turns onwhat little electricity it can get at times when thegovernment can utilize the power and Moldovans, andWisehart, cannot.

So when the refrigerator hums, Wisehart knows thereis electricity in the city. He quickly gets dressed andruns out his apartment door, bound for his office. Once

there, he will type a report, a grant proposal, or perhapsjust a letter home.

The temperature in his office, as in most buildings inNisporeni, is in the mid-40s. Until spring, Wisehartmust get used to being cold and uncomfortable. At theoffice, Wisehart will type until he gets too cold, tootired, or the power is shut off again. Whichever comesfirst.

He does not feel threatened by the political unrest ofthe area so much as by the frigid winter temperaturesboth inside and outside his office.

“Last year, Peace Corps Moldova’s medical officersaid that her biggest problem concerning the safety ofvolunteers in Moldova was hypothermia,” he says.

Wisehart is a volunteer at one of Moldova’s “agro-inform” centers. He is setting up a marketing group forthe area grape growers as a tool for educating farmersand addressing their agricultural concerns. He is alsoworking with a Moldovan agriculturist to set up a farmstore where farmers can buy seed, chemicals andequipment for their farms.

A native of Los Osos, Calif., Wisehart becameinterested in foreign cultures while traveling throughAfrica, South America, Europe and Asia. He completeda 10-week internship program in Russia in 1997through Purdue’s IPIA.

It was the return trip home that convinced him to jointhe Peace Corps.

“I learned so much and experienced so many thingsduring my internship,” Wisehart recalls.

“When I climbed on board that KLM flight in St.Petersburg and smelled the coffee and felt the airconditioning, a small part of me felt like I wasabandoning the people in the former Soviet Union. I feltlike I had made a mockery of how difficult their lives

are. It was as if I wassaying to myself, ‘Ilived in Russia, I didyour life and all itshardships, and it wasquaint. But now I amgoing home to mysupermarket, my carand my real life.’ Thatis what gave me thedrive to want to domore in this part of theworld.”

Clearly, studying andworking abroad has itshardships. The PeaceCorps has volunteers in40 countries. But mostdon’t tax the volunteersas physically andemotionally asMoldova.

The water Wisehartdraws from his faucet isan inky black. Schoolsin Nisporeni werequarantined for nearlyfour weeks last fall dueto dysentery. Cleandrinking water must be

retrieved from the town well, a 30-minute walk from hisapartment.

And while the Peace Corps does not suit everyone,more and more students are taking up the challenge ofinternational agriculture.

Only one School of Agriculture student participatedin the study abroad program in 1990. Dave Sammons,associate dean of Agriculture and director of IPIA, saysPurdue will send about 90 students overseas this year,participating in 20 different programs in 15 countries,“enhancing,” as Sammons says, “their understanding ofagriculture as a global activity that binds us together aspeople.”

Approximately 11 percent of Purdue Agriculture’s1999 graduation class completed an overseas program.

“International Programs is responsible for cuttingacross the institutional mission in teaching, research andExtension by assuring that there is an appropriateinternational dimension to all of those mission areas,”says Sammons, himself a Peace Corps volunteer in the1960s.

No heat, no water, no problem for Peace Corps volunteer

“Moldova” continued on page 2

photo provided

Benton Wisehart (center) says helping farmers in Moldova is unlikeanything he has ever done.

Black Sea

Ukraine

Romania

Moldovaê Chisineau

• Nisporeni

´ ´

2

“Part of our institutional goal is to graduate studentswho will be successful in the world they will inherit.We want them to be good in a technical sense, but wealso want them to be good and responsible citizens inthe world they will lead in the future.”

For Wisehart, however, the future is moving alongslower than molasses in Moldova.

“It is hard to do business here,”Wisehart admits. “We are notdigging ditches to irrigate crops,we’re trying to ready an entirecountry for Europe and the West.We’re writing grants worth tens ofthousands and hundreds ofthousands of U.S. dollars, but mostaspects of the business environmentare still inching along like it was the1800s. It’s very hard to get stuffdone when getting somebody tosign a document takes all day.”

But don’t blame Wisehart if he isfrustrated by the process.

“I got to address the farmers at atown meeting to try and drum upsome interest for a grape growersassociation,” Wisehart says. “Mostof them just yelled and screamed atme and spit in my direction, sayingthat an association was a return tostate controlled agriculture andcollective farms. They were notupset at me, just my idea. I feel thegrape growers association will bean uphill battle.”

Things got off to aslow start becausenobody in townknew who he was.

“Most of themwere afraid toapproach me,thinking I did not

speak the language.”He had spent his first 10 weeks (four

hours a day, six days a week) in Moldovalearning the Romanian language. It is nolonger a barrier, but Wisehart is still anoutsider. Trust, it seems, moves as slowlyas progress in Moldova.

But the dawn of a new millennium hasgiven Wisehart cause for optimism.

“Here we are, it’s a new year and now

“Moldova”, continued from page 1

CONNECTIONS serves as an up-to-datemedium for the open exchange of ideas, informa-

tion, opportunities and knowledge betweenPurdue University's School of Agriculture and its

extended family of alumni and friends.

Purdue Agriculture CONNECTIONS is published threetimes annually by the Purdue University Department ofAgricultural Communication for the Purdue AgriculturalAlumni Association. It is distributed free to more than40,000 School of Agriculture students, alumni andfriends.

Send letters and editorial comments to Department ofAgricultural Communication, 1143 AGAD Building,West Lafayette, Ind. 47907-1143; (765) 494-8084.

Send questions about the association and addresschanges to the Agricultural Alumni Association,1140 AGAD Building, Room 1, West Lafayette, Ind.47907-1140; (765) 494-8593.

Donya Lester, Purdue Agricultural AlumniAssociation executive secretarydcl@agad.purdue.edu

Tom Campbell, BS’78, managing editortc@aes.purdue.edu

Christy Denault, editorVic Herr, BA’92, editorMindy Jasmund, graphic designerAndrea McCann, BS’89, editorMarian Sipes, production assistant

It is the policy of Purdue University that all persons shall have equalopportunity and access to its programs and facilities without regard to

race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability. PurdueUniversity is an Affirmative Action employer. 1-888-EXT-INFO

http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/menu.htm

Credits

people are coming to work with me and talk with me,”he says.

With a pocket full of grant money and the support ofthe mayor of Nisporeni, Wisehart hopes to start somelivestock herd improvement projects already under wayin neighboring Romania.

“I am working at getting cattle and goats from thoseherd improvement programs sent into Moldova.”

The grant money will enable Wisehart to work atdevising an intensified grazing program, as well aspasture improvement and irrigation systems.

“I have already met with the mayor of Nisporeni,who still controls some river bottom land that wouldmake excellent pasture,” he says.

Buoyed by prospects of a new year, the inevitabilityof spring and his new projects, Wisehart is upbeat butrealistic about his remaining 18-month Peace Corpsobligation.

“All of my projects could collapse today, in a matterof seconds,” he says. “But I have some goals set formyself now and something to work for. I truly enjoywhat I am doing, even though results are not alwaysmeasurable.”

Contact Wisehart at b5282832@hotmail.com.

Dear Sir,The article written by Barbara Robertson

about Dean Freeman was very well done andinteresting. During my years at Purdue (1959-63), the trio of Butz, Freeman and Pfendler wasvery much in control of Purdue Agriculture.

