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Pueppke to Head New MSU Office of Bio-based Technologies

Steven G. Pueppke, MAES director and assistant vice president for research and graduate studies, has been named the first director of MSU's newly established Office of Bio-based Technologies.

The new office will marshal MSU research and resources to help foster connections with public and private sector initiatives designed to expand Michigan’s bioeconomic sector, said MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.

“Above all else, a thriving economic future requires the creation of new, knowledge-based industries,” Simon said. “Because of our intellectual capital and our record of entrepreneurial success, Michigan State University is singularly positioned to help develop those industries and shape that future. I expect the Office of Bio-based Technologies will play a pivotal role in this critical effort.”

The new office will be part of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.

“The Office of Bio-based Technologies will ensure that MSU’s expertise in the plant sciences, chemistry, agricultural sciences and engineering is fully mobilized and engaged in the transformation of Michigan’s economy,” said Ian Gray, vice president for research and graduate studies.

“The development of new bio-based materials, chemicals and fuels will require partnerships that reach across research, industry, labor, and state and federal government,” Pueppke said. “One of the main goals of the new office will be to further strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones -- not only in the state but across the Great Lakes region and the nation.”

MAES Plant Pathologist Hausbeck Receives CANR Distinguished Faculty Award

Mary Hausbeck, MAES plant pathology scientist, was recognized by the MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Alumni Association with its 2006 Distinguished Faculty Award.

Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, presented the award March 7 during the Agriculture and Natural Resources Week luncheon.

Hausbeck, an internationally recognized and respected plant pathologist in vegetable and greenhouse ornamental crops, has been a member of the MSU Department of Plant Pathology since 1990. She received the Distinguished Faculty Award in recognition of her leadership in academic, research and Extension programs. She was also cited for her mentorship of students and lab members.

“Her work exemplifies the strong interrelationship between MAES research and Extension at MSU,” Armstrong said. “She seamlessly integrates the needs and problems of growers into her research, and her research results form the foundation of her educational programs.”

Hausbeck works closely with growers and industry leaders in developing effective disease and pest management programs to ensure the environmental and economic sustainability of the Michigan vegetable and greenhouse ornamentals industry. Her disease forecasting research and predictive models have been very effective in helping growers determine when and how to manage disease. Hausbeck's approach to developing specialty crop management plans, which includes soliciting broad input from stakeholders, serves as a national model. In March 2006, Hausbeck was instrumental in securing a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study Phytophthora, a devastating fungal disease that affects Michigan vegetable crops.

She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture from MSU in 1983 and 1985, respectively, and received her doctorate from Pennsylvania State University in 1990. Her commitment to outreach has been recognized with numerous awards, including the John Hannah Award for Extension Program Excellence in 2002 and the Outstanding Extension Specialist award in 2001. She also received the All-University Excellence in Diversity Team Award in 2002 and the Alex Laurie Award for Research and Education from the Society of American Florists in 2004.

Tweaking Taxol May Lead to a Greener, More Potent Cancer Drug

As the effective cancer drug Taxol enters its next generation, an MAES scientist has announced discoveries that may lead to environmentally friendly ways to produce more Taxol and production of a more potent second-generation drug.

Kevin Walker, MAES biochemistry and molecular biology researcher, in the March 24 issue of Chemistry & Biology reported a step toward manufacturing more potent Taxol molecules that could potentially reduce treatment dosages. The methods described minimize the use of dangerous chemicals and put the bacterium E. coli to work in the production process.

“We’re trying to develop a biosynthetic process for the drugs that circumvents the use of organic solvent-based methods requiring costly waste management,” Walker said. “This attempt is a green chemistry approach to produce more potent versions of Taxol.”

Taxol -- generically known as paclitaxel -- is a top-selling cancer-fighting drug. It’s most commonly used against ovarian and breast cancers but also is used in certain treatments for heart disease and shows promise against Alzheimer’s disease.

Taxol is derived in small quantities from the Pacific yew tree. To meet large-scale production demands, pharmaceutical companies isolate an abundant natural product from the tree that is synthetically converted to Taxol.

