BIO: Professor Tuinstra is a native of Michigan but pursued his graduate studies at Purdue University. After completing his doctoral degree, he accepted a faculty position at Kansas State University where he worked for 10 years in plant breeding research. In 2007, he returned to the Department of Agronomy at Purdue as Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics. He is a member of the expanding maize genetics group at Purdue and maintains an active plant breeding and genetics research program focusing on corn and sorghum genetic resources and technology development. His outreach activities include efforts to foster stronger working relationships between Purdue researchers and the private seed research sector in Indiana and the United States.