Past News
The Nexus Institute researcher Haley Oliver, receives the Corinne Alexander Spirit of the Land-Grant Mission Award
November 4, 2019
The Arequipa Nexus Institute researcher and Purdue Associate Professor of food science, Haley Olivier, received this month the 2019 Corinne Alexander Spirit of the land-Grant Mission Award for her innovative work in the food science field. This award was named in honor of Corinne Alexander a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and recognizes faculty members in the Colleges of Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Health and Human Sciences working across all three land-grant mission areas. Dr. Oliver is Co-Pi in the Nexus project: : “Development of training in Good Agricultural Practices and Food Handling for food producers and processors in Arequipa” with Purdue Professor Amanda Deering, College of Agriculture, Peru in partnership with the Universidad of San Augustin (UNSA). The project has the goal to understand the current agricultural and food processing conditions in the Arequipa region and to improve food safety issues through an education program for growers and food processors/handlers. The Purdue and UNSA Nexus group recently conducted a workshop for farmers in the Arequipa region about agricultural and manufacturing practices in crop management, storing and management.
The Nexus Institute researcher Haley Oliver, receives the Corinne Alexander Spirit of the Land-Grant Mission Award
NEXUS Institute Researcher Chad Jafvert is honored at the Fourth Annual Distinguished and Named Professorship Ceremony
November 4, 2019
The Arequipa Nexus Institute researcher and Purdue Professor of Civil Engineering, Chad Jafvert, was honored at the Fourth Annual Distinguished and Named Professorship Ceremony last Friday, November 1st. The ceremony celebrates distinguished and named professors for their accomplishments and contribution to Purdue’s commitment to learning and engagement. Dr. Jafvert is a PI in the Nexus project: “Seasonal Heavy Metal Concentrations in Streams in the Arequipa Region” with Purdue Professor Tim Filley, EAPS, in partnership with the Universidad of San Augustin (UNSA). The project is focused on conducting research on the seasonal dynamics of metal species concentrations in the rivers of the Arequipa region over the changes in stream flow and to identify the best management practices to reduce the negative impact caused by metal contamination.
NEXUS Institute Researcher Chad Jafvert is honored at the Fourth Annual Distinguished and Named Professorship Ceremony
UNSA and Purdue University Researchers held training session for farmers in Arequipa
October 17, 2019
Purdue and UNSA researchers from the Nexus Institute project “Development of training in Good Agricultural Practices and Food Handling for food producers and processors in Arequipa” held a training session for farmers in Arequipa. The project members are: Dr. Amanda Deering, Principal Investigator of Purdue; Mg. Mariel Álvarez Rodríguez, Principal Investigator of UNSA; Purdue researchers: Dr. Haley Oliver; Dr. Oscar Galagarza; Dr. Alejandra Ramírez; and UNSA faculty members: Mg. María del Carmen Valdez Ortiz ; Ing. Patricia Camargo Salcedo; Mg. Erika Pachari Vera; Lic. Jackeline Cereceda; and Mg. Yemina Díaz Valencia. The topics addressed in the training sessions will allow rural men to know and apply agricultural and manufacturing protocols that involve crop management, facilities, storage, dosing area, sanitary facilities, equipment, efficient water management, soil management, matter of propagation, plant nutrition, crop protection, and harvest and post-harvest management. Concurrently, the techniques are being implemented in demonstration plots in association with farmer groups in Cayma and Tiabaya. These plots will serve as demonstration and training for students of the Professional Schools of Agronomy, Biology, and food producers and processors in Arequipa.
UNSA and Purdue University Researchers held training session for farmers in Arequipa
Purdue and Peruvian scientists at the nexus of food, water and energy research
October 15, 2019
Purdue is partnering with several public university systems in Peru to research how physical and social sciences could be integrated to help find solutions to the country’s environmental challenges. The collaboration could serve as a model to other developing economies in South America facing similar hardships from climate change, diminishing resources and environmental degradation. One of the largest collaborative international projects in Purdue’s history, the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Food, Water, Energy, and the Environment, located at the Universidad Nacional de San Augustín (UNSA), is the first of several of cooperative agreements with Peruvian universities. Another is the recently established Institute for Human and Ecosystem Health Sustainability at the Universidad Nacional del Centro del Peru in the Junin region of the country.