Now, as molecules from the yew are being synthetically modified for new, more potent versions of Taxol, Walker, along with Catherine Loncaric, a visiting research associate, and undergraduate Erin Merriweather, is looking for alternative, biological routes to modify the molecules. Walker’s lab uses recently identified yew genes that produce enzymes that craft the pathway to Taxol. The targets: five enzymes that biosynthetically decorate the core of the Taxol molecule.

The enzymes in the natural and, potentially, the genetically modified form can be used to produce second-generation versions of the drug. Walker said the advantage of his methods is that water-based chemicals rather than chlorinated solvents can be used.

“In fighting one pathological system, it makes sense to not create another problem that can have a global effect,” Walker said.

Also, Walker said, assessing the Taxol pathway enzymes opens doors to new, more natural ways to make Taxol. He said that learning to genetically modify the qualities of the Pacific yew organism to make tomorrow’s versions of Taxol could mean transferring all the genes -- the entire pathway -- into a bacterium for large-scale production of the new and improved Taxol, without further depleting the yew plant.

“Eventually, it will be cool when we’re able, potentially, to have bacteria make all of the necessary plant enzymes and we can sit back and watch E. coli make first- and second-generation Taxol molecules,” Walker said.

MAES Researcher Part of Team Developing and Studying Background Check System for Care of State’s Most Vulnerable Patients

The first phase of a statewide background check system developed by Michigan State University will go live April 1, allowing employers to better screen potential employees who work with patients in long-term care settings.

Last year, the state received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for $5 million – with $4.1 million going to MSU – to develop and study a three-phase comprehensive system to improve background checks in facilities such as nursing homes, hospices and assistedliving centers.

Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm recently signed legislation she called for last year to strengthen criminal background checks in long-term care settings. This legislation is one of the requirements in the funding to Michigan as a pilot state to develop and study improvements to the system. The state needed laws requiring background checks on those providing direct care to individuals receiving long-term care.

"We must do all that we can to protect our state's most vulnerable citizens in long-term care facilities," Granholm said. "I am grateful to the efforts of Michigan State University in developing a background check system to ensure that people who shouldn't have access to our loved ones don't."

After many months of development, the first phase of the system will soon be up and running, said Lori Post, assistant dean for research in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, who is in charge of developing the system. Expanded features will be in place this spring and fall for the second and third phases. James Oehmke, MAES agricultural economist, is looking at the system's labor force implications, and Sarah Swierenga, director of MSU’s Usability and Accessibility Center, is testing the system.

Employers will be able to expand background checks to include all prospective employees with direct access to vulnerable populations in a wide variety of health care settings. The new law requires that the background check be conducted prior to an individual's permanent employment.

“Michigan will be able to scientifically determine if the new process is effective in reducing crimes against vulnerable populations. The research focus allows us to test impact and to better evaluate the results of the background check system,” Post said.

One of the first steps to evaluate the impact was to determine the percentage of Michigan households with a family member in long-term care. Through a recent phone survey, the researchers determined that 6 percent of Michigan households fall into that category.

Michigan will incorporate most types of providers into its background-check pilot project, including skilled nursing facilities, long-term care hospitals, hospitals with swing beds, intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation, home health agencies, residential care and assisted-living facilities, and hospices.

In addition to the Michigan Department of Community Health, partners involved in the research project include the Michigan Department of Human Services, Michigan State Police and various units at MSU.

Nitrogen and Sulfur Study Could Lead to New Recommendations

The high cost of fertilizer is affecting the corn industry in Michigan and across the nation. MAES crop and soil sciences researcher Kurt Thelen partnered with the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan (CMPM) to study nitrogen and sulfur and their effects on corn production.

Recent research has shown that, to fully realize the potential of modern corn hybrids, planting should occur as early as possible in the growing season. In Michigan, this often means planting in cool soils. Additionally, cool, wet weather after planting results in less than ideal conditions for corn seedling root growth. The weather-related reduction of corn seedling root growth is further compounded because nitrogen and sulfur become available to plants primarily through soil organic matter and residue decomposition and mineralization, and these soil processes are temperature-dependent -- under cool, wet conditions early in the season can reduce nutrient availability to corn seedlings. Also, reductions in atmospheric sulfur deposition have reduced soil concentrations of sulfur.

Thelen evaluated the effect of these reductions on corn growth and development under northern Michigan growing conditions. He also examined the effectiveness of nitrogen and sulfur starter fertilizer on corn growth, nutrient uptake and yield under Michigan planting conditions.