I now realize how privileged I was to be apart of those times. Through my campusactivities I had the opportunity to work closelywith all three men. Dean Freeman was mymentor when I was president of Ag Council. Hewas helpful, kind and inspiring. What wonderfuldays.

The history of Purdue Agriculture is rich withthe tradition of these great people and thosewho came before them. The exciting news is thatthe present administration not only carries onthese traditions, but elevates the playing fieldto their own higher standards.

Sincerely,Ben R. EdmonsonAgronomy ‘63

Letters to the Editor

Dear Sir, Thank you and Barbara Robertson for the

wonderful tribute to Verne Freeman in the article“Freeman’s gifts to Purdue Agriculture live on.”

Following my graduation from Fort WayneSouth Side High School, my father brought meto campus during the summer of 1938 for thepurpose of discussing curriculum and mydisability (weak knees).

The first person we contacted was VerneFreeman. That was the start of a very goodrelationship. Later that day, I decided that Vernewould be my father on campus.

I came to Purdue to learn more about theorchard business. After doing a thesis under Dr.J. A. McClintock, I changed my lifetime career tofruit tree research.

During my four years on the Purdue campus, Ihad conversations with Verne Freeman onseveral occasions. I knew he was there andalways available when I needed him.

Sincerely,Roger S. Young, BS’42

photo provided

Wisehart first visited Russia as a participant in the Russian CorporateFellows Program in 1997.

photo provided

Wisehart's patience has been tested by Moldovan farmers who havespit at his ideas of change at town meetings.

3

Purdue’s sister school of Zamorano in Honduras, where she helped farmers buildsilos, terrace farmland and make adobe stoves.

“All through high school and even in college, I always thought I would get a joband move back down to Central America to work,” Taylor says. “I speak thelanguage and I know how to get around down there. I just didn’t know how it wasall going to work.”

The study abroad program provided the answer.“It was perfect for me,” she says. “It allowed me to go back to Central America

and see if it was where I wanted to be. If it didn’t work out, I knew I could return tothe states. It was a tour of duty, just like being in the military again.”

Being the first student to participate in the master’s program has placed someadded pressure on her shoulders. But Taylor says that has only made her moreeager to get started.

“Peace Corps”, continued from front cover

“I was the first to participate in the Peace Corps shadow program (following avolunteer in the field for 10 days) so I’m used to being a guinea pig,” she says.“Dave Sammons, Tim Gibb and Chris Oseto are all on my master’s committee andI know they really want to get this program going at Purdue.”

The Purdue name itself has put some pressure on Taylor, too.“If I don’t really do something exciting, I’m going to feel bad about it,” Taylor

admits. “After all, this is Purdue University, not some podunk college.”

by Tom Campbell

After taking two years off from school, AbbyDougherty jokingly calls herself the oldest sophomoreon campus.

She’s not, of course, but she may have earned thetitle of most traveled sophomore after logging morethan 130,000 miles as a state and national officer forthe FFA (previously known as Future Farmers ofAmerica).

When Dougherty returned to campus and classesthis semester, she became reacquainted with someluxuries she missed during her traveling tenure asnational secretary of the FFA.

“It was great to have my own closet and drawersagain,” Dougherty says, “because it seems I lived outof a suitcase all of last year. It’s kind of nice to finallyhave some stability.”

Dougherty grew up on her family farm inWhiteland, just south of Indianapolis. She joined theFFA in 1992 and served as state secretary for a yearafter graduating from Whiteland High School in 1996.

“Taking a year off from school to work with FFAreally helped me mature,” says Dougherty, who wasable to improve her communication and leadershipskills by visiting 70 FFA chapters and working at 10camps and workshops during her sabbatical.

Dougherty enrolled at Purdue in 1997 withambitions to pursue a career in agri-sales or becomean agriculture teacher. After three semesters at Purdue,Dougherty was elected national FFA secretary at the1998 convention in Kansas City.

She survived a grueling interview process and wasselected from a pool of 37 candidates to fill one of sixleadership positions.

Dougherty visited with FFA members in 30 states,observing agriculture as diverse as the pineapple fieldsin Hawaii, cotton fields in Alabama, and cranberrybogs in Massachusetts.

Dougherty also spent two weeks in Japan, hostedby members of the sister organization, the FFJ (FutureFarmers of Japan).

Dougherty admits she missed more than just twoyears of school.

“I missed Purdue, my family and friends more thanI thought I would,” Dougherty says, although shewouldn’t trade her experience for the world.

“So few people have an opportunity to travel asmuch as I did, to see so much and learn so much about

different areas of agriculture. It was a tremendousexperience.”

Through her FFA career, Dougherty hasaccumulated 13 of the blue, trademark FFA corduroyjackets.

“I traveled so much,” Dougherty says, “I just keptgetting more. I have one chapter jacket, two districtjackets, three state and seven national jackets.”

But now that she’s back at Purdue with her owncloset space, at least she has the room to store them.

National FFA officer settles back in at school

photo by Tom Campbell

photo provided

photo provided

Dave Sammons, director of Purdue’s International Programs in Agriculture,slogs through a Filipino rice paddy behind a water buffalo as a Peace Corpsvolunteer in this 1969 photo.

Taylor poses with a Guatamalan family during a recent visit to Central America.

Purdue sophomore Abby Dougherty is happy to be back on campus after logging more than 130,000 milestraveling for the FFA in 1999.

4

Brochure helps campus visitors stroll through time

by Tom Campbell

The new Food Science Building and facelifts toHorticulture and Lilly Hall help Purdue’s School ofAgriculture keep pace with the future. But a newbrochure, published by the Wabash Valley Trust forHistoric Preservation shows the school still has itsarchitectural roots planted firmly in historic ground.

The brochure, Historic Purdue University, lists 33campus sites as having historic value and is availableat the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, GreaterLafayette Convention and Visitors Bureau and theTippecanoe County Historical Association museum.

The seven School of Agriculture buildings includedin the brochure can easily be seen on a walking tour,beginning at the Agricultural Administration Buildingand concluding next door at Entomology Hall. Otherhistoric buildings include the Forestry Building,Horticulture Building, Agricultural and BiologicalEngineering Building, Biochemistry Building andForest Products Building.

1. Agricultural Administration: H.A. Worthamdesigned the building, originally known as the

Agricultural Experiment Station, in the ClassicalRevival style. It now houses all the administrationoffices of the School of Agriculture.

2. Forestry: Originally known as the ExperimentStation Annex, the Forestry Building was built in twoparts. The north end was constructed in 1912 and thesouth portion, designed in the Classical Revival styleby Walter Scholer, was built in 1926. It houses theForestry Department.

3. Horticulture: The Horticulture Building wasbuilt in 1926 and was enlarged in 1938. It wasdesigned in the Classical Revival style by WalterScholer. It still houses the Horticulture and LandscapeArchitecture Department.

4. Agricultural and Biological Engineering: Theeast side of the building was built in the ClassicalRevival style in 1928 and was designed by WalterScholer. In 1940, the western wing was added. Thebuilding originally housed an agricultural museum.

5. Biochemistry: Originally called the AgriculturalChemistry Building, the Biochemistry Building wasbuilt in 1939 and was designed by Walter Scholer in

the Classical Revival style. Additions to the buildingwere made in 1951 and 1976.

6. Forestry Products: Built in 1909 as the originalAgricultural Engineering Annex, the ForestryProducts building was designed in the ClassicalRevival style by Robert Frost Daggett. This buildingis home to the Wood Research Laboratory that isresponsible for the early technology base for themodern wood roof and floor truss industry.

