Summer Internship

As we've settled into the spring semester, I can't help but get more and more excited as the summer drawers near.  This summer, I will be working for Dow AgroSciences in Fowler, IN.  I will be working as a corn breeding intern, with a group of other interns, leading pollination groups and conducting field experiments.  What's really great about the Fowler location is that I'll be able to live on campus and still be close to all of the happenings at Purdue University during the summer!  Not only am I excited to work in the field and get more hands-on-work experience, I'm also very much looking forward to conducting my own project at the end of my internship term.


One of the things that I love most about the Dow AgroSciences company is their commitment to innovation through advanced agricultural technologies.  World hunger has always been an issue that is really close to my heart, and I am so excited to work for a company that's passionate about finding solutions.  Dow focuses a lot of their work on finding better ways to feed the world and improve life across the globe.



I am ever grateful for the opportunities the Purdue Agronomy department has given me.  With the huge College of Agriculture Career Fair, getting hands-on work experience on campus, and taking courses with world-renowned faculty, I know I would not be where I am today without Purdue Agronomy.  There has never been a better time to get into the agronomy field, with all its job opportunities and ways to make a difference in the world we live in!

And the Spring Semester Begins!

Hello everyone!

Once again the we are back in full swing here at Purdue for the spring semester. I cannot believe this is the second semester of my junior year! It seems that winter came back with all of the returning students from break. The days have been quite cold and chilly walking to class. However, with the beginning of the semester comes many opportunities for students.

Me, Tiffany, and Claire at the basketball game.
My best friends since Freshmen year. 

Mackey Arena!

In the spring several clubs have call outs, new intramural sports begin, Purdue basketball games are being played, and several more wonderful opportunities are taking place on campus. Since being back this semester I was able to go to a Men's basketball game with a few of my closest friends that I met here my freshmen at Purdue. I also attended a free Night Train swing dancing lesson and the club callout for the Student Chapter of Environmental Education. I am on my Cooperative House's intramural soccer team, and this weekend my house is preparing for our spring rush event to meet all of the new potential incoming girls to live in Ann Tweedale with us.

Ladies of Ann Tweedale Cooperative House. 

Being involved in extracurricular activities both in and outside your major are great additions to your college experience. It is a great way to meet friends and get involved. You can also use them to build your resume and get leadership experience. Being involved with activities outside of class helps students learn to manage their time. I love being involved, making new friends, and having fun. Purdue has endless opportunities, so make sure to take advantage of them while you are here.

All the best,

Roni

Veronica Yager

Purdue: Take Two

Hi everybody, and welcome back to the second, spring semester here at Purdue! I hope everyone had a relaxing break, and is ready to start this new semester! Just a little recap on who I am again for those who do not know, my name is Gina Zaccagnini and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am a sophomore here at Purdue studying Natural Resources and Environmental Science, with two minors in Environmental Sustainability and Environmental Policy. The NRES program has numerous options that one can choose from as to which concentration that one would like to focus on. For me, I chose Water Quality; however, there are several other options such as Air Quality, Emerging Environmental Issues, Land/Soil, and Policy! It's a great program, just as any other program that is offered at Purdue, to be involved in! I am taking 17 credit hours this semester; however, since I am also participating in the 2016 Spring Break Study Abroad trip to Cartagena, Colombia this upcoming March, I am hopefully going to earn 19 credit hours after this semester has ended.
I have a small little message for the prospective students, however... I hope you all have heard good news back from whatever college(s) you have applied for... (Hopefully heard some great news from Purdue), and I want to say that if you have made the fantastic decision on joining the College of Agriculture's team here at Purdue, well, welcome home! I promise you that coming to Purdue will change your life in a positive way, and I ensure you that this University has amazing things in store for everyone who attends. On that note, I wish everyone a great rest of the week, and a great start to 2016!

Stay Warm & All the Best,

Gina

New kid on the blog!

Hi all!  My name is Cory Bowman and I'm in my final semester studying Agronomy.  I grew up near Goshen, IN and transferred to Purdue for my junior year, after completing my first two years of college at a small Christian college in central Kansas.  I jumped right in when I came to Purdue and it has been a great place for me to learn and grow!  Right off the bat, I joined the Agronomy club and developed  some great friendships through that.  I served as the Vice President for the Agronomy club then from December 14 through December 15.  To all of you considering studying Agronomy at Purdue, I highly recommend getting involved in the Agronomy Club!

