Three PVM Faculty Receive 2025 Purdue AgSEED Grants

Known by the acronym AgSEED, the Agricultural Science and Extension for Economic Development program is an internal competitive grants system of the Purdue University College of Agriculture that focuses on advancing Indiana’s leadership in plant and animal agriculture and rural growth, especially through entrepreneurial initiatives. This year, three Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty members are among 17 recipients of 2025 AgSEED grants. The program supports one year grants at $50,000.

Congratulations to the following project leaders in the College of Veterinary Medicine and their collaborators for their success in obtaining 2025 AgSEED grants:

François-René Bertin, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Large Animal), associate professor of large animal internal medicine in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, for a project entitled, “Urinary Cortisol as a Diagnostic Tool for Pituitary Pars Intermedia in Horses.”
Harm HogenEsch, DVM, PhD, DACVP, Distinguished Professor of Immunopathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, for a project entitled, “Development of a novel inmmunocontraceptive vaccine to reduce damage caused by wild pigs.”
Viju Vijayan Pillai, BVSc, MS, PhD, DACVP, assistant professor of anatomic pathology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology, for a project entitled, “Development of a rapid, on-site diagnostic test for detection of Mycoplasmosis in bison.”

AgSEED grants are funded with money awarded to Purdue Agriculture by the Indiana Legislature through the Crossroads program, which is part of Indiana’s commitment to furthering agriculture and rural development. Faculty and staff in the colleges of Agriculture, Health and Human Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine are eligible to apply for the AgSEED grants to fund basic research or applied research/extension. The awards are intended to serve as seed money to help researchers establish and build upon firm research foundations.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week, sincere gratitude is shared with Abby Props who is the Pathology Laboratory Supervisor in the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

Student Landscape Project Benefits Animals at Purdue Veterinary Hospital

A student-led landscape redesign project has taken root at Purdue University, in the form of outdoor upgrades at the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital. Originally developed by Mary Schultz, a graduating senior in the College of Agriculture’s Horticulture and Landscape Architecture program, the project reimagined outdoor spaces used for animal recovery, training, and enrichment. This summer, the hospital implemented one of the recommendations, which involved replacing natural turf in an outdoor dog run with a new synthetic material.

Purdue Veterinary Medicine Welcomes New Students

As the heat and long days of summer subsided and the start of a new school year approached, the sense of excitement and new beginnings pervaded Lynn Hall over the last couple of weeks with the arrival of Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s new DVM and Veterinary Technology students. The DVM students in the Class of 2029 participated in a week-long onboarding program that started Monday, August 18, while the Veterinary Technology students in the first and second years of the program were welcomed with an Ice Cream Social and orientation program at the start of the fall semester.

Approaching Purdue Veterinary Conference Mixes CE and Celebration in September

The start of a new academic year signals the approach of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference and the last chance to get an early-bird discount on registration. The conference is scheduled for September 16-20 on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus, and features a variety of specialized tracks as well as special events. Early bird registration ends September 1, and late fees will apply as of September 2.

Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine Names New Senior Director of Admissions and Student Success

A key Purdue Veterinary Medicine staff member who has played a vital role in admissions and recruitment will now serve as the new senior director of admissions and student success. Lori Stout has been promoted to the position and Dean Bret Marsh announced the appointment Tuesday, August 26.

Lecture Hall Murals by Acclaimed Artist Continue to Inspire Lynn Hall Visitors

Two murals by artist Harry Boone have been part of Lynn Hall’s large lecture hall for more than 20 years. Commissioned in 1998, the works continue to leave a lasting impression, and Boone recently returned to campus to see them again.