7. Entomology Hall: Originally known asAgricultural Hall, this building was designed in theClassical Revival style by Robert Frost Daggett in1901. It is the second oldest building on the Purduecampus and was the original home of the School ofAgriculture.

The Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservationwas formed in 1973 to educate and encourage interestin the heritage and architecture of the Wabash Valley.

The brochure was produced with the help of a$2,000 Historic Preservation Education Grant fromthe Indiana Humanities Council and the HistoricLandmarks Foundation of Indiana.

by Beth Forbes

Janet Gordon,Extension centraldistrict director,has been namedinterim 4-Hprogram leader,replacing LindaChezem whostepped down Feb.1. Gordon willprovide leadership

for 4-H by overseeing the day-to-day operations of thedepartment and the statewide 4-H program.

David Petritz, director of Purdue Extension, willhold the title of 4-H Youth Development departmenthead until a permanent department head is named. Hewill provide faculty and administrative leadership forthe department.

“Gordon is a great addition to the 4-H team. Hercounty Extension experience will really benefit theentire department,” says Dean of Agriculture VicLechtenberg.

Chezem headed the state’s 4-H program for twoyears. A professor and former Indiana Court ofAppeals judge, Chezem will continue to work on apart-time basis on youth development issues forPurdue Agriculture.

“I’m especially pleased that she can continue toassist us in our youth development efforts and providecounsel on new programs and funding opportunities,”Purdue Dean of Agriculture Vic Lechtenberg says.

Indiana has more than 70,000 4-H members acrossthe state. The program also provides schoolenrichment activities for more than 170,000 Hoosierchildren.

Gordon began her Purdue career in 1973 as anExtension educator in Hendricks County. Many of her

efforts have been geared toward helping youth,including participation on the child protection teamfor 14 years in Boone County. Gordon also helpeddevelop the parenting curriculum “It’s My Child,Too,” which is used across the state.

Among her leadership roles, Gordon was countyExtension director in Boone County and interimprogram leader in Consumer and Family SciencesExtension on campus.

“We are fortunate that Janet—with all of herexperience and ability—will be able to move into theposition of overseeing 4-H,” Petritz says. “She willbe stepping in just as we begin sign up and the earlypreparations for this year’s fairs and exhibits.”

Rick Chase, Johnson County Extension educator,has been appointed central district supervisor on aninterim basis.

Gordon

u

v

{

wx

y

z

photo by Tom Campbell

The seven historic buildings on Purdue’s agricultural campus can easily be visited on a walking tour. The buildings included in the Historic Purdue University brochureare: 1. Agricultural Administration 2. Forestry 3. Horticulture 4. Agriculture and Biological Engineering 5. Biochemistry 6. Forestry Products 7. Entomology Hall.

Gordon

Gordon assumes leadership of 4-H Youth programs

5

by Tom Campbell

A record 15 recipients of the Agricultural Alumni Association’s Certificateof Distinction were honored at the annual Ag Fish Fry at Purdue University.

The award is the association’s highest honor and recognizes individuals fortheir service to agriculture beyond the call of duty.

This year’s honorees are Marion F. Baumgardner, West Lafayette; RobertL. Benson, Noblesville, Ind.; R. Leroy Brammer, Patriot, Ind.; Larry Curless,Wabash, Ind.; Thomas E. Diener, Reynolds, Ind.; Robert F. Fields, BattleGround, Ind.; Gary J. Geswein, Palmyra, Ind.; Norman D. Long, WestLafayette; Morgan L. Miers, Greensburg, Ind.; Harry L. Pearson,Indianapolis; Hugh B. Pence, Lafayette; Lee R. Rulon, Arcadia, Ind.; WilliamE. Swern, Rockville, Ind.; Howard M. Unger, Carlisle, Ind.; and ShirleyWoody, Estero, Fla.

Marion F. Baumgardner, professor emeritus of Agronomy, is one of thepioneer soil scientists involved in research on the applications of remotesensing. Baumgardner retired in 1997.

Robert L. Benson is retired from the Monsanto Corp. and is a formercounty Extension agent. In addition, Benson has served as president, vicepresident and treasurer of the Indiana Sheep Breeders Association.

R. Leroy Brammer is a progressive hog farmer who has been farmmanager of Fisher Properties of Indiana for 35 years and has served on theIndiana Pork Producers Board for eight years.

Larry Curless has farmed since 1956. In 1979, he established CurlessBookkeeping and Tax Service, specializing in tax planning, bookkeeping andfinancial analysis for more than 100 corporate and 650 individual clients.

As president and owner of Diener Seeds, Thomas E. Diener has beenselling seed to farmers for 45 years. His four sons also are part of thecompany. Diener serves on the board of directors of the Indiana Seed TradeAssociation.

Robert F. Fields recently retired after a 37-year career as the John Deeredealer serving Tippecanoe and surrounding counties.

Gary J. Geswein farms with his brothers in Floyd and Harrison countiesand has taught high school agriculture classes for 17 years. He is currentlyteaching at North Harrison High School.

Norman D. Long’s career in Extension spanned 32 years. Prior to hisretirement in 1996, programs implemented by Long touched the lives of morethan 225,000 young people and 9,200 adult volunteers in Indiana.

Morgan L. Miers is an innovative fourth-generation farmer. Twice namedSagamore of the Wabash, Miers was one of the first farmers to useinsecticides and herbicides to achieve higher yields. Miers was one of the firstHoosiers to keep farm records with computers in the early 1960s.

A 1993 recipient of Purdue’s Distinguished Agricultural Alumni Award,Harry L. Pearson has served as president of the Indiana Farm Bureau Inc.since 1987. Pearson is involved in a farming partnership with his brother, Joe.

Hugh B. Pence has been a farm manager for Halderman FarmManagement since 1958. His father, M.O. Pence, received the Certificate ofDistinction in 1958. Pence also owns and operates a 180-acre walnut treefarm.

Lee R. Rulon is marketing director of Beck’s Superior Hybrids and is partowner of Rulon Enterprises, a family farming operation. Rulon is active withthe Indiana Seed Trade Association and the Indiana Crop ImprovementAssociation.

William E. Swern worked with the USDA Soil Conservation Service for30 years until his retirement in 1980. At that time, he returned to work thefamily farm near Rockville, Ind.

Howard M. Unger and his family farm 2,900 acres in Sullivan County.Unger is a leader of several agricultural organizations, including the Indianaand American Simmental Association, American Angus Association, IndianaFarm Bureau, Sullivan County Sheep Association, Indiana Rural Appraisersand Farm Managers, as well as county, state and national beef cattleassociations.

Shirley Woody is the wife of a retired farmer, but she carved her own nichein agriculture by providing leadership in many local, state and nationalorganizations. Woody served as president of the Indiana ExtensionHomemakers Association and was an officer in the National ExtensionHomemakers Council.

According to Donya Lester, executive secretary of the Ag AlumniAssociation, the large number of honorees—typically four are selected eachyear—reflects the growing number of quality nominations being submitted.“For the last two years we have received a tremendous number of exceptionalnominees for the Certificate of Distinction award,” she says. “At the rate ofhonoring only four per year, it was clear that many extremely deservingpeople would not be honored in a timely fashion.”

