Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday and a wonderful new year!

Spring Seminar Series & Career Fair Announced

The Horticulture Seminar Series lineup for spring has been announced.  Check out a preview.  Also, Career Fair 2013 has been announced!  Save the date: Wednesday, February 27th 2013.

Sustainable Farming Internships Galore

2013 Internships and Apprenticeships - Find your match and apply now!

Congrats Grads!

Congratulations to all of the Fall 2012 HORT grads! 

It's Stroll Time...

Just what is this 'holiday stroll'?  Stop by Room 203 Monday 12/17 to find out.  Hint: You'll likely need to take a 'stroll' after visiting!
And for those who want to take another 'stroll', join the VFIC's on Thursday 12/20.

Seeking 'Volunteer Student Ambassadors' for Spring

The Department of Horticultural Sciences seeks students interested in representing the Department as ‘Volunteer Student Ambassadors’ for the spring semester of 2013.  In this role, students will gain greater knowledge about the programs available through the Department of Horticultural Sciences as well as the history of the program.  Volunteer activities may include providing short tours to visiting groups and representing the Department at recruiting/information booths (ex: Aggieland Saturday).

Interested students should submit a letter of interest via email to hortweb@tamu.edu by January 7th.  Volunteers selected will attend an information session where they will learn more about the Department’s programs and history and receive an outline of a sample tour for reference.  Each volunteer will likely be needed 2-5 times during the semester.

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group 2013 Conference

About: 

The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, commonly known as Southern SAWG, was founded in 1991 to foster a movement towards a more sustainable farming and food system – one that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane. We function as a regional entity, working with and through hundreds of associated organizations across 13 southern states. By building partnerships, sharing information and conducting analysis, we transform isolated ideas and innovations into practical tools and approaches for widespread use.

*Conference includes two full days of Pre-Conference activities starting Wednesday morning, including an excellent variety of Short Courses, Mini Courses and Field Trips, plus a Virtual Farm Tour Extravaganza and a Seed Swap. Some fee waivers available.

Apply for Senior Merit, Alpha Zeta, & Gamma Sigma Delta Awards

Attention Students:
You are invited to apply for TAMU College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Senior Merit, Alpha Zeta and Gamma Sigma Delta Awards.  The deadline is Friday, February 1, 2013.  

Study Abroad - Horticulture in China

Texas A&M Horticulture Study Abroad - CHINA from marissa horticulture on Vimeo.
Visit http://greenviion.wordpress.com/announcement/ for more trip & scholarship information.  See students' experiences on the trip first hand at aggiehortinchina2012.blogspot.com

For December HORT Grads:

The Department of Horticultural Sciences cordially invites you to attend a Graduation Breakfast for Graduating Students, Family, Friends, Faculty and Staff on Friday, December 14, 2012 from 7:15 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. in the Horticulture/Forest Science Building (HFSB) Atrium.  Congratulatory remarks will be at 7:40 a.m. A light brunch of pastries and fruit will be served.  This casual affair is intended to give everyone a chance to honor and celebrate all of your hard work.  Please RSVP (with approximate number) to Katie by Monday, December 10^th if you plan to attend.  
 

Each semester the Department invites undergraduate students who are graduating seniors to visit for a final exit interview.  This allows your input in possible changes that strengthen our teaching program and the Department in general. Dr. Lineberger strongly encourages you to attend an exit interview where you can meet and frankly talk about your experience at Texas A&M.  This year, students will meet in a group on Monday, December 10th from 11:00-12:00 in HFSB 202.  Please e-mail Katie if you plan to attend. 
 

We also ask that undergraduate students who are graduating seniors to complete a Departmental questionnaire here surveying your closing thoughts about your experience at TAMU.  Dr. Lineberger had his HORT 481 class complete this survey for the class.  If you were not in his 481 course, we ask you to complete this confidential final evaluation survey before graduation on December 14^th.  This information is extremely valuable to the Department.

Have you checked out the Graduation web site?  It contains all the information you will need to graduate (cap and gown info., honors distinctions, line formation, etc.)  If you did not preorder a cap and gown, you can still stop by the Texas A&M campus Barnes & Nobles in the MSC to purchase them.

 

CONGRATULATIONS December 2012 Graduates!!!

Bachelor of Arts – Horticulture

Jennifer Boswell
Dylan Carroll
Stephanie Cooper
Caitlin Crane
Hillary Dunegan
Morgan Holcomb
Elizabeth James
Alexandria Kogevnikoff
Brooke Korenek
Lyndzey Person
Lauren Sebesta
Brandon Wheeler
Travis Wheeler
Mattie Williamson
Christian Woller
Bachelor of Science –  Horticulture
Candace Cunningham
Dillon Dabelgott
John Fangary
Daniel Haywood
Samantha Honors
Kyle Jones
Patricia Lopez
Theadora Martinez
Teresa McIntyre
Jackson McKinney
Lorentina McKoy
Morgan Metting
Cassandra Warren
Master of Science –  Horticulture
Ali Annon
Doctorate of Philosophy –  Horticulture
Kranthi Chebrolu Ram Uckoo

Poster Competition Winners

 

Congratulations to the poster competition winners yesterday!

