Features
Kat Braz
The Purdue Herbaria

An insider’s look at a university collection so valuable, the professor who built it once stole it back.

The earliest herbarium—a collection of plant samples preserved for scientific study—dates to 16th-century Italy, when the Bologna physician and botanist Luca Ghini (1490–1556) sought to make plant material available to his students in winter when the plants were dead or dormant.

The specimens were flattened between two pieces of paper to remove moisture. Once dried, they were mounted on paper sheets with notations on the plant’s name, where the plant was gathered, and any distinctive features. The pages were bound into volumes to enable transport from one location to another, thus making plant material from faraway places available indefinitely.

The Purdue Herbaria
Features
Kat Braz
A Window into Westwood Manor

The Stewarts at Westwood

Robert Bruce Stewart (HDR M’68), known as R.B., joined the Purdue University staff as controller in 1925. At that time, Purdue enrolled 3,000 students, the physical plant was worth $3 million, and the endowment totaled $340,000.

Stewart, who went on to become the university’s first vice president and treasurer, is credited by many with influencing the character and growth of Purdue University. He spent 36 years building the university both fiscally and physically.

A Window into Westwood Manor
Profiles
Kat Braz
A Story in Stones

Geochemist Marissa Tremblay ’12 analyzes Antarctic rocks to unravel Earth’s climate chronology and predict the planet’s future environment

A geologic field excursion to Death Valley during spring break her first year at Barnard set Marissa Tremblay ’12 on course to becoming a scientist. She entered college intending to pursue a law degree, but stepping foot on that vast, desolate desert landscape marked with sand dunes ignited a curiosity to uncover the stories in stones.

A Story in Stones
Features
Kat Braz
Call of the Wild

50 Years of Wolf Park

Founded by Purdue ethologist Erich Klinghammer in 1972, Wolf Park began as an experiment to study wolf behavior. The pioneering research conducted there over the past 50 years contributed to a better understanding of the apex predator and facilitated its reintroduction into the wild.

Call of the Wild
Profiles
Kat Braz
Come From Away

Twenty Years After 9/11 Longhorn Reflects on the Unexpected Detour—and the Subsequent Broadway Show—that Altered His Life’s Trajectory

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Kevin Tuerff and his then-partner, also named Kevin, were on an Air France flight bound for New York City. The couple had just wrapped up a European vacation and they were eager to get home. A sudden drop in elevation over the Atlantic Ocean was the first sign that something was amiss. Then came an announcement from the cockpit.

Come From Away

A Timeless Design

A Timeless Design

How Matt Bliss turned a family tradition into Modern Christmas Trees

As a child, Matt Bliss ’98 relished celebrating the holidays at his grandparents’ Broomfield, Colorado, home where the Christmas tree was anything but ordinary. Bliss’s grandfather, Lawrence Stoecker, designed his own tree, an artful cascade of concentric rings that hung from the ceiling.

He crafted the first model from cardboard in 1966 before experimenting with a second version made from Masonite and eventually settling on Plexiglas as the favored material. For five-year-old Bliss, his grandfather’s acrylic tree was a thing of wonder and a hallmark of the Mid-century Modern design aesthetic Bliss would grow to love.

The Future of Edge Computing

The Future of Edge Computing

High capacity batteries key to evolving autonomous systems

Cloud computing supports a vast array of information and systems every day. Whether it’s Google, social media or file storage, billions of people rely on the internet to stay connected. When that connection is interrupted, it causes inconvenience for the average user. However, if autonomous systems were to rely solely on cloud computing, maintaining a connection could mean the difference between safe operation and disaster. Imagine a self-driving car that required a stable cellular connection to avoid collision.

Running the Show

Running the Show

Hustle and grit refine setter Hayley Bush’s standout performance

Moving from a hometown with a population roughly one-third the size of Purdue’s student enrollment required some getting used to for Hayley Bush, a junior in the College of Agriculture. The sense of family and familiarity of the landscape attracted her to West Lafayette.

Major Player

Major Player

Tyler Duncan nabs first PGA Tour title, realizing childhood dream

Tyler Duncan (M’12) swung his first golf club at 6 years old.

“My grandpa built clubs at the local golf course,” says the Columbia,Indiana, native. “He would just cut off a 3-wood, an 8-iron, and a putter, and I would just ride around on the golf cart and hit some shots with my grandparents.”

My View from Seven Feet

My View from Seven Feet

Boilermaker basketball star-turned-artist Joe Barry Carroll explores his roots and shares his perspective on growing up in the impoverished South and traveling the world with the NBA through large-scale paintings that befit his imposing stature.

Joe Barry Carroll can’t answer the phone. His fingers are covered in paint.

When he calls back an hour later, his baritone voice exudes warmth. Carroll (M’80) grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Although he graduated high school in Denver, Colorado, he’s called Atlanta, Georgia, home since retiring from the NBA in 1991. There, he built a successful career as an investment adviser.

Lt. Bardach Comes Home

Lt. Bardach Comes Home

Remains of soldier killed in Vietnam return to Indiana after 51 years

Ann (Bardach) Vollmar (LA’67) will never forget the cold January day in 1968 when an army captain from Fort Harrison knocked on the door of her family’s Westfield, Indiana, home. Her father was away in New York City for business, and her mother was still at work in downtown Indianapolis. Vollmar was home alone with her younger brother, and the two of them knew the captain’s visit must be related to their oldest brother, 1st Lt. Alan Bardach (M’66), who was fighting in Vietnam.

An Internal Drive

An Internal Drive

Alumnae share their roads to success at KAR

Robin Leslie (T’84) doesn’t think of herself as a trailblazer. But when she enrolled in computer information technology at Purdue, the department was in its infancy. She was one of few women in the major — and one of few students of color.

“It was a new field,” Leslie says. “Not very many people looked like me. I just focused on my work and what I needed to learn. I knew I wanted to work in information technology (IT) for the rest of my life.”

For Love of Family

For Love of Family

Tight-knit bonds formed among wrestlers leave lifelong impact

Dylan Lydy (HHS’19) came to college to wrestle. The fact that he also fell in love with his major was incidental. As a 21st Century Scholar, Lydy never had to worry about securing scholarship assistance as an undergraduate. The program covers up to four years of tuition. Lydy graduated with a degree in physical education in May. Now, his athletic scholarship is covering a fifth year, which he is using to pursue a master’s in sports and recreational management.