Purdue honors record15 during Ag Fish Fry

Snapshots

photos by Tom Campbell

Indiana Governor Frank O’Bannon (left) and Purdue’sDean of Agriculture Vic Lechtenberg traded paintwhile racing bumper-to-bumper on a NASCAR video game.

Tom Dull got the shaft when he took a pratfall with a set

of golf clubs presented to Dr. and Mrs. Beering as a

retirement gift. Beering is retiring after 17 years as

Purdue president.

Winning the video race wasn’t a drag for Indiana Lt.

Governor Joe Kernan (left), but it obviously was for

race queen Mauri Williamson.

6

by Chris Sigurdson

Purdue University researchers have found thatreleasing a transgenic fish into the wild couldthreaten native populations, even to the point ofextinction.

A transgenic organism is one that contains genesfrom another species. The research is part of aneffort by Purdue and the U.S. Department ofAgriculture to assess the risks and benefits ofbiotechnology and its products, such as geneticallymodified fish. The study was published in Novem-ber in the Proceedings of the National Academy ofScience.

Purdue animal scientist Bill Muir and biologistRick Howard used minute Japanese fish calledmedaka to examine what would happen if malemedakas genetically modified with growth hor-mone from Atlantic salmon were introduced to apopulation of unmodified fish. The research wasconducted in rows of aquariums in a laboratorysetting.

The results warn that transgenic fish couldpresent a significant threat to native wildlife.“Transgenic fish are typically larger than the nativestock, and that can confer an advantage in attractingmates,” Muir says. “If, as in our experiments, thegenetic change also reduces the offspring’s abilityto survive, a transgenic animal could bring a wildpopulation to extinction in 40 generations.”

Extinction results from a phenomenon that Muirand Howard call the “Trojan gene hypothesis.” Bybasing their mate selection on size rather thanfitness, medaka females choose the larger, geneti-cally modified but genetically inferior medaka, thusinviting the hidden risk of extinction.

The transgenic medaka was produced by insert-ing a gene consisting of the human growth hormonedriven by the salmon growth promoter into medaka.The viability of groups of modified and conven-tional fish were measured at three days of age, and30 percent fewer transgenic fish survived to thatage. The researchers calculated that large males had

Researchers prove transgenic fishcould threaten native species

a fourfold mating advantage, based on observationsof wild-type medaka. Computer models then wereused to predict the consequences of the transgenicmating advantage combined with the reducedviability of the young.

The study represents scientists policing science,Muir says. “I hope people understand that scientistsare investigating the risks of biotechnology as wellas the benefits, so decisions can be made with asmuch information as possible. It’s important tounderstand the risks so they can be addressed.”

Muir also cautions that the results of his labora-tory study should be interpreted conservatively.

“The study does confirm there are significantrisks to natural animal populations associated withthe release of transgenic animals,” he says. “Weassumed a consistent environment with only onevariable—sexual preference for size coupled withlow life expectancy for the transgenic. The naturalworld is not nearly as orderly, and genetic back-ground changes could negate the Trojan gene.”

The dominance of sexual preference overCharles Darwin’s classic theory of survival of thefittest is not unknown to wildlife specialists andgeneticists. Muir likes to use the example of themale bird of paradise with its long swells ofgloriously colored plumage as an example.

“The male bird of paradise with the longest,thickest tail attracts the most females,” he says.

“Subsequent offspring also exhibit the long tailand also compete well for females. Unfortunately,the birds with the biggest tails also have the biggestproblem escaping predators who appreciate largebirds pinned in place by their plumage. Obviouslythe bird with the most sex appeal is the worstchoice as a fit mate. Not unlike high school, somemight say.”

The researchers’ next goal is to replicate thestudy with larger fish of economic importance in abigger environment. They’re looking for an indoorswimming pool where they can raise tilapia andcheck the results of the medaka study.

Bill Muir says releasing transgenic fish to the wild could threaten other fish populations. Muir is shown witha tilapia fish in his Lilly Hall research lab.

photo by Tom Campbell

Farm ProgressShow slated forPurdue’s backyard

by Beth Forbes

The Farm Progress Show won’t return to theHoosier State for 17 months, but when it does,you can bet Purdue Agriculture will be ready.

The largest agricultural trade show in theMidwest, the Farm Progress Show will be heldSept. 25-27, 2001 at a 2,500-acre site just southof Lafayette.

“Given the close proximity to the university,we hope to enhance our presence by offering avariety of tours for Farm Progress Show visitors,”says Dana Neary, Purdue Extension specialevents coordinator.

“The planning committee is discussing cornmazes, ornamental grass and tree plots andspecial activities for area students at the show.”

The schools of Consumer and Family Sciencesand Veterinary Medicine will also participate inthe show.

The Farm Progress Show rotates annuallyamong Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The 2000 showwill be in Illinois.

Historically, Purdue Agriculture hasmaintained a large presence at the show.

“This has been a great way for us to showcaseresearch and education for Indiana farmers andagribusiness,” says Purdue Extension directorDavid Petritz.

Tom Jordan, Purdue Extension’s programleader for agriculture and natural resources, sayshaving the Farm Progress Show at Purdue’s backdoor also provides opportunities for universityactivities that complement the show. Jordan saysthere may be tours for prospective students,agribusiness companies and livestock producers,as well as educational seminars.

“For example, Purdue’s Department ofAgricultural Economics and the Center forAgricultural Business hosted 80 foreignagricultural journalists the last time the show wasin Indiana as part of an educational seminarsponsored by Ford New Holland,” he says.

The Farm Progress Show attracts an estimated100,000 visitors each day of its three-day run andfeatures approximately 600 vendors.

“At the 1998 show in Windfall, Ind., severalhundred faculty and staff hosted the Purdueexhibit that featured displays on food safety,biotechnology, 4-H and youth activities and muchmore,” says Neary. “Next year, we hope to evenexpand on that.”

photo by Tom Campbell

Purdue Agriculture (gold and white tents) played anintegral part of the 1998 Farm Progress Show.

7

notesDepartmentDepartmentDepartmentDepartmentDepartment

Agricultural andBiological Engineering

Michael Ladisch, MS’74, PhD’77, hasbeen appointed director of the Laboratoryof Renewable Resources Engineering(LORRE) at Purdue University. Ladischsucceeds the founding director, GeorgeTsao. The laboratory supportsmultidisciplinary research to help transformbasic discoveries of biology to products andservices.

AgriculturalCommunication

Steve Leer has joined the department asa communication specialist. Leer was stateeditor of the Gastonia (N.C.) Gazette andmedia relations assistant for the CharlotteEagles professional soccer team. Leer willwrite stories for the School of Agriculture,specializing in Purdue Extension and theAgricultural Economics and AgronomyDepartments.

Agricultural EconomicsPhilip Paarlberg, BS’75, MS’83,

PhD’87, and Kenneth Foster, BS’81,presented testimony to the SenateCommittee on Agriculture, Nutrition andForestry in Washington on Feb. 1. Thecommittee is looking into consolidations inthe agricultural sector among meat packinghouses, grain dealers and seed suppliers tosee how they affect price settings for farmgoods.

Janet Ayres, BA’73, PhD’83, receivedthe Distinguished Service Award for theNorth Central Region from Epsilon PiSigma, the national Extension honorary.The award was presented at the nationalconference in Indianapolis on Dec. 4.

Marshall Martin, MS’72, PhD’76, hasbeen appointed to a two-year term on theUnited States Department of Agricultureadvisory committee on biotechnology. Theappointment was made by Secretary ofAgriculture Dan Glickman.

