HOME

TURF TIPS

PUBLICATIONS

ACADEMICS

TURF LINKS

TURF ALUMNI NEWS January 2003

PURDUE RECEPTION IN ATLANTA AT THE GCSAA CONFERENCE

The Purdue Alumni and Friends Reception will be Thursday, February 13 in the Embassy Suites Hotel from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Salon.  Dean Vic Lechtenberg will be joining the group for the evening as well as Donya Lester, Executive Secretary of the Purdue Ag Alumni Association.  For more information call Bret Rush at 765-494-4785.

TURF STUDENTS HEADING TO ATLANTA

Students from Purdue participated in last year's GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl Competition.  For the first time the students worked in teams of up to four to complete an exam featuring seven sections, including turf, weed, seed, insect and soil identification and mathematics.  Despite a lack of prior experience, students placed fourth out of 58 teams from across the world and were just four points away from a second place finish.  After the competition students received a whole host of congratulations and were overwhelmed with the support from alumni.  Students have been preparing for this year's competition by studying weekly since August.  Their hope is to capture the top finish at the 2003 competition.  Eleven students will be representing Purdue this year including Russ Apple, Todd Armbruster, Jonathan Baker, Steven Biehl, Josh Cage, J.D. Cash, Maureen Clark, Christi Craven, Andy Eick, Cliff Meyer, and Adam Peercy.

CALE BIGELOW JOINS TURF TEAM

Cale Bigelow comes to Purdue University after spending most of his life in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. He brings with him a variety of technical and scientific turfgrass skills. He earned his B.S. and M.S. at Virginia Tech in Turfgrass Science. While in graduate school at Virginia Tech he researched methods to introduce newer cultivars of creeping bentgrass into established turf using plant growth regulators. Additionally, he conducted applied research on biostimulant products for golf turf. Following a two year stint as an assistant golf course superintendent outside Washington D.C., he returned to pursue his Ph.D. at North Carolina State University. It was there that he worked on a USGA project entitled New Materials and Technologies for Putting Green Construction and Maintenance. During this project he gained valuable scientific knowledge regarding synthetic rootzone construction, and their physical, nutritional, and biological properties. Most recently, he finished a post-doctoral study with noted plant pathologist, Peter Dernoeden, at the University of Maryland. During this study Cale conducted applied field trials for weed and disease control in fine turf. The major emphasis of his study was the initiation of a large field study to determine the effects of irrigation frequency on dollar spot and gray leaf spot incidence and severity in golf course fairway turf. In his position at Purdue, Cale will be mostly concentrating on the undergraduate Turfgrass Science teaching program and advising students. However, he will also be conducting applied research in the area of turfgrass soils and plant nutrition. Cale brings his wife, Ashley, two young children 4 and 2, and a family dog named “Links” to W. Lafayette.

RECENT GRADUATES

May 2002

Bachelor of Science Degree

December 2002

Bachelor of Science Degree

TURF SCHOLARSHIPS

EXPO 2003

The 2003 Midwest Turf Expo was held Jan. 6-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Over 1600 professionals attended workshops and educational sessions covering all areas of turf, parks, and recreation industries . The sold-out tradeshow consisted of over 100 companies exhibiting in 180 booths displaying turf equipment and products. The Turf Expo is sponsored by the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation (MRTF) and the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association (IPRA). At the Expo, the MRTF presented $210,000 the Purdue University Department of Agronomy for support of the turfgrass research and education,  Next year's Turf Expo will be held January 27-29 in Indianapolis.  Please contact Beverly Bratton at 765-494-8039 .

GWEN DANIEL RECEIVES DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Gwen Daniel was given the 2003 Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given by the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation. The award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the turf industry of Indiana.  Gwen is certainly deserving of this award because of her constant support of the Turf Program, its students, and the Industry.  The Turf Program congratulates Gwen and thanks her and her family for their constant support.

HOME

TURF TIPS

PUBLICATIONS

ACADEMICS

TURF LINKS

Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to biehlj@purdue.edu