PURDUE NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEEK OF FEB. 26-MARCH 2 This digest contains summaries of the following stories from Purdue News Service and Agricultural Communication Service. All these stories, and more, are available on the World Wide Web at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html3month/3month.html (Instructions for retrieving stories and photographs via the Internet are at the end of this document.) 1. Zebrafish could become genetics 'lab rat' of choice 2. Genetic map of all plants, animals is goal of genomics 3. Engineers will demonstrate new system to prevent power failures 4. Purdue schools share $1.6 million Lilly gift 5. NCAA helps promote responsible alcohol use on Purdue campus 6. Youths experience college through Purdue ag programs 7. Purdue to observe Severe Weather Awareness Week 8. Purdue experts: Preventative efforts keeping mad cow disease out 9. Seminar to help farmers who live next door to the city 10. Alfalfa performance trials deliver more yield to producers 11. Use it and lose it? Nitrogen fertilizers vary in soil activity 12. Corn fungus a deadly threat to crop and man 13. New Web site offers news stories, extension pubs on ag topics 14. Purdue Galleries present faculty exhibit, ceramic exchange 15. Purdue police arrest former student for thefts from Sports Center 16. Purdue calendar 17. Agriculture calendar 18. Best Bets for Journalists 19. Plant Genomics Experts 20. Inside Purdue and Perspective ------------------------------------- RESEARCH NEWS AND SPECIAL REPORTS ------------------------------------- 1. ZEBRAFISH COULD BECOME GENETICS 'LAB RAT' OF CHOICE In the post-genomic world, the lowly zebrafish may be king. Scientists at Purdue University have developed a technique that allows zebrafish to pass genetic modifications to its offspring. The discovery will lead to researchers being able to study genes and proteins in a less expensive way. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/010302.Collodi.zebrafish.html 2. GENETIC MAP OF ALL PLANTS, ANIMALS IS GOAL OF GENOMICS Just as explorers such as Columbus, Magellan and Cortez brought rapid change to the understanding of the earth, a new field of biology promises to bring great and fast strides into the understanding of living organisms. The new area of study, genomics, focuses on understanding the genes of living organisms: first by mapping out the structure of all of the individual genes of the organisms, and then by figuring out what all of those thousands of genes actually do. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/010212.Woodson.genomics.html 3. ENGINEERS WILL DEMONSTRATE NEW SYSTEM TO PREVENT POWER FAILURES A team of engineers led by a Purdue researcher will demonstrate a new system in April that aims to avert power failures by automatically adapting to the daily fluctuations in electricity consumption. The system might be especially helpful in easing problems associated with electricity shortages and utility deregulation. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/010302.Tsoukalas.powergrid.html ------------------------ GENERAL INTEREST NEWS ------------------------ 4. PURDUE SCHOOLS SHARE $1.6 MILLION LILLY GIFT Purdue schools will share a five-year $1.6 million gift from Eli Lilly and Company for educational technology, scholarships, diversity, faculty support and buildings. ''Lilly has long been one of Purdue's most valued and generous corporate partners,'' said Purdue President Martin C. Jischke. ''Lilly's continued support of our research and educational efforts represents corporate citizenship and leadership at its highest level. Thousands of students will benefit from Lilly's latest generous contribution.'' http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010226.Lilly.gift.html 5. NCAA HELPS PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE ALCOHOL USE ON PURDUE CAMPUS Purdue's Student Wellness Office and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics are teaming up with the National Collegiate Athletic Association to help students learn about alcohol abuse. ''Your Choice'' is one of 10 university programs funded by a three-year NCAA grant as part of the NCAA CHOICES program. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Loew.choice.html 6. YOUTHS EXPERIENCE COLLEGE THROUGH PURDUE AG PROGRAMS Purdue's School of Agriculture is offering students in grades seven through 11 the chance to be college students for a day. Two programs, Project Future and Project Now, will be Saturday, April 7, in conjunction with Spring Fest. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Welch.agprogram.html 7. PURDUE TO OBSERVE SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK Purdue safety officials announced today (3/2) that the university is joining with Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon and Tippecanoe County by proclaiming next week (3/4-3/10) as ''Severe Weather Awareness Week.'' http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Cooper.tornado.html -------------------- AGRICULTURAL NEWS -------------------- 8. PURDUE EXPERTS: PREVENTATIVE EFFORTS KEEPING MAD COW DISEASE OUT Purdue experts say feed monitoring and examination of suspect cattle are taking place in Indiana to prevent mad cow disease from becoming a problem here. Recently, meat and bone meal from cattle made its way into cattle feed in Texas. Simon Kenyon, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian, says this has triggered much public discussion about the risks of the disease. