Getting Involved with Spring!

Happy Spring All!

Even though it is still chilly and there is some snow on the ground, it has officially turned spring. With spring there comes a lot of exciting events on campus like Spring Fest, Ag Week, registration for new classes, housing fairs, and much much more! Something that has happened every spring that I find exciting is our soils judging competition. In the fall this year we won our regional contest and therefore qualified for nationals which took place last week in Martin, Tennessee. 

National soils judging is always new and interesting not only because you get to see new soils and landscapes, but you also meet a lot of other talented students who you may work with in the future. To begin our trip we stopped along many yummy restaurants on our way to Tennessee last weekend. The next day though was all work and focus. From Sunday through Wednesday our group usually had 4-5 practice pits a day to get a feel for what kind of soils we may see in the contest. Although most days treated us well Mother Nature does not always bring warm, sunny skies. We did have to practice in some snow and sleet and other days were sunny and in the 50's. We got to see a lot of variation for my soils nerds out there we saw a lot of fragipans, erosion, coastal plain sediments, loess, and other exciting features.

We participated in the individual contest on Thursday and then got to judge two pits as a group on Friday morning. The hosting college was very efficient and always tried to keep us up-to-date and happy, and their southern hospitality showed through. Friday afternoon we received rewards and results in the Eiffel Tower Park in Paris...... but it was not in France. We are very proud to bring home the plaque for fifth place overall team in the nation. One of my teammates did very well and placed 10th as an individual out of almost 90 students who participated and we are all very proud of Alyssa. 

That was a lot of detail, but I wanted to share my experience with getting involved with something that may lead you down the path of your future career. If nothing else, get involved with something that will push your knowledge and help you gain some great friends along the way! If you are thinking of joining the soils judging team send me and email with ANY questions you have. It is a great group of people to hang out with and learn a lot from. 

Boiler Up!

Dakota Westphal

dwestpha@purdue.edu

Spring Break Missions Trip

Hello Everyone,

Spreading Boilermaker spirit throughout Guatemala

Spring break has come and gone and with only 5 weeks of classes remaining the semester will be over before I know it. This spring break I had a unique opportunity to travel to Guatemala on a mission trip with Filter of Hope and provide rural families with the gift of clean water. I went with about 10 other boilermakers involved in the campus ministry Cru(Campus Crusade for Christ). We had an awesome opportunity to get to know the people of Guatemala and teach them how to use the sustainable water filter. The filters we were distributing work on gravity and if properly cleaned can last for 10 years all while filtering out bacteria, parasites, and other harmful substances that are often present in the water of these communities.

Pedro and his family were thankful for the water filter!

Guatemala is listed as a developing country and it was most evident in the rural villages where we were spreading the filters. The people live off the little money they make from farming and producing clothing products. It was very interesting to see how they farm Avocados, coffee, white corn, tomatoes, and other crops. Guatemala goes through a season of precipitation and then another where it doesn’t rain for months so they must plan their crops according to the rainfall. We met a man who had his own greenhouse operation growing tomato and pepper shoots to sell to larger farms along with the typical maize and avocados. He was very open to sharing about his farm and it was evident the ingenuity he had apart from many other farmers in the area.

This is a trip I will not soon forget as it has really made me think about how blessed we are to live in a country with a blessing of material possessions and peace of mind. The people in these villages rely on their faith and each other to survive and even though they have “nothing” in America’s standards they seemed to have just as much joy. It just goes to show what really matters in life and the importance of supporting one another.

Now I'm onto the final round of midterms and the busy month of April!

God Bless and Boiler Up!

Andrew Chupp

Happy March!!

Hey Friends!

