Scholarships Presented At Great Lakes Expo
December 27, 2011 One of the highlights of this month’s Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, MI, was the presentation of scholarships to several students who are earning their degrees, at various levels, in different horticulture fields. The scholarships are presented by the Michigan State Horticultural Society and the Michigan Vegetable Council and are sponsored by several companies and organizations, including American/Western Fruit Grower and American Vegetable Grower.
Here is a brief look at this year’s scholarship recipients.
Brett Blaauw (Michigan State University)
Blaauw is currently working on his Ph.D. in Entomology and will graduate in December 2012. His goal is to work together with Michigan farmers to conserve beneficial insects, improve farm practices, and help solve common concerns in the fruit industry. He also presented two talks during this year’s Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market Expo on blueberry pollination and biological controls for blueberries.
Alyssa Burkhardt (Michigan State University)
Burkhardt is in the second year of a Ph.D. program in Cell and Molecular Biology. Her Ph.D. research will focus on identifying genes in cucumbers that show host resistance to downy mildew. She is interested in a career in applied molecular biology, working on increasing disease resistance or nutritional value of crops, particularly specialty crops.
Jaclyn Cosner (Michigan State University)
Cosner will graduate in May with a B.S. degree in Horticulture. She has been actively involved in the MSU Student Organic Farm and in community garden projects. She is interested in urban agriculture and has started her own market garden business.
Michael Hardigan (Michigan State University)
Hardigan will be completing his Bachelor’s in Horticulture Science in December 2011. His area of interest is in breeding and genetics. He plans to earn his Ph.D. in genetics with interest in university research for increasing fruit adaptability and stress tolerance with berry or fruit crops.
Mary Harris (Michigan State University)
Harris is currently working on her Bachelor’s in Crop and Soil Sciences. She plans on graduating in May 2013. She has worked the last two summers scouting fruit crops in central Michigan. She plans on pursuing a career in the fruit industry after she graduates.
Kimberly Lesniak (Michigan State University)
Lesniak pursues a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology with plans to graduate in May 2013. Her area of interest is Mycology and Extension Education. She is gaining expertise in molecular advances and techniques in crop systems and management of both for educational purposes.
Alex Lindsey (Michigan State University)
Lindsey will complete a Master’s degree in Crop and Soil Sciences in May focused on weed science. Prior to starting his M.S. program, he worked for two seasons as a crop consultant for Wilbur-Ellis in Wisconsin. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. degree involving crop physiology, herbicide metabolism, and system ecology.
Peter McGhee (Michigan State University)
McGhee is working on his Ph.D. in Entomology and plans to graduate May 2013. His area of interest is tree fruit production and pest management. He would like to focus his efforts on developing easy-to-use tools and methods for detecting developing resistance to insecticides prior to failures.
Adam Merlington (Michigan State University)
Merlington is starting a Master’s degree program in Plant Pathology. His research will focus on developing new management strategies for controlling potato scab. He also works as a crop scout and consultant for potato growers with Agri-Business Consultants. He plans to continue this work when he graduates.
Rachel Naegele (Michigan State University)
Naegele is a Ph.D. student in Plant Pathology. She has done research in Dr. Mary Hausbeck’s lab on vegetable crop host resistance, as well as cucurbit downy mildew population movements. Upon graduation, she hopes to continue research on vegetable crop diseases in a university or industry position.
Cory Outwater (Michigan State University)
Outwater is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Plant Pathology with a special area of interest in fruit tree pathology. He plans to graduate in 2013. After graduation he plans a career in the fruit industry with a focus on fungal pathogens and to develop new tools that can be utilized in disease management strategies.
Lina Maria Rodriguez (Michigan State University)
Rodriguez is working on a Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology, focusing on disease management in vegetable crops, disease diagnostics, and epidemiology. For the past two seasons, she was involved in diagnosing and providing information for managing two emerging diseases in onions and celery. When she completes her degree, she hopes to obtain an industry position emphasizing work on vegetable crop diseases.
Sarah Thompson (Purdue University)
Thompson is working on her Masters degree in Entomology with an area of interest of fruit IPM and high tunnels. She plans on graduating in May 2012. After graduation she would like to continue working in the fruit industry using her knowledge and experience with high tunnels possibly in the Extension education field.
Jordan B. Tatter Scholarship Winners
In December 2003, the Michigan State Horticultural Society and the Michigan Vegetable Council announced their intention to initiate a scholarship fund in Jordan Tatter’s memory. Each organization committed $5,000 to start this fund. This fund has the support of the Tatter family, as well as many of Michigan’s agricultural leaders. This is endowed at Michigan State University. The earnings are used to provide scholarships for deserving students pursuing careers in the fruit and vegetable industry. Including this year, a total of $33,000 in scholarships has been awarded.
Curtis Dietrich (Michigan State University)
Dietrich is working on his Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture Science with an Agriculture Business Management specialization. After graduation he plans to return to the family farm as a sixth-generation apple grower. Curtis would like to implement some of the new techniques and systems gleaned from his college experience on the farm.
Ben Byl (Michigan State University)
Byl is a Master’s degree student in Horticulture and has done research on the benefits of irrigation systems in growing asparagus. After earning his B.S. degree from Hope College, he spent a year with Americorps and two years with the Peace Corps. After graduation, Ben intends to serve as a horticultural consultant in Africa or Asia and then return to the family farm in Shelby, MI.
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