Collaborating with growers and MSU Extension (MSUE) educators, Thelen set up six experimental sites across the state, including the Saginaw Valley Bean and Beet Research Farm and sites in Clinton, Lapeer, Monroe and Berrien counties.

The yield response ranged from 0 to 23 bushels per acre for the 20 pounds of elemental sulfur treatment. There was no yield response as a result of the sidedress application of sulfur at the Lapeer County location.

“The plant response to the nitrogen/sulfur starter fertilizer appeared to occur relatively early in the growing season,” Thelen said. “The results of the study were consistent with our hypothesis that Michigan’s typically cool early growing season would predispose plants to a sulfur/nitrogen starter fertilizer response since soil mineralization of sulfur and nitrogen is temperature-dependent.”

Because the results represent only one year of data, Thelen cautions that they should be considered preliminary. He will continue the research for another growing season and plans to formulate recommendations from the final results.

“The first year of this research provides Michigan corn producers with a management strategy for using nitrogen and sulfur starter fertilizers,” said Lyn Uphaus, CMPM president. “Farmers will have a better basis for deciding which nutrients to include in their starter fertilizer when growing corn.”

A New Taste for Beer Drinkers: Chestnuts Add Flavor, Open New Markets for Michigan Agriculture

It’s been said that chestnuts are “grains that grow on trees.” This is certainly true for one mid-Michigan brewer, who has taken locally grown edible chestnuts and brewed a one-of-a-kind beer.

The edible chestnut market is becoming increasingly profitable, and members of the Chestnut Growers, Inc., cooperative, a group of 36 Michigan growers who produce and sell nuts, continue to look for new ways to market their crop. After tasting a chestnut beer produced by an amateur home brewer from Laingsburg, growers realized that many possibilities exist for marketing the popular nut.

With help from MAES and MSU researchers in the departments of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and Horticulture, and the School of Packaging, chestnut growers learned how to grow their crop and announce their efforts to other people. Growers invited brewers from around the state to a gathering at the Rogers Reserve in Jackson to sample the product.

After hearing about the beer, Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter decided to produce a beer using chestnuts. Jeffries named his product Fuego del Otono (“autumn fire”).

“I thought it might be fun to brew a traditional modern beer made from chestnuts,” Jeffries said. “Chestnut beer is sure something we don’t see very often.”

Though chestnut beer has been brewed in Europe for many years, Jeffries produces the only bottled chestnut beer commercially available here.

In contrast to most beers -- which are made from and flavored with barley -- Jeffries uses the carbohydrates in chestnuts as a source of flavor for the beer. Jeffries makes a mash from barley and boils the chestnuts. Once combined, the barley mash, which is full of enzymes, helps break down the starches in the chestnuts and removes the nuts’ flavor. When the brewing process is complete, the nuts are tasteless and the beer is full of chestnut flavor.

“The beer has a fantastic flavor,” Jeffries said. “It tastes like fall and makes you think of leaves crunching under your feet on a sunny autumn day.”

Michigan chestnut growers also are excited about the concept of chestnut beer and the opportunity to sell more nuts.

“Chestnut beer is a consumable that uses chestnuts, so growers will be able to make a profit from selling nuts and breweries will be able to make money, too,” said Dennis Fulbright, MAES plant pathology researcher and adviser to Chestnut Growers, Inc. “This is a new product and another source of income for our state. Though the amount of chestnuts sold right now is still relatively small, this shows that new Michigan-made products can be developed, processed and marketed from our natural resource base.”

Jefferies said the chestnut beer has been so popular that he has already sold his entire supply. He plans to brew at least twice as much next year.

Two MAES Scientists Honored at Awards Convocation

Two MAES animal science researchers were among 30 faculty and staff members recognized at the MSU Awards Convocation in February.

Michael S. Allen received a Distinguished Faculty Award. Allen’s research and outreach contributions to the nutritional sciences and feeding of ruminant animals -- especially dairy cattle -- have earned him a valued reputation within his field and beyond. A colleague ranks Allen among the top 5 percent of ruminant nutritionists internationally on the basis of his exceptional ability to evaluate the existing body of knowledge critically, construct insightful and cutting-edge testable hypotheses, and conduct well-planned experiments that generate new knowledge to move his discipline and animal agriculture forward. He is recognized for improving the productivity of ruminants and the standard of living for farmers, nutrition professionals and consumers nationally and internationally because of his research and broadly based extension efforts. Allen’s reputation garnered the interest of four MSU distinguished graduate fellows, who worked in his program at the same time.

