“We’ve shown that our nanocarriers, at least in another plant system, can get into the phloem and down to the roots. If we make our nanocarriers encapsulate an antibiotic that will kill this disease, then put them on the leaves of a tree. We think they’ll go inside the tree, down the phloem to the roots and they’ll release their antibiotic drug along the way. Maybe it can kill all the bacteria and maybe it can cure the disease,” Ristroph said.

The goal in agriculture is similar, says Kurt Ristroph, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering. “If you can improve the utilization efficiency of these agrochemicals, maybe you can apply less mass and get the same protective quality.”

Kingsly Ambrose, Purdue University professor of agricultural and biological engineering and report author, said that despite the increase in explosions from the previous year and 18 total injuries this year, no fatalities were reported.

The technology uses biosensor technology to detect DNA from Bacteroidales, a fecal microorganism found in swine, poultry and cattle, as a marker for the contamination of fresh produce.

Klein Ileleji, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, is leading a team of faculty across six universities to develop a master’s level program alongside co-principal investigator Kingsly Ambrose, professor of agricultural and biological engineering to pool faculty expertise, courses and institutional resources in one or more aspects of the grain value chain to develop a master’s level curriculum in grain value chain.

The team says polystyrene currently encompasses 30% of U.S. landfills and does not decompose. StyroSoy, they posit, could significantly reduce the final disposal of polystyrene.

This invitation comes a year after Chaterji won the NSF CAREER award for her project (Sirius) on streaming analytics for the Internet of Small Things (IoST).

“The sense of giving back and helping the community is one of the riches I count. Seeing and feeling the smile and contentment after every event is so fulfilling to me,” said Alka. Alka is the Community Team Chair for the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG).

Professor Shawn Ehlers and courtesy Professor Laura Bowling were among those recognized.

Keesling is a master's degree student in Biological Engineering.