Another big aspect of my Purdue experience has been work opportunities provided here in the Agronomy Department.  During my time here at Purdue, I have tutored 3 semesters for the introductory soil science course, worked the summer of 2015 at the Purdue Diagnostic Training Center, soil sampled with grad students, TA'ed for a forage management course, and worked for a local grain farmer.

This semester has started off well!  I am enrolled in 15 credit hours and set to graduate in May.  My schedule has worked out well in that I only have lectures Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, leaving Tuesday and Thursday open to work or study.  Since I live off-campus this works well, but I'll say my brain is just about full come 4:30 after 5 lectures in a day.

Take care this snowy, January Wednesday!

Final Countdown-Senior Year!

After finishing my last first week of classes as an undergrad, I can’t help but reflect on the classes that have helped sculpt me over the past 3 and a half years. Fortunately, I was able to intertwine some electives to add some “fun” to my senior year. During the fall semester, I was able to take a flower arranging class (HORT 360). The class is actually pretty competitive to get into! Fortunately, for students in the College of Agriculture, we get priority in enrolling into the class. The instructor is charismatic and the class is interesting. This class is worthwhile, even though it may not be in your major field of study. During my time in flower arranging, I was able to learn about the dynamics that play into the flower industry. If you’re a flower lover, the instructor also gives tips and tricks on how to save money when buying flowers! For being a science major, it was nice to be able to create something with my hands and incorporate creativity into my studies. Our labs consisted of making corsages, vase arrangements, wreaths, foam arrangements, and much more! I had a great time in the class and encourage anyone who has the time to take to definitely do! Switching to this semester, I have also had the opportunity to take the history of Rock and Roll (HIST 371); this is another great class on Purdue’s campus. From my one week of class, the instructor reels you in and grabs your attention. I’ve enjoyed the classes I’ve been able to taken within the NRES field, and it’s been great to be able to take other classes in order to make myself well-rounded. 

Boiler up!

Nicole Smith

The Start of A New Semester

Hi everyone!

It's crazy to think that 2015 has passed and I'm into my 2nd semester as a junior here at Purdue! As I think back to 2015, I had a large amount of opportunity and I thought I would share with you some of my favorite things from 2015.

Agronomy Club members on
CHS Field in Minneapolis, MN

Travel! In 2015 I had the opportunity to travel to Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and live in Minnesota. One of the biggest challenges of 2015 was spending 3 months living in Minnesota! As an individual who doesn't travel much (I had only traveled out of Indiana for less than a week) this was a huge opportunity for myself to grow, meet new people and see other parts of the United States. While inMinnesota, although it's only 700 miles from my hometown in Indiana, there was a big culture change from my typical country life to living in the city. Some of my friends say I even picked up an accent while I was there! Although experiencing a new state was great, I have to say Indiana will always have my heart. This semester I am extremely excited to be traveling to Ireland and also Texas!

Penelope loved playing in
the Purdue fall leaves! 

My next favorite thing from my fall semester was getting a new pet! The hours spent in class and studying can get pretty stressful, so I decided to get something to relax and play with when I get home. After wanting one for nearly 3 years, I finally got a pet hedgehog! Her name is Penelope and she's had her visits to the Agronomy department and I even took her to class with me a time or two.

As this semester is kicking into full swing, I look forward to sharing my experiences of 2016. This year I am the Agronomy Club president, so I'm ready to see what this semester has in store for the club as we plan to travel to SASES meetings! I am also participating in a study abroad trip in Ireland and I'll be sure to update on the trip!

Until next time,
                                             Kerri Swingley

Out with the old, in with the new!

Wow!  With sorority life, working in Dr. Weil's lab, staying busy with extracurriculars, and of course, studying for classes, this semester flew by!  While many people were ready to bring on 2016 and forget the past, I first want to reflect on some amazing opportunities and memories 2015 gave me...

My sister Samm and I rang
in the New Year at The Ohio State
University.