“I am very honored to receive this award. It has been particularly rewarding to work in an environment that allows me to pursue scholarly endeavors and influence the careers of others," Allen said. "I feel fortunate to have worked with, and learned from, so many great mentors, colleagues and students at MSU. They have helped make my time here productive and highly enjoyable.”

Miriam S. Weber Nielsen received a Teacher-Scholar Award. She is a nationally recognized scholar and gifted teacher. Nielsen is respected by students and peers for her open style of lecturing and her caring interactions with students outside the classroom. One student commented, “The course was probably the best class I’ve taken at MSU. The labs were the best part -- very informative and fun. Learning was easy and very interesting.”

Distinguished Faculty Award winners, who are recognized for outstanding contributions to the intellectual development of MSU, received $3,000. The Teacher-Scholar Award, for devotion to and skill in teaching and scholarly promise, carries a $2,000 stipend.

New Faculty Member

The MAES is pleased to welcome a new faculty member with an MAES appointment.

Joseph Arvai was named assistant professor of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resources Studies in January. Arvai's research focuses on problems related to environmental decision making, mainly in the context of designing and testing decision-aiding approaches for risk and resource management, as well as choice and preference behavior. A related emphasis of his work is the study of methods by which people can evaluate decision quality.

Arvai is director of the Skunkworks Lab at MSU and is also an adjunct professor in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia and a research scientist with Decision Research in Eugene, Ore. Before coming to MSU, Arvai was a faculty member in the School of Natural Resources at Ohio State University.

From Condiment to Agricultural Innovation: MAES Scientist Advances Oriental Mustard Research

You may have used it to top a hot dog or flavor an egg roll; MAES researchers are using mustard in a totally different way.

Sieglinde Snapp, MAES soils and cropping systems ecologist, has committed more than two decades to research on and application of biologically friendly farming. Her research is now addressing an emerging trend in commercial agriculture -- using Oriental mustard as a cover crop.

“It is our responsibility [at MSU] to respond to farmers’ needs, and Michigan farmers are losing money because of soil-borne pathogens,” Snapp said.

Reduced yield potential is often the result of lesions, root hair pruning, fungal invasion and parasitic nematodes in a wide variety of crops, Snapp said. Frequent fumigation improves crop health, but the process is both a financial and environmental burden on farmers and their fields.

Producers across the world have been “spicing up” their farms by planting Oriental mustard as a cover crop. Also known as brassica, Oriental mustard is processed into the spicy brown mustard commonly found in restaurants. More than 100,000 acres in the western United States and some regions of Europe utilize Oriental mustard as a cover crop.

“The spiciness that people can taste in the mustard is the same element that kills disease-causing organisms,” Snapp said. “If a plant tastes hot, it’s probably a good biofumigant.”

Although mustard was being used by some Michigan farmers, the state’s diverse climate and soils demanded further research before adoption became widespread. Snapp and colleagues conducted three bioassays and one greenhouse experiment and are currently monitoring progress on two field experiments and two on-farm demonstrations.

“The mustard crop experiments, both in the field and under controlled conditions, have consistently found similar results, indicating that fungal growth and disease symptoms can be suppressed by biofumigant cover crops,” Snapp said. “There is still a lot to learn, but our initial results put us one step closer to futuristic and biologically smart vegetable production.”

MAES Researchers Shake Out Basis for Rice Domestication

MAES and other MSU scientists have identified the genetic mutation that reduces grain shattering during rice domestication – research that will improve production of the crop that feeds more than half of the world’s population.

In an article released in March in Science Express, MSU scientists, led by Tao Sang, MAES plant biology researcher, identify for the first time the genetic mutation for the reduction of shattering, a key step in the domestication of all cereal corps, including corn and wheat.

The researchers were able to pinpoint and confirm that a single base pair mutation in DNA causing an amino acid change in a protein was selected by humans several thousand years ago to develop non-shattering rice varieties. This slight change prevented mature rice grains from easily falling from stalks to allow an effective field harvest.