Agricultural EducationMark A. Balschweid, assistant professor

of agricultural education, along with SonyaLord, director of STAR Academy (anagricultural science and business magnetschool in the Indianapolis Public Schoolsystem), recently received a USDASecondary Agricultural EducationChallenge Grant to provide in-servicetraining for Indiana secondary teacherteams to attend a pilot AgriScienceCollaboration Institute.

Archie Sauerhaber, senior inagricultural education, was recognized onFeb. 15 as one of only eight Indiana post-secondary students receiving an IndianaVocational Award of Excellence.

AgronomyWilliam McFee has received the Crop

and Soils Merit Award from the IndianaCrop Improvement Association. Theaward, presented at the association’s annualconference in Indianapolis in February,

cited McFee’s contributions to Indianaagriculture, the seed industry and toagricultural education.

Animal Sciences Barry Delks, BS’82, is coordinator of

career services and alumni relations. Delkswill assist students with resumes,internships and posting job opportunities.

Mike Spurlock has joined the faculty tofocus on animal growth and nutritioninteractions. Spurlock earned hisbachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degreesfrom the University of Missouri.

The department is seeking alumniprofessionals to become part of the AnimalSciences Alumni Ambassador program.Professionals can mentor and interact withstudents in a variety of ways, includingspeaking to classes on campus, answeringquestions from undergraduates, hosting ajob shadow student for a day, or byparticipating in the department’s career webpage. For more information, contact thedepartment at (800)-213-2672.

BiochemistryClint Chapple is one of three School of

Agriculture faculty members designated asa University Scholar in 1999. BernieEngel, PhD’88 (Agricultural andBiological Engineering) and BruceWatkins (Food Science) were alsohonored.

Honorees are selected for achievingnational and international recognition inresearch, teaching and service. Each willreceive $10,000 per year for five years tofurther his research.

Botany and PlantPathology

Robert H. Hanau passed away March15th. In 1984, Hanau was hired as assistantprofessor and had been an associateprofessor since 1990.

Hanau’s research focused on the genticand molecular genetic bases of asexualreproduction, pathotype specificity andgenome variability.

Hanau had mentored five graduatestudents, all of whom completed theirPhD’s.

EntomologyBarry Pittendrigh is an assistant

professor of entomology. He joined thedepartment in February from the MaxPlanck Institute for Chemical Ecology inJena, Germany, where he was doing post-doctoral work. Pittendrigh’s work willfocus on teaching and research inmolecular biology.

Alan C. York was awarded the GlobalInitiative Faculty Grant to pursue hisproposal on “Curriculum Development inSpider Biology and Organic CropProduction.”

John M. Ferris died Jan. 19 at St.Elizabeth Hospital in Lafayette after a shortillness. He had been a professor in thedepartment since 1958.

Ferris was elected fellow in the IndianaAcademy of Sciences and a foundingfellow of the Hennig Society. In 1995,Ferris was named a fellow of the Society ofNematologists.

The nematology laboratory work willcontinue under the guidance of his wife,Virginia, and Jamal Faghihi.

Food ScienceBruce Hamaker’s, MS’83, PhD’86,

research in the field of cereal chemistry,specifically in the area of proteindigestibility and nutritional quality ofsorghum, has earned him the 2000 PurdueUniversity Agricultural Research Award.

The award consists of a plaque, a $1,000honorarium and $5,000 of AgriculturalResearch Program funds for his research.

Rakesh Singh is a team member of agroup selected to receive a $1.1 million21st Century Fund grant. The groupincludes scientists from Notre Dame andIndiana universities. Singh will be involvedin setting up a biofluids laboratory usinginfrared technology.

Forestry and NaturalResources

Urban forester Rita McKenzie, BS’92,MS’96, received the Meritorious ServiceAward from the Indiana ArboristAssociation at their winter conference Jan.12 in Indianapolis.

The number of certified arborists inIndiana has increased by 50 percent sinceshe was appointed liaison to theInternational Society of Arborculturearborist certification program.

Horticulture andLandscape Architecture

Paul Siciliano, BS’86, MS’89, hasjoined the department as an assistantprofessor of landscape architecture. He hadpreviously been a landscape constructionsupervisor with Siciliano LandscapeCompany and a project director with theBrickman Group.

Siciliano worked as an assistant salesmanager of the Princeton Nurseries,Princeton, N.J.

International Programsin Agriculture

Project coordinator RichardGelzleichter, BS’58, received the regionalDistinguished International Service Awardfrom Epsilon Sigma Phi, the nationalhonorary Extension fraternity.

Gelzleichter initiated an Extensionprogram in Poland, making 25 trips to helpthe Extension staff at Krakow AgriculturalUniversity understand how the Extensionsystem works in the United States.

8

AlumniProfile: Matt Moudy, BS’92

By Beth Forbes

Sometimes, the things we least expectcan make a world of difference.Fortunately for one Purdue Ag alumnus, asummer experience as a studentinfluenced his career and put this formerBoilermaker on the globe-trotting trail.

Food science graduate MatthewMoudy had only been an employee ofM&M/Mars, a division of Mars Inc., inHackettstown, N. J., for a little more thana year when he was tapped on theshoulder and asked if he wanted to go toRussia. The assignment? Help start uptwo new plants in Moscow.

It seems officials of the corporatecandy-maker had been combing throughtheir ranks, looking for individuals withinternational experience. Moudy, whostarted at the company soon after leavingPurdue in December 1992, spent thesummer prior to graduation as one of thefirst students to participate inInternational Programs in Agriculture’s(IPIA) student exchange program inUkraine.

Funded by a grant from the U.S.Information Agency, the program wascoordinated by IPIA director MichaelStitsworth and Purdue Russian languageprofessor Zina Breschinsky.

Moudy spent that summer learningabout agriculture and the people in thatregion of the world.

“I did it so that I might be able todifferentiate myself from other jobcandidates,” Moudy says. “I didn’trealize until later how valuable thatexperience would be.”

Moudy joined a team of 150 M&M/Marsemployees who made the trek to Moscow in May1994.

“I was one of the junior team members,” he says.“My job was to scour the countryside and find

suppliers for the goods we would need to make ourproducts.”

In addition to churning out well-known snackfoods, the company also started up a plant for its petfood division. Pedigree® dog and Whiskas® cat foodsare two of its corporate products.

Moudy’s mission was to track down goods such assugar, corn syrup and milk powder. He says it wasn’teasy to get people to work with them, as thecompany’s quality standards were higher than those ofmost producers in that part of the world.

While youthful exuberance and energy are oftenadvantageous, Moudy also found he wasn’t quite thebusinessman people there expected.

“I was 6 feet 3 inches tall back then, and I weighed165 pounds,” he says. “When I would meet withRussian businessmen, they would drink Vodka atdinner, which I decided would not be the best thingfor me to do.”

Although polite, some of those initial meetingswere unproductive.

“After a while I figured out that I did not fit in andit was better that I stayed in Moscow and allowed ourRussian associates to handle the visits,” Moudy recalls.

Despite the challenges, Moudy found his 18months in Russia a rewarding experience.

“I’d love to go back again,” he says. “I made some

very good friends.”Those are strange words coming from a man who

describes some of his experiences there in not-so-glowing terms.

“You were dead tired at night,” Moudy says. “And,you’d wake up in the morning feeling like you’d beenpunched in the face 10 times. Eventually you’d wakeup and it felt like you’d only been punched nine times.That was a good day.”