1st place - Kirk Laminack
2nd place - Taylor Paine
3rd place - Heather Salopek
4th place - Paige Graves
5th place - Qianni (Tiffany) Dong

SAIFD (floral design) meeting Thursday @ 4:30

Student Association of Floral Designers meeting this Thursday (11/29) in HFSB 108 - No experience necessary!  Learn more on SAIFD's website.

Volunteer, have fun, and enjoy free pizza this Saturday

From the Howdy Farm:

We need your help this Saturday from 9-12 in cleaning up a new garden area located behind the Horticulture department. The Howdy Farm recently inherited this space and plans to put in black berries, strawberries, kumkwats, and, of course, a variety of interesting vegetables for the spring, but we need your help to get this space cleaned up and ready for planting.

What: Garden Clean-Up & Pizza Party
When: This Saturday, 9-12
Where: Meet at The Farm

We will be cleaning up the existing beds and amending the soil with organic compost; a layer of cardboard will be installed (for water retention and preventative weed control) followed by a layer of mulch. This is a great opportunity to take a break from studying, get experience in the garden, learn a few sustainable techniques, and spend sometime outside on a beautiful day. There will be FREE PIZZA, friendly people, and good dirty fun.

Meet us at the farm at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning and we will truck it on over to the gardens. See you then!

 Thanks and Gig'em, 

-The Howdy Farmers

Holiday Social - Tues. 12/4

Aggies for Hire - Job Postings

Be sure to check Aggies for Hire regularly.  New jobs and internships posted weekly!

Fulbright Fellowships for graduating seniors & grad students-

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, conduct research, and/or teach English abroad. In addition, Critical Language Enhancement Awards are available to grantees for study of critical need foreign languages before or during their grant period.

Program Length

6 months - 1 year

Eligibility and Application Overview

Public applications are accepted. To participate in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen and have:

• at least a Bachelor's degree required by start of grant. Applicants who hold a doctorate are ineligible.
• sufficient proficiency in the host language to carry out the project required.

Note: Non-U.S. citizens who have legal permanent residency status in the United States are not eligible for any Fulbright grants.
The application for academic year 2013-2014 will open Spring 2013 and will be due October 2013.

NSF & NASA Funded Programs for Students

We are reaching out to faculty and staff and enlisting your help in getting information on funded programs to your colleagues and/or your students who may be considering undergrad summer research and/or applying to graduate school. Please announce these opportunities in any classes or at presentations you may be making, and forward or print/ post the flyer attached in this email --as you deem appropriate.  Here are links to specific portals for students:

 For Undergraduates:

Paid Summer 2013 Undergrad Research Placements (still being updated):

Over 800 programs – REU and other summer research opportunities for undergrads

 For Financial Support in Graduate School Opportunities:

Bridge to the Doctorate, IGERT and NSF Grad Research Fellowship programs provide generous stipend and tuition support for students through the National Science Foundation:

 For Postdoc opportunities --

 For NASA-supported internships, fellowships and scholarships 

National Gallery of Art Summer Horticultural Internship

From: Mattie M. Schloetzer, 

Program Administrator, Internships and Fellowships

Department of Academic Programs
National Gallery of Art

We are offering a new summer internship t the National Gallery of Art.  Here is the description:

Horticultural Services
The intern's time will be divided between daily overall horticulture operations and the preparation of a history of horticulture at the National Gallery. The intern will work on the Gallery's exterior landscapes and interior "plantscapes," including the greenhouses. He or she will also help the deputy chief of horticulture finalize a new manual on the history of horticulture at the Gallery. Proficiency in Microsoft Word and excellent writing and editing skills are desired. Current graduate students in horticulture and 2013 undergraduates are invited to apply.

For more information about our summer internship program, including application guidelines and forms, please direct faculty and students to our Web site, http://www.nga.gov/education/internsumm.shtm. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Share your opinion about roses!

From Dr. Byrne:

Texas A&M University with the RHA is trying to figure out what the rose of the 21st century should look like. We need more people to take the survey especially among the younger generations (younger than 50). Please take the following survey to help us. It takes about 15 minutes and once you are done please post it on your Facebook or other social media page and/or email to your friends.

http://rosebreeders.org/survey_200/index.php/survey/index/sid/256876/lang/en

Friday Nov 16th Seminar w/ Dr. Lombardini:

Hