“My grandfather said if you study engineering you can do anything you want. Engineers are innovators, and innovators understand how to read the future,” Howard added. “And I think he was right. That course of study is what prepared me for my own entrepreneurial undertakings.”

“Bovine respiratory disease is a complex syndrome with multiple infectious agents, including bacteria and viruses,” Verma said. “And the emergence of antibiotic resistance has definitely complicated this issue. But I feel confident we can develop biosensors that can be used in the field that determine which pathogen is present. Biosensors are low-cost and user-friendly. Since our biosensors incorporate most of the complexity within the device, users will require minimal training. With support from FFAR and our industrial partners we will be able to create a diagnostic solution that will reduce losses, improve productivity and reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.”

Serving as Purdue campus director for ASPIRE and leader of the Adoption research thrust will be Nadia Gkritza, professor of civil engineering and agricultural and biological engineering — a prominent expert and innovator in transportation energy and sustainability, including electrified vehicle infrastructure.

“The College of Agriculture celebrates the number one ranking our graduate agricultural and biological engineering program has earned. I thank the dedicated faculty and staff members, led by Nate Mosier, for their commitment to graduate education and for their advancement of innovative and globally-renowned research,” said Karen Plaut, Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.

“This directly measures whether a cell is pathogenic,” Ladisch said. “If the cells are not pathogenic, the Doppler signal doesn’t change. If they are, the Doppler signal changes quite significantly. Then you can use other methods to identify what the pathogen is. This is a quick way to tell friend from foe.”