Not speaking the language was also a challenge.Moudy was required to take Russian 101 before goingto Ukraine as an undergraduate, but didn’t make themost of that experience.

“I remember when I took the course, I said ‘Whydo I need to learn Russian? I will never use it again,”he says. “Moral of the story? Never say never!”

Moudy jokes that most of the other Americans hadan advantage over him because they did pass theirRussian classes.

Moudy and the other Americans living in Moscowworked through their difficulties as if they wereinvolved in a game they wished to master. He saystheir competitive spirit kept them constantly in searchof ways to get their hands on treasured Americangoods. Cheap food was the daily reward for diligentlysearching for affordable vendors.

When the Russian assignment was complete, itwasn’t too long before Moudy again found himselfpacking his bags for another corporate venture. Thistime in Indonesia.

As was the case in his previous assignment, thecultural differences in Indonesia made for manyadjustments.

Purdue grad helped bring Milky Ways to Moscow

Occupation: Raw materialmanager for nutmeats, M&M/Mars, Inc.

Hometown: Covington, Ind.Degree: BS’92,

Food ScienceResidence: Tannersville, Pa.

Favorite International Foods1. Chicken Tika Masala (India)2. Nasi Goring (Indonesia)3. Chicken Satay (Thailand)4. Brunswick Stew (southern Georgia)5. Any steak from the Beefhouse (Covington)

Honorable mention: Borscht (Ukrainian beetsoup) “Enjoyable, but a spot or two below the top5,” Moudy says.

photo provided

“Indonesia is a large Muslimcountry,” Moudy says. “The culture inIndonesia is definitely different thancentral Indiana.”

His stint in Indonesia lasted for only amonth, but his travels were far fromover. Upon returning to the states,Moudy became a cocoa buyer, travelingthe world to find the best suppliers ofthis fundamental ingredient of chocolate.His passport gained stamps from placeslike Papua New Guinea, Ecuador andWest Africa.

Currently, Moudy finds himselfpurchasing nuts for the candy manu-facturer. While still on the road, hisdestinations are less exotic.

“I’m traveling a lot to Georgia thesedays,” he says.

Squeezed into his schedule are thoseoccasional trips back home to see familymembers in Indiana. A native ofCovington, located about an hoursouthwest of Purdue, Moudy combinesthose trips with quick visits back to thePurdue campus.

“Last fall I took my girlfriend to thePurdue Homecoming to visit my oldfriends in the Farmhouse fraternity,”Moudy says. “She graduated from amuch smaller school and had notexperienced a major college footballevent.”

A man who describes himself as “onewho goes with the flow,” Moudy hasn’tcharted his future course. For the timebeing, navigating the “superhighway” ishis project, as Moudy is investigating theInternet and his interests in e-commerce.

Linking suppliers online is his goal.And for others whose passions also include the

Web, chocolate and Purdue, Moudy says they mightfulfill their wishes simultaneously by visiting thecompany’s Internet site: m-ms.com.

“You can order black and gold M&Ms®

chocolate candies at the site, but the minimumorder is about 20 pounds,” he says.

That equals a lot of Purdue pride, and a lot ofM&Ms to share with friends.

As a buyer for one of the world’s largest candy manufacturers, Matt Moudy hastraveled the world, visiting places like this Ecuadorian cocoa plantation.

9

Deaths

ClassNotes

30s

40s

70s

50s60s

80s

90sRancho Palos Verdes.Marymount College is a small

liberal arts college located about 10minutes from his home. He is truly enjoying

being back in academic life.

Lawrence Renck, BS’68, MS’72, Hartsville,S.C., was promoted to vice president, IntellectualAssets, to lead a new intellectual capitalmanagement company for Sonoco, a globalsupplier of paper and plastic packaging. SunocoDeveloment Inc. handles all patents, trademarks,copyrights and licenses for Sonoco’s globalbusiness.

Gary VanHoozer, MS’70, Tarkio, Mo., is acontributing writer and salesperson for “FarmCollector” magazine, covering farm andagribusiness antiques and collectibles.

W. David Shoup, BS’73, MS’74, PhD’80, is thedean of the Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale’s College of Agriculture. Prior to hisappointment in September 1999, Shoup wasprofessor of agricultural and biosystemsengineering at the University of Tennessee atMartin, where he held the Parker Chair forexcellence in agricultural and natural resources.

Herbert Newman Jr., BS’80, Culver, Ind., is nolonger milking cows for hisfamily. The herd was sold inOctober 1998 following the deathof senior partner, Jesse Newman.Herb is working for the Board ofAnimal Health inspecting dairyprocessing plants in northwestIndiana.

Helen (Evrard) Piotter, BS’80,Macy, Ind., is now a member ofthe committee for sanitaryprocedures for the InternationalAssociation of Milk, Food andEnvironmental Sanitarians. Shewas also elected to the council forthe Public Health - NationalSanitation Foundation.

David J. Mulla, MS’81, PhD’83,Brooklyn Center, Minn., professorand W.E. Larson Chair for Soiland Water Resources at theUniversity of Minnesota, has beenelected a Fellow of the AmericanSociety of Agronomy. The awardwas presented at the 1999 annualmeetings of the American Societyof Agronomy, Crop ScienceSociety of America, and SoilScience Society of America in SaltLake City, Utah.

Denis Celleghin, BS’85, movedfrom a position at Reeves Inc.,Atlanta, Ga., to Indianapolis VansInc. In March he was namedManager of that division. Denis,his wife, Treva, and sons Jacoband Dalton, are now living inCarmel, Ind.

Neil Landgrebe, BS’85,Valparaiso, Ind., is owner/operatorof Greenscape, a professionallawn and landscape service inValparaiso. Neil has two children,Danielle, 9, and Justin, 5.

Sherman O. Kessler, BS’36, MS’38, New Ross,Ind., participated in the Millennium Mosaic, arecent feature of the Lafayette Journal and Courier.The paper selected one person to represent eachage from 1 to 100. Those selected wrote an essaythat recounted their life’s memories and thesignificant milestones they had observed. Twoessays were published each week during 1999.

Charles Hofmann, BS’39, Sun City Center, Fla.,retired in 1980. He was owner of Hofmann Floristin Chicago Heights, Ill. Charles revised the fifthedition (1994) of The Retail Florist Business,published by Interstate Publishers Inc., Danville,Ill. In rewriting the book, he enjoyed contactingleading wholesale, retail and trade associationmembers who supplied him with facts, figures andphotographs. Charles would like to hear frommembers of the class of 1939.

After 31 years of active service in the U.S. Army,including duty in Europe in World War II and inKorea, Joseph Williamson, BS’39, Bradenton,Fla., retired in 1971. He has been active involunteer work, including the Easter Seals Society,Boy Scouts of America and religious activities.Joseph received the Citizenship Award from thePurdue Alumni Association in 1990 and wasinducted into the Purdue Army ROTC Hall ofFame in 1996. His family consists of fourchildren, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren with two more on the way.

Earl Duggleby, BS’40, MS’56, Medaryville, Ind.,retired in June 1978 after teaching school for 38years.

David R. Mead, BS’52, Twin Falls, Idaho, wasawarded the Twin Falls Area Chamber ofCommerce Lifetime Achievement Award forlongtime community, civic, political and businessactivities in November 1999.

Alastair Miller , MS’60, North Berwick, U.K., is aself-employed farmer. He is trying to moveresources into other areas and would welcomesuggestions.