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010228.Kenyon.cow.html 9. SEMINAR TO HELP FARMERS WHO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO THE CITY As urban areas grow, they're extending into rural Indiana. The urbanization of Hoosier farm country can create problems and special challenges for farmers. Those issues will be examined at a seminar sponsored by the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service Allen County office, Purdue's Agricultural Economics Department and the Purdue Land Use Team. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Moll.seminar.html 10. ALFALFA PERFORMANCE TRIALS DELIVER MORE YIELD TO PRODUCERS Forage producers can reap the benefits from Purdue alfalfa variety performance trials. And the good news is there will be no additional production cost. Purdue agronomists have tracked the yield of more than 100 alfalfa varieties over the past four years. Cumulative yield data from the seeding year and three production years indicate there are alfalfa varieties that do outperform others. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Johnson.alfalfa.html 11. USE IT AND LOSE IT? NITROGEN FERTILIZERS VARY IN SOIL ACTIVITY Corn plants aren't picky when it comes to nitrogen - they'll take it from whatever source is available. Farmers need to be a bit more discriminating, however, before they choose and apply fertilizer to their corn crop, say two Purdue agronomists. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Nielsen.nitrogen.html 12. CORN FUNGUS A DEADLY THREAT TO CROP AND MAN A fungus that attacks corn threatens more than just the crop itself. Diplodia ear rot can create dangerous working conditions for farmers trying to remove infected corn from storage facilities. Farmers can be injured or killed attempting to break up clumps of moldy grain blocking unloading equipment in grain bins, says Doug Kingman, Purdue Cooperative Extension Service farm safety specialist. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/010112.Kingman.entrapment.html 13. NEW WEB SITE OFFERS NEWS STORIES, EXTENSION PUBS ON AG TOPICS A new Purdue Web site provides news and information on hot topics in agriculture. ''Backgrounders'' offers information on nine subject areas. Each of the topic sites provides an archive of past Purdue news stories, a list of Purdue experts on the subject, links to related online Purdue extension publications and links to other online resources. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/0102.T.Tally.backgrounders.html ------------------------------- ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT ITEMS ------------------------------- 14. PURDUE GALLERIES PRESENT FACULTY EXHIBIT, CERAMIC EXCHANGE The Purdue Galleries will present two exhibitions, ''New Art/New Design'' and ''Fatti d¹Argilla/Made in Clay,'' from March 19 through April 29. The exhibits feature artwork by members of the art and design faculty of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and ceramic objects crafted by members of the Italian group Rasna and the Purdue Ceramics Alliance. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Martin.galleries.html ---------------------- MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ---------------------- 15. PURDUE POLICE ARREST FORMER STUDENT FOR THEFTS FROM SPORTS CENTER Purdue University police on Thursday (3/1) arrested a former student on fraud, theft and drug-related charges. Detective Stan Wallace arrested Robert Edward Gray, 19, 812 Brown Street, Lafayette, after observing Gray allegedly committing thefts at the Recreational Sports Center. Gray was employed by the center from Jan. 24 through May 7, 2000. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010301.Fosnaugh.theft2.html 16. PURDUE CALENDAR http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Calendar.html This calendar lists entertainment events, lectures and meetings involving Purdue people during the next month. An online calendar of Purdue events is at http://www.purdue.edu/calendar/ 17. AGRICULTURE CALENDAR This calendar lists Purdue Agriculture events during the next four weeks. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Ag.cal.html 18. BEST BETS FOR JOURNALISTS -- Purdue ag students to spend break building desks in Costa Rica http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html3month/010302.Best.bets.html 19. Plant Genomics Experts http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/expertlists/Plant.genomics.experts.html 20. Inside Purdue and Perspective Check the online versions of Inside Purdue, the faculty/staff newspaper, and Perspective, a quarterly publication for alumni, parents of students, faculty and staff, for other news about Purdue, at http://www.purdue.edu/PER/Periodicals.html. HOW TO RETRIEVE STORIES AND PHOTOGRAPHS ELECTRONICALLY Releases, publication-quality photographs, and a searchable database of Purdue and Big 10 experts are available at the PurdueNews Web site at http://news.uns.purdue.edu. Faculty and staff may register as experts at the Web site. Publication-quality photos also are available at the PurdueNews ftp site at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/. 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