First and foremost, 2015 literally brought me some of the best friendships of my life.  During my spring semester as a freshman, I began to get closer to girls in my sorority house.  I also had the great fortune of traveling the country throughout the year to see them.  This summer, I visited my sister Jess in Philadelphia- my first time anywhere remotely near the east coast!  For New Years, I took a trip to Columbus, OH to visit another sister, Samm, and I had a blast meeting her hometown friends and older sister.  Regarding sorority life, they always say, "from the outside looking in, you can never understand it.  And from the inside looking out, you can never explain it."  I fully believe this quote applies to my experience with my sorority sisters. It's hard to put into words what an amazing bond we share.  We've grown so close, and I'm so blessed to surround myself with individuals who are always there for me- both in good times and in bad.

Next, I was very excited to start working for a professor at Purdue!  This past fall, I started working for Dr. Cliff Weil, who also taught my genetics class.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to gain connections with other students and faculty in my department, as well as increasing my hands-on-experience and gaining a better understanding of plant genetics concepts.  I'm very much looking forward to going back to school so I can start working in the lab again.

My friends and I saw Passion Pit
live in Columbus, OH.

Throughout the school year, even though I was in Lafayette, I was still fortunate to keep in touch with friends from home.  My friends and I have a lot in common when it comes to our taste in music so we traveled a lot, attending many concerts- from St. Louis to Columbus, OH, to Chicago!

While my genetics lab and genetics lecture classes weren't the easiest, I feel so blessed in knowing how confident I am in my major.  In my genetics lab course, I was able to physically clone DNA and familiarize myself with processes used in genetics labs, like PCR.  It may not have been easy to learn at first, but in my genetics lecture course, I really enjoyed learning how to incorporate statistics into genetics problems, such as finding chi square values.  Genetics lab and genetics lecture not only increased my knowledge on the subject of genetics as a whole, but they increased my enthusiasm and appreciation for my field of study.

This is a view of Lake Barkley from
where we stayed. 

This winter break was a blast! I was so fortunate to visit my family in Kentucky, not once, but twice for Christmas festivities! We even started a new Christmas tradition.  From now on, each year, we hope to travel to a different part of the country for Christmas.  This year, we spent it at Kentucky Dam Village, but next year, we're thinking Gulf Shores, AL might be a possibility.




With such a great year behind me, I'm ready to have an even better 2016!  I'm looking forward to my classes this semester, and I cannot wait to see what opportunities the new year brings.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2016!! We are super excited here at Purdue Agronomy to kick off another year of learning, discovering, and growing. I have a great deal of exciting things ahead of me in 2016. I will be starting a job in a Weed Science lab next week. This is an exciting opportunity to learn about research and develop my skills in science. I will continue cheering on the sidelines for the Purdue Basketball teams. We have another semester of classes to begin and finish. And finally, I will be planning a wedding this year! Over Christmas break I got engaged at the Agriculture Administration Building on campus. 
Purdue Agriculture brings many blessings to students, and sometimes even brings soulmates together. I met my future husband through the College of Agriculture almost three years ago at the Ag Admin building.
2016 will also bring along another summer internship. This coming summer I will be working for Syngenta in their local Grow More Sites in northern Indiana. I am looking forward to applying the things I learn in class, my research job, my previous internships, and extracurricular activities to my future.
We will be welcoming the Class of 2020 to Purdue in the fall. We are so excited to get new Boilermakers in Agronomy and NRES, help them develop here at Purdue, and welcome them to get involved on campus.
2016 will be a great year for all Boilermakers future, past, and present!

Christy

    1 More Down, 1 More to Go!

    It catches me off guard every time I think that this coming semester will be my last - the past 3 years here have sure flown by, and this semester was no exception!  Between classes, midterms, and an awesome job, I've had a really great time serving on different leadership committees and have still had time to go on adventures, spending time with those I've shared my Purdue experience with.  This semester I got the really cool experience to act as an on-campus club advisor, allowing me to see the other side, or "behind-the-scenes," of what our clubs here offer.  Working directly with students and watching as their leadership experience is continuing to grow has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had at Purdue.  

This coming semester is going to be one for the books!  The job opportunities that Purdue has offered me have landed me a cool position as a supervisor where I'll interact with a diverse student body on a daily basis and do what I can to help improve our community so that everyone has the best Purdue experience possible.  In addition, the deadlines for graduate school applications are approaching fast!  While stressful piled on top of my regular coursework, I'm so excited and grateful for this opportunity I am taking to further my education and expand my knowledge.  I've gained such a great foundation from the Agronomy Department for the next years of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful!

  Stephanie Leeth