Aldo Alves, MS’65, Campinas-SP-Brazil,celebrated the Golden Jubilee in Agronomy fromE.S.A.L.Q. Sao Paulo University, Piracicaba, SaoPaulo, on Oct. 12, 1999. Aldo and his wife, Valda,have five grandchildren.

Tom Asher, BS’65, Kingman, Ind., retired on July30 after nearly 30 years with Indiana Farm Bureauas director of Information/Public Relations. Aformer 12-year school board member and LionsClub president, Tom and his wife, Shirley, movedto Parke County in 1998. He plans to continue hishobby, raising saddle mules and mammoth jackstock.

Robert Matthes, PhD’67, Rancho Palos Verdes,Calif., after having spent his career in industry,recently accepted a pre-retirement position as deanof Academic Affairs at Marymount College in

Agri Facts

provided by Agricultural Statistics, Purdue University

National Milk Production

Year AverageMilk Cows(1,000 head)

Pounds ofMilk per Cow

Production(million lbs.)

1975

1985

1995

1999

11,139

10,981

9,466

9,156

10,360

13,024

16,405

17,771

115,398

143,012

155,292

162,711

Ann (Schnerre) Freier, BS’86, Allen, Neb., isscalehouse coordinator at Iowa Beef Processors,Inc. Ann has two children, Jesse, 11, and Caitlin, 7.

Edmond (Ed) Baumgartle, BS’87, Westport,Ind., is manager at Kova Fertilizer in Westport.

W. Scott Johnston, BS’94, Franklin, Ind., has anew office in downtown historic Franklin, workingwith Southern Land Co.

Tony Wisker, BS’96, Shorwood, Ill., began a newjob on Jan. 3, as product performance manager,Advanced Farming Systems, with Case Corp. afternearly four years as a test engineer in the vehicledevelopment lab. Tony and his wife welcomedtheir first child, Scott Charles Wisker, on July 30,1999.

Christina M. Rinderle , BS’98, Durango, Colo.,recently completed working an 18-month stint forthe Colorado Indian Tribes in Parker, Ariz., helpingrevegetate the lower Colorado River. She is nowworking for Environmental ManagementInternational and will be helping to replace saltcedar trees with native vegetation in the GrandCanyon. Christina, her family and her great auntcompleted a bargain sale of 1,160 acres ofwoodlands in Pike County, Ind., to the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service in order to preserve the areaas a park.

Henry D. Gates, BS’43, Montgomery, Ill., passedaway July 25, 1999.

Philip A. Maxwell , BS’58, Valparaiso, Ind.,passed away on Dec. 25, 1999.

10

Insulin developer shares successwith futurebiochemists

DevelopmentDevelopmentDevelopmentDevelopmentDevelopment

notes

A B

it of

His

tory

photo from J.C. Allen archivesFor 36 years, through rain, sleet and gloom of night, John T. Evans delivered the U.S. Mail to Purdue’sAgricultural Administration Building (then called the Agricultural Experiment Station). This photo was taken onEvans’ last trip to the experiment station in 1930. At right is the Forestry Building.

by June Lang

Ron Chance, BS’56,MS’59, PhD’62, feelsstrongly that without hisPurdue education and theimportant connectionsintroduced to him byProfessor Edwin T. Mertz,his successful careerwould not haveculminated withinternational acclaim for

the synthesis of the drug Humulin (human insulin).To express their gratitude to Mertz and the

university, Chance and his wife, Carolyn, haveprovided a gift to begin a campaign to establish theEdwin T. Mertz Memorial endowment.

The award will provide undergraduate scholarshipsand a lecture series in Purdue’s BiochemistryDepartment. Chance hopes the fund will help studentsgain the education they need to excel in the world ofdiscovery.

In addition, funding will provide students, facultyand staff the opportunity to interact firsthand withleading researchers by bringing distinguishedauthorities to campus for presentations.

Chance, who earned his degrees in biochemistry,has had a truly stellar career as a research scientist atEli Lilly and Company. He has developed anoutstanding record of scientific output, and hiscontributions to the understanding of insulinbiochemistry and therapeutics has had worldwideimpact.

“It’s important for us (Carolyn earned herbachelor’s degree in Consumer and Family Sciencesin 1959) to give back to Purdue, because nothing Iaccomplished in my career would have been possiblewithout my Purdue education,” Chance says. “Every scientist or research group that Dr. Mertzintroduced me to became a credit to my career.”

Chance was awarded an honorary doctorate byPurdue in May 1999 for outstanding contributions tothe health of mankind.

Chance and his research team developed andpatented the technology for obtaining bovine (cow),

ovine (sheep) and porcine (hog) insulin frompancreases. Humulin has revolutionized diabetictreatment. Chance was a member of the Lilly researchteam that developed the methods for synthesizinghuman insulin in bacteria by recombinant DNAmethods leading to the drug Humulin.

The School of Agriculture is proud of Chance’saccomplishments and important contributions tosociety. But he gives much of the credit to his mentor,Professor Mertz.

Mertz was professor of biochemistry at Purduefrom 1946-1976. He passed away on Feb. 1, l999, inDallas, Texas. He was 89. At Purdue, Mertz conductedextensive research related to plasminogen andplasmin, the system in mammalian blood thatdissolves clots.

Mertz was recognized globally for his discovery,along with Oliver E. Nelson in l963, of high-lysinecorn. Mertz devoted most of his attention thereafter tothe development of cereals having better nutritionalquality than the common strains.

After he retired from Purdue, Mertz remainedactive in the research activities of the corn andsorghum groups in both the Agronomy andBiochemistry departments.

Mertz stayed in contact with many of his paststudents and maintained an active interest in theirresearch pursuits.

Staying connected with Mertz is what Chance feelsgave his career a boost.

“Mertz lived a long, happy and productive life inwhich his contributions will live on by advancing thehealth and well-being ofmillions of the world’spoorest people,” Chancesays.

Through this gift, theresearch and teaching ofMertz will continue toimpact future generations ofgreat researchers like RonChance.

Chance

Gene transfer experimenttakes off in space shuttle

by Beth Forbes

Biotechnology may have found a new home inspace, based on research that found geneticengineering in microgravity was 10 times moresuccessful than on earth.

Purdue University’s Rick Vierling had hissuccessful soybean DNA transplant experimentsrecreated on board a NASA space shuttle April 13.Vierling’s first microgravity experiments wereconducted in late 1998 by the oldest man to ever fly in

space, former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn.Those experiments, which tested whether DNA

transfer could be conducted in microgravity, provednot only that it could be done, but also that it wasmore successful and efficient than DNA transfers in acontrol group here on earth.

This experiment was done in collaboration with theWisconsin Center for Space Automation andRobotics, a NASA Commercial Center.

Of the soybean seedlings from the first spaceexperiment, 9 percent exhibited the trait introduced.On earth, less than 1 percent of the control groupshowed the trait. “The rate of transient expression in aspace environment was more than tenfold over thesuccess rate of a comparable terrestrial experiment.”

Those experiments seem to indicate that space maybe a better environment for conducting gene transfers.“Genes were transferred more efficiently to targetedcells in space than on earth. The results were sosignificant, we improved our experiments and triedthem again,” he says.

Vierling, an adjunct associate professor ofagronomy, is also director of the Indiana CropImprovement genetics program. He is working on thisproject in conjunction with Stephen Goldman, aprofessor of biology at the University of Toledo.