Purdue and Peruvian scientists at the nexus of food, water and energy research
Nexus Institute Researchers presented at the Symposium: “Digital transformation, innovation of processes and products in the food industry” in Arequipa, Peru.
October 14, 2019
The Purdue members of the Nexus project: “Capacity Strengthening for Postharvest Handling and Storage in Peru (CAST-PHS)” Dr. Dieudonné Baributsa, a professor in the Department of Entomology, the project’s principal investigator; Dr. Charlie Woloshuk, a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology; and Dr. Jorge Diaz-Valderrama, a postdoctoral researcher; presented initial findings of their research on a talk titled: "Reducing Postharvest Loss: Purdue University's Experiences," at the “Digital transformation, innovation of processes and products in the food industry Symposium” in Arequipa, Peru.
Molecular Biology Techniques Workshop at UNSA
October 11, 2019
The Nexus CRISPR on Crops project’s member Jorge Condori led a workshop for their UNSA colleagues on the main molecular biology techniques from October 7th to 11th at the Universidad de San Agustin de Arequipa (UNSA) in Peru. The workshop was focused on improving the UNSA faculty members’ technical skills on molecular biology and introduce a new model organism for research along with online tools to enhance their research.
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Nexus Researcher presents a Key Note speech in a Plant Genetics Congress in Peru
October 4, 2019
Purdue’s Nexus Institute Postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Xiangjun Zhou presented a key note talk at the IV Peruvian Congress of Plant Genetic Improvement and Agricultural Biotechnology in Lima, Peru. This conference on October 2- 4, 2019 was focused on the challenges of the effects of climate change and the emerging technologies for genetic improvement of Peruvian plants. The event was organized by the Genomics and Biocomputer Science and the Institute of Biotechnology Labs of the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM) in Lima, Peru. Dr. Zhou’s presentation was titled: “Establishment of a Gene Editing System Using the CRISPR/Cas9 in Garlic (Allium sativum L.)” based on preliminary results of the collaborative research work between Purdue University and the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin in Arequipa (UNSA).
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Purdue-Nexus Institute Researcher Receives Prestigious Research Grant to Address Global Food Safety
August 20, 2019
Nexus researcher and Purdue Associate Professor of food science, Haley Olivier will be directing the first Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety (FSIL) in collaboration with researchers from Cornell University. The Food Safety Innovation Lab is funded by a $10 million grant awarded to Purdue from the United States Agency for International Development. The lab will aim to increase awareness of food safety measures globally, to support research on food safety issues, and to develop food safety interventions and programs for local communities and commercial stakeholders.
Visit of Architect Carmen Cecilia Salas and Engineer Jose Luis Huanque Quispe from the Universidad Nacional de San Augustin (UNSA)
June 19, 2019
Last week, Carmen Cecilia Salas Chavez (UNSA Architect) and Jose Luis Huanque Quispe (UNSA Engineer and Architect) visited Purdue and The Arequipa-Nexus Institute to coordinate the design of the CIEPA research building for the New Nexus in Arequipa, Peru.
Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (UNSA) will develop a Center for Food Security in Arequipa, Peru
June 19, 2019
Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (UNSA) with the collaboration of Purdue University will develop a Center for Food Security in Arequipa, Peru. The Dean of UNSA, Rohel Sánchez, indicated that the Center will develop policies towards sustainable food security, and the priority of the Center will be with water safety and quality. In addition, the Center will contribute to the ongoing research projects in collaboration with the Purdue Arequipa-Nexus Institute and UNSA to investigate solutions for soil health, improvement of agriculture practices and air quality in Arequipa, Peru.
