Dear LORRE, Staff, and Students:

Good morning and welcome back (virtually).   I hope everyone and their families are healthy during this extraordinary time.

Purdue is back in session using methods to deliver course content, hold meetings, continue our research, and achieve our goals, but through different means and working together in a different manner.  As summarized by our Provost Jay Akridge,” we will resume instruction after spring break, we wanted to keep you aware of changes to campus life. If you have been away for even a few days, because of our actions to mitigate the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19, things will neither appear nor operate in the traditional sense when you return”.

Faculty, staff and students MUST adhere to the following pubic heath guidance:

• If you feel sick, you MUST stay home. 
• If you are returning from a Level 3 travel advisory country, you must self-quarantine for a period of 14 days. 
• If you are returning from other regions, including domestically from outside Indiana, you must follow campus rules for working safely from home or on campus.
• Importantly, anyone returning from travel outside of Indiana should not return to research labs for 14 days from their date of return.
• Practice safe social distancing if you must be on campus.

Purdue University has set up a call Center to answer questions students, parents, faculty and staff may have about the impact of the COVID-19 disease on campus.   The Purdue COVID-19 Information Center, 765-496-INFO (4636) or toll-free 1-833-571-1043, will be staffed by university employees from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, beginning March 23, and will offer timely answers to questions regarding housing, financial aid, remote learning and more. Hours are subject to change.  Information regarding the coronavirus and COVID-19 impact on Purdue can also be found on the university’s FAQ page https://purdue.university/covid-19.

I will be sending short updates, and in the meantime please read and review the request that are given below and adhere to the guidance provided.  The blue font indicates an item that was added since our last e-mail, yesterday.

Thank you all for working together to meet the challenges that this situation will present and helping us to keep our campus and community safe.

Mike

From: Ladisch, Michael R.
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2020 6:25 PM
To: lorre-list@ecn.purdue.edu
Cc: Carie, Carla S. <carie@purdue.edu>; Griffith, Amanda S <asgriffi@purdue.edu>
Subject: RE: Info Regarding Potter Engineering Center

Dear LORRE students, faculty and staff:

I know you have received communications and notices regarding the unprecedented changes and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Up to date information may be found at the website:      

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q1/need-to-know-info-about-covid-2019.html .   This e-mail is to address your concerns and questions regarding LORRE operations.

Please follow the requests:

• Stay home if you are sick.
• Work remotely if you can.
• Practice safe social distancing if you must be on campus.
• Step up to assist in areas that may be experiencing added responsibilities and stress.

CDC Guidelines and Social Distancing.  While Purdue is remaining open, CDC guidelines for social distancing are in effect.   I ask that our staff and researchers work at home on data analysis, writing projects, literature reviews, online learning, coding, manuscript / prelim / thesis preparation, all of which are part of the research process and can be done using vpn and remote access to ECN.  Meetings will be conducted through WebEx or phone.  If a meeting in person is required, social distancing of 6 feet will be observed.  Freqeunt updates are at https://www.purdue.edu/research/covid-19/ .

Undergraduate students:  If you are an undergraduate student in our laboratory, I hope you have heard that all classes have moved to online instruction for the remainder of the semester starting Monday March 23; in-person commencement has been canceled; and ABE advising practices have changed (see e-mail from Nate Engelberth).  I ask that our undergraduate students not come to the laboratory when they return next week.  Please call me if you have questions.

Research Activities and LORRE Graduate Students / Staff.  If graduate students and staff feel it is essential to carry out experiments for their research, please speak to me first before coming into the laboratory.  If you do come in, practice social distancing of 6 feet between adjacent people per CDC guidelines.  Given the manner in which our research is carried out, and the footprint of the instruments that we use, this would mean limiting researchers to one per laboratory area.  A summary of guidelines, summarized by the Chemistry Department and recommended by Dr. Mayer, EVPRP, are attached for your reference.  Otherwise, everyone should work from home, if possible.  Please note the latest request from the Provost (yesterday, Sunday):  “Importantly, anyone returning from travel outside of Indiana should not return to research labs for 14 days from their date of return.”

Staggered shifts.   If several people need to work on different experiments in close proximity, please talk with me first.  I will arrange for staggered shifts (either day or evening) to accommodate this need.  Any experiments that are initiated must be capable of being shut-down on short notice.  (see attached memo from Dr. Theresa Mayer, EVPRP). 

LORRE Operations.  Staff who will serve as a skeleton crew to maintain and check on instruments, monitor the laboratory, and keep LORRE operations open, have been identified to Nate Mosier (last week) as myself, Eduardo, Antonio, Lindsey, and Carla.  For all LORRE staff and students - we will cancel the weekly LORRE seminar through April 10, and then reassess the situation at that time. 

Maintenance requests.  will be handled in the usual way through Phil Qualio (765 496 9757, philq@purdue.edu; or through the Purdue fix-it website: www.purdue.edu/fix-it ).  After hours please contact the Purdue University Police non-emergency number (765) 49-48221.

Potter Access.  The outside doors to Potter will be locked at all times starting tonight (Friday, March 20; this has now been updated to start on March 25). This follows the practice of other buildings on campus. Only those with a key may enter.  During the day the loading dock entry may be open since it is handicap accessible.  Mail and package delivery to POTR will cease, also following campus policy. Packages (UPS) may be retrieved only from MMDC.  Phil, the building deputy, has alerted the key safety contacts in POTR regarding these actions.

I look forward to working with all of you and keeping in touch while achieving our goals while using different means and working together in a different manner.

Thank you for bringing such a strong and constructive team spirit to LORRE and for your understanding of the magnitude of this crisis.

Sincerely,

Mike

Michael R. Ladisch
Distinguished Professor and Director
Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering                      
Purdue University
Potter Engineering Center
500 Central Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2022

Phone:  (765) 494-7022
Fax:    (765) 494-7023
E-mail:  ladisch@purdue.edu