“What we can learn from historical plant domestication will benefit our ongoing and future effort to domesticate energy crops that will be equally important to the long-term sustainability of our society,” Sang said. “It is remarkable how the earliest farmers could have selected a single mutation in DNA to develop a major food crop of the world.”

The researchers first determined which chromosomal regions contained the mutations selected for rice domestication. Chromosome 4 was pegged as being responsible primarily for the reduction of shattering.

“Several hundred hours were spent in the greenhouses where we had to shake the plants and record the various degrees of shattering,” Sang said. “Even with all the advances in technology, a careful firsthand observation proves to be essential for biological research.”

The researchers then developed a new method for rapid and cost-effective DNA isolation to clone a gene from the chromosomal region. Changbao Li, research associate in plant biology, invented a process that increased the speed of DNA isolation and allowed researchers to efficiently complete the screening of 12,000 seedlings.

“This technical innovation will greatly speed up genetic research for plants since it saved us time and money yet delivered accurate results,” Sang said.

“By tracing the breeding of rice and identifying the genetic mutations, the researchers have opened new doors to the science community that benefit the world through a more effective use of the land and water used to grow rice,” said Rich Triemer, chairperson of the Department of Plant Biology. “These findings will improve yields of a crop that is the staple food for more than half of the world’s population. Our scientists are continuing the legacy started by William Beal more than one hundred years ago of using plant research to benefit the world,” he added.

The article, “Rice Domestication by Reducing Shattering,” was published March 15 in Science Express, an electronic publication designed to get important papers quickly in front of the scientific community prior to their being published in Science. Science, the world's leading journal of original scientific research, global news and commentary, is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Farm Marketing, Agritourism Leaders Incorporate New Association

The idea for an organization to promote and represent the growing agritourism and farm marketing industries in Michigan has been discussed and debated informally for decades. In December, the new Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism (FMAT) Association was introduced to potential members at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Marketing Expo, thanks to industry commitment and funding from the Michigan plant initiative, Project GREEEN. The MAES helps fund Project GREEEN.

A GREEEN grant allowed Patrick O’Connor, project manager and FMAT Association founding member, and a team to conduct formal research to gauge industry opinion and set priorities for the organization’s future.

“We asked industry members if they wanted to organize and requested that they prioritize what the organization should work on so we could focus on building an industry-driven association,” O’Connor said.

Farm marketing and agritourism combine two of Michigan’s largest income-producing industries -- 193,000 Michiganders are employed by tourism and more than a million by agriculture and related processing operations.

“Our results were very strong, with 95 percent of those surveyed interested in seeing an organization formed to address the needs of the industry,” O’Connor said. “More than 75 percent also expressed an interest in joining.”

A key component of the project was building an industry steering committee. The 18-person committee, a diverse group of farm marketing and agritourism entrepreneurs, is finalizing a strategic plan based on industry priorities that includes promotions, governmental advocacy, grants and communications. O’Connor projects that the first board of directors for the FMAT Association will be selected and in place by fall 2006.

Ag Leaders Receive Distinguished Service Awards at ANR Week

Two Michigan leaders in agriculture and natural resources were honored March 7 with MSU Distinguished Service to Agriculture and Natural Resources awards during the Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Week luncheon on campus.

Lou Anna Simon, MSU president, and Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, presented the awards.

Edward Powell, of Portland, Mich., and Marvin Ray, of Bark River, Mich., were recognized for their success in agribusiness or natural resources-related enterprises and their commitment to leadership in community, state and national activities.

Powell has served as a manager of the Michigan Elevator Exchange, a division of Farm Bureau Services, and as the vice president and assistant secretary of Farm Bureau Services. He has served on many boards and councils, including the Chicago Board of Trade, the Toledo Board of Trade, and the Saginaw and Detroit boards of trade, and he was director of the Mid-States Grain Terminal.

Ray began one of the most successful bulk fertilizer and feed operations in the Upper Peninsula. He still helps deliver more than 7,000 tons of fertilizer a year and feed for animals including sheep, horses, llamas and cows. He has received various awards for agricultural growth in the U.P.
Last Updated: January 16, 2007
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