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 Boon to Man's Best Friend

A Boon to Man's Best Friend

New genetic testing available through ADDL will help dog breeders eliminate specific diseases

Research findings by genetic scientists in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine have the power to eradicate specific genetic diseases within certain dog breeds. Testing for the genetic mutations will be offered by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) at Purdue. As the first such tests offered to the general public for three new canine genetic diseases, these screenings will enable breeders to identify which dogs are carriers for a disease and could possibly pass it on to offspring. By ensuring two carriers are not bred together, the disease can be halted before it spreads throughout the breed.

A Story in Stones

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.

Boosting Brown Fat to Combat Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Treatment in development by Adipo Therapeutics holds promise for millions who struggle with weight loss and blood glucose control

Eat less. Exercise more. It sounds so simple. But if it were that simple, America wouldn’t be facing the dual epidemics of obesity and diabetes.

Adipo Therapeutics, a Purdue Research Foundation-backed startup, is developing a unique treatment approach that turns bad fat into good fat. This disruptive nanotherapeutic delivery could provide a safe and effective way to treat obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Offering Careful Counsel

Longtime diplomat and educator Patrick Mendis retains strong ties to Minnesota.

With humility and gratitude, Patrick Mendis (M.A. ’86, Ph.D. ’89) has embraced adventure, defied a prophecy, and charted his own course through life. 

Mendis says a horoscope reading when he was an infant said he wouldn’t live past his first birthday. His mother, a Sinhalese Buddhist traditionalist, heeded the scholarly monk’s warning to raise her son outside the home, sending him to live with his Catholic paternal grandparents in rural Sri Lanka when he was 7 months old. His grandparents told him he was adopted, and that they found him under a banyan tree.

A Holistic Approach

A Holistic Approach

Enhancing Well-being and Boosting Productivity in Dairy Cows

Indiana is home to more than 800 dairy farms, generating an average of nearly $700 million in direct farm income annually, according to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. The average dairy cow produces around 2,320 gallons of milk per year, but metabolic disorders can affect that output as well as animal well-being.

Improving Food Safety

Improving Food Safety

Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories Aim to Develop Portable Toxin and Pathogen Detection Device

An estimated 48 million people in the United States experience foodborne illness each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 128,000 cases require hospitalization and 3,000 result in death. A 2010 report published by the Produce Safety Project estimated that foodborne illnesses cost $152 billion in medical expenses, lost productivity and business, lawsuits and compromised branding.

A Solid Foundation for the Future

A Solid Foundation for the Future

Donation of House Honors Al Altschaeffl, who Contributed to Many Iconic Campus Structures

What do Mackey Arena, Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, the Bell Tower and the Gateway to the Future arch have in common? They are among the more than 170 building projects across campus with soil foundations designed by Al Altschaeffl (BSCE 1952, MSCE 1955 PhD 1960), a professor of civil engineer-ing with expertise in geotechnical engineering who continued to consult on projects following his retirement from the University in 2000.

Making a Diagnostic Difference

Making a Diagnostic Difference

First-of-its-kind Vector-borne Disease Panel Screens for 22 Different Pathogens in a Single Test

A diagnostic panel developed by researchers in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine will enable its Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) to screen for 22 different vector-borne pathogens in a single test. The panel, designed to be used on cats and dogs, is the only test of its kind and now is available to clients of the ADDL.