Vierling says despite modern advances inbiotechnology, genetic engineering is still a veryinexact science. “Some plant species are easier towork with than others,” he says. “Soybeans inparticular are very inefficient to work with, and we’rehoping to learn through these experiments ways thatwe can improve our odds of success even here on earth.”

The first space mission involved about 1,000soybeans in what Vierling describes as “a crudeexperiment.” “We didn’t even know if you could dogene transfer in space.”

Vierling says some of the initial misgivingscentered around the fact that the bacteria used totransfer the DNA must be mobile.

“They have to ‘swim’ in a solution. Liquids are hardto control in zero gravity. You must keep the liquid incontact with the cells to be successful,” Vierling says.

The “floating” effect of space may be a benefit in thiscase, a hypothesis they hope to explore in this next roundof experiments. Vierling already has applied for a patentbased on the initial experiment results.

Mertz

photo by Tom Campbell

Rick Vierling inspects soybean seedlings used tocollect genetic material in his experiments.

11

The Purdue University School ofAgriculture’s list of distinguished alumniwill expand by eight when it introduces itslatest class of honorees during a ceremonyApril 28.

The Distinguished Agricultural Alumniaward has been presented each year since1992 to 10 or fewer School of Agriculturealumni who have made significantcontributions to their professions. Selectionis made by a committee of schooladministrators.

This year’s honor roll includes: D.William Biddle, Remington, Ind., Mark W.Bitz, Baldwinsville, N.Y., Ronald P.Cantrell, Makati City, Philippines, BarbaraChattin, Arlington, Va., J.B. Penn, McLean,Va., Sue A. Shadley, Indianapolis, Ind.,Kenneth L. Schwab, Shreveport, La., andMarion P. Williams, Sudberry, Mass.

“These are outstanding individuals whohave truly distinguished themselves in thefield of agriculture and will continue to doso,” says Purdue Dean of Agriculture VicLechtenberg.

“We could not ask for better examples ofpersonal and professional achievement thanthese eight distinguished ag alumni.”

Biddle, BS’64, is the fourth generationBiddle to farm in Indiana’s Benton County.Biddle operates a 2,200-acre seed farm withhis two sons and is president of both BiddleSeeds Inc. and Biddle Insurance Service,which he founded in 1986.

Bitz, BS’80, is president and generalmanager of Plainville Farms. Bitz operates a1,000-acre corn, soybean and rye grainfarm. In addition, Bitz and his 200employees raise, process and distribute500,000 turkeys annually in thenortheastern United States.

School honors eight asDistinguished Ag Alumni

Stay In TouchName (First) _____________ (Last)_____________________

(Maiden) ________________________________________

Degree/Date _________ Department ____________________

Home Address ___________________________________

City _____________ State ______ Zip_________ Country ____

Home Phone (______) _________________________________

Employment ______________ Title_____________________

Let your classmates know what you are doing through Class Notes. Include births, weddings, job changes,family, and community activities, etc. Please complete this form and send it to: Debby Jakes, PurdueAgricultural Alumni Association, 1140 AGAD, Room 1, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1140.Please specify the complete names of any acronyms you include in your news, because some may beunfamiliar to us or to our readers. You also may e-mail your Class Notes information to Debby at:djakes@agad.purdue.edu.

Work Address _________________________ City__________________

State _______ Zip _____________Business Phone (____)__________

E-mail ____________________________________________________

News _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Biddle

Cantrell

Chattin

Penn

Bitz

Shadley

Williams

Schwab

Cantrell, MS’69, PhD’70, has been directorgeneral of the International Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI), Los Banos, Laguna,Philippines, since 1998. Cantrell was associateprofessor of agronomy at Purdue from 1975-1981 and professor of agronomy from 1981-1982.

Chattin , PhD’82, was recently appointeddeputy assistant United States traderepresentative. Her office is responsible fordeveloping and coordinating U.S. internationaltrade, commodity and direct investment policyand leading or directing negotiations with othercountries on such matters.

Penn, PhD’73 is senior vice president andhead of the Washington D.C. office of SparksCompanies Inc., an agricultural informationand economic consulting company. Penn is aformer staff economist with the U.S.Department of Agriculture.

Schwab, BS’69, has been president ofCentenary College, Shreveport, La. since 1991.Founded in 1825, Centenary is the oldestliberal arts college west of the MississippiRiver.

Shadley, BS’74, is a founding partner in thelaw firm of Plews Shadley Racher & Dunn, anIndianapolis firm with 22 attorneysspecializing in environmental law.

Williams, BS’68, PhD’73, has been thesenior vice president for technology of WelchFoods, Inc., in Concord, Mass., since 1992.Welch’s is the world’s leading marketer ofConcord and Niagara grape-based products.

Dean Vic Lechtenberg will present theawards at a 9:30 a.m. ceremony in Fowler Hall,Stewart Center, on the Purdue campus. An11 a.m. reception and noon luncheon follows.

For event information or to purchase lunchtickets, contact the Dean’s Office at (765) 494-8392, e-mail: lswift@agad.purdue.edu.

Non-profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPurdue University

What’s N

ewG

raduate first to master P

eace Corps program

by Tom Cam

pbell

In 1968, Dave S

amm

onsw

as a Peace C

orps volunteerassigned to a rem

ote village inthe P

hilippine Islands. Fresh

out of Tufts University in

Boston, S

amm

ons, nowdepartm

ent head ofInternational P

rograms in

Agriculture at P

urdue, was the

first white face m

any of theyoung F

ilipino students hadever seen.

Sam

mons’ m

ere appearanceat the tiny school sent m

any ofthe second-graders running outof the classroom

screaming.

But it w

as nothing personal.T

he children had been warned

a dental missionary had been

sent to the village to pull theirdecayed teeth. To them

,S

amm

ons was a likely

suspect.M

egan Taylor hopes herfirst experience as a P

eace Corps volunteer w

on’t involve screaming children.

Som

etime in S

eptember, Taylor w

ill go to Guatam

ala as the first graduate of Purdue’s new

Peace C

orps Masters P

rogram.

Taylor has been working on her m

aster’s degree since earning her bachelor’s degree in wildlife sciences in 1998. B

ut it seems

she has been preparing for the “go anywhere, do anything” lifestyle of the P

eace Corps all her life.

Born to a m

ilitary family in K

entucky, Taylor attended 10 different schools in 12 years, including stints in Germ

any and Panam

a.

She lived in P

anama betw

een the ages of nine and 12.“I just love C

entral Am

erica,” Taylor says. “The m

usic, the culture, its people, everything about it appeals to me. I w

ould love to

be able to go back down there and w

ork.”A

s an undergraduate, Taylor minored in international program

s in agriculture. Twice (1996 and 1997), she spent 10 w

eeks at

“Peace C

orps” continued on page 3

• Peace Corps returnsgrad to Central America Page 1

• Matt Moudy is nutsabout M&M/Mars Page 8

• Eight to receive Page 11Distinguished Ag Award

What’s inside?

photo provided

photo by Tom C

ampbell

Wo

rld tra

vel is n

oth

ing

ne

w to

Me

ga

n Ta

ylor, a

pe

st ma

na

ge

me

nt sp

ecia

list. In M

ay, sh

e w

ill be

com

eP

urd

ue

’s first gra

du

ate

in th

e P

ea

ce C

orp

s Ma

sters P

rog

ram

.