March madness has been quite exciting on Purdue’s campus, unfortunately Purdue was not able to pull it off this year but we had a great run! Sports on campus are a very exciting, especially when we are winning! Attending sporting games is a great way to meet new people and along with supporting our fellow boilers. As a student you are able to purchase a “Boarding Pass” for $99 that gives you guaranteed tickets to ever home football game, the regular season men’s and women’s basketball games, along with volleyball games. This is an incredible deal if you think you will want to attend the different games on campus. One of my favorite things about Purdue is the school sprits on campus. It is so much fun attending games and helping the different teams succeed with our school pride. Incoming students will have the opportunity to purchase a 2018-19 Boarding Pass this May so mark your calendars!!! Hopefully the majority of you reading this have accepted your offer from Purdue and will be here next fall to cheer on our boilers. But for those that are still on the boarder between schools, I wish you the best of luck in your decision process and hope to possibly see you as a fellow boilermaker.

If you have any questions about Purdue’s sports teams or why I love Purdue so much feel free to send me an email at jfibbe@purdue.edu

Update on an Exciting and Busy Semester!

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a great spring break and are looking forward to finishing the year off right! This year I did not travel anywhere special but instead stayed at home and caught up with many different friends and family members. It's always nice to have a break even if you are staying in cold, cold Indiana or travelling somewhere warm! Last year I went to Costa Rica for a study abroad trip and so I was really missing that!

Anyway, this semester has been quite the busy one. I have continued to be involved heavily with Agronomy Club, Agronomy Ambassadors, Collegiate Farm Bureau, Best Buddies, as well as keeping up with homework, friends, and other activities! But it has been manageable. To start things off, I recently applied for a study abroad trip that will take place over winter break (10 days) in Haiti. It is a service learning trip focusing on animals and food security in Haiti. I know quite a few people who have been on the trip and say how awesome it is and how much of a life-changer it is. So, I am definitely looking forward to that!

The Ag Alumni Fish Fry is also another big event that took place back in February. This was my second year participating and helping with it and I loved it just as much as I did last time! Both last year and this year I was on the coffee crew, serving coffee to the people who were coming in. If you ever have the opportunity to help with this event (which I am sure that you will because the College of Ag is always looking for help!) I would highly take it! You get the chance to meet so many different people so the networking opportunities are ENDLESS! You also get to hear from great speakers, see awards handed out, and eat some good food! It's also a great resume builder so again, I would highly suggest it!

Another thing that did go on before spring break was an Ag Panel that the Agronomy Club, ASM, and Collegiate Farm Bureau put on. There were about 5 panelists from different areas in agriculture who talked about agriculture's past, present, and future. It was an awesome opportunity for students to come together and hear different sides of certain topics and to really build networks with the professionals that were present. Hopefully this event continues to take place as I think that it was well organized and highly informational!

This semester I also added a Horticulture minor so those classes are underway right now! As an avid plant collector and grower I thought that this would be the perfect minor for me. I am currently in HORT 101 and HORT 110 (different speakers) which I am absolutely loving as well. If you are looking to add a minor, I would suggest looking at that early on, especially if the minor is not in the College of Ag. Minors that are in the college may be easier to achieve (based on what classes you are taking and which ones you have yet to take) because a lot of the classes carry over to different majors and minors. So again, I am super happy with my choice of the horticulture minor and look forward to seeing where it takes me!

I hope that the semester has gone well for you all as well! I know how hectic the spring semester can be but we are all so close to the end of the year! Make sure to finish out the year strong! Make it a good one!

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me: rober377@purdue.edu
Boiler Up!!

Happy Midterm Season!

Hello Everyone!

I hope the spring semester is treating you all well! First off, congrats to all of the newly admitted Purdue students for next year! As a student ambassador for the Agronomy Department, I was able to call a few of you to see if you have any questions about attending or anything we can help you with. It was exciting to talk to you all and see what you were planning on doing during your college experience. I know a lot of you are waiting on financial aid to come through, and I know how agonizing that wait can be! I will say that the College of Agriculture gives out more scholarship money then the other bigger colleges on campus. We also have a lot of opportunities here for students who want to work in the department when they are not in class.

For the rest of us on campus, this week is very exam heavy, because next week is Spring Break! I am really excited because I will be going on a study abroad trip to Costa Rica with the Associate Dean of Agriculture along with other university staff and over 20 students. We are going to be visiting rural farms and ecotourism destinations while learning about the rich biodiversity of the Costa Rican ecosystem and agriculture. Plus, I get a change to practice my Spanish! Stay tuned for pictures from my trip!

Best of luck to everyone who is deciding on colleges and making those big life decisions. We hope you join us at Purdue. As always, don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the university or student life! Boiler Up and Hammer Down!

Sarah Voglewede
svoglewe@purdue.edu

Scheduling Classes

Hey there everyone,

Hope the semester is coming along great and everybody is ready for spring break. I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about the new and improved method of scheduling classes. Last semester it was implemented that Jane took over as everyone's professional adviser, meaning she has the last call on discussing what we are taking to fit our myPurdue plan, but the excellent opportunity has been put into place for each student to also have a faculty mentor. This is a required meeting, but it gives us the opportunity to speak with a faculty mentor that you previously may not have know and get there opinion and take on classes and direction of study for your upcoming semester. These mentors brings a new perspective on your interest and classes that could help achieve those areas. For example, I was talking with my faculty mentor about the internship I was going to have this upcoming summer and some of the different stuff I was going to be doing, and he brought up a couple classes that would help me improve my skills on understanding mapping and data layers throughout fields. By getting that advise, I will be able to fit those classes that are of interest to me into my schedule next semester and hopefully better myself in an area that may possibly lead to a future job. So, I just wanted to stress how being prepared and taking advantage of your faculty mentor, can lead to great discussions with Jane when it comes to some classes that you personally have interest in and getting them implemented into your semester plan. Hope everyone has a wonderful spring break and a great second part of the semester!

Thanks,
Karson Kamman

The Life of a Princess

Hello All!

Amidst a very busy final semester of my undergraduate career, I have taken on a new role... I am honored to have been selected as one of the 2018 500 Festival Princesses!  I am so thrilled to be representing Indiana and to have the experience of a lifetime interacting with Indiana residents and the 500,000 people that participate in the 500 Festival’s events and programs. While it is exciting being able to walk around the city in a tiara and sash, the responsibilities of a Princess go beyond the outward appearance…

Being a 500 Festival Princess is about being an ambassador for the 500 Festival, the city of Indianapolis, and the entire state.  The 500 Festival is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing life-enriching events and programs that celebrate the spirit and legacy of the Indy 500 and positively impacts the community and state.  Throughout my year as a Princess, I will gain leadership and professional skills by participating in the 500 Festival Leadership Development Program, presented by BKD. The Leadership Development Program includes workshops, a series of speakers, and the opportunity to job shadow professionals in different fields. In addition, I will have the opportunity to network with industry and political figures while making some amazing friendships with fellow Princesses along the way.  I will be paired up with a member of the 500 Festival’s Board of Directors, who will serve as a mentor for me over the coming months. One of the aspects I'm most looking forward to is civic-engagement and getting to serve the greater community.

During the next year, I will spend numerous hours focusing on outreach projects.  In outreaches, I will be able to serve the community through volunteer work, share my experience as a Princess and knowledge regarding the 500 Festival to a wide-range of individuals.  Particularly, I am looking forward to the opportunity to go back to my hometown and giving back to the community that shaped me into the person I am today.

Thus far, I have attended the 2018 500 Festival Princess Program orientation in which I mingled with the other 32 Princesses (all super talented and sweet, by the way, and did I mention the group has a cumulative GPA of 3.72?!) and met 500 Festival staff, members of the Board of Directors and several other business leaders from Indianapolis.  It was such a wonderful weekend hearing words of wisdom and encouragement from Princess Program Alumnae, directors, and corporate sponsors.  This past Thursday, my first official 500 Festival event as a Princess, I took part in the 500 Festival Corporate Member Breakfast, listening to some inspirational speakers share the impact that the 500 Festival has had on them, and speaking with some of the organization's biggest supporters. 

While it may only be March, May will be here before I know it!  I have less than 60 days until May and 100 days before the big Indy 500 race weekend, so I am trying my best to take in every opportunity I can to build meaningful relationships and leave a lasting-impact. 

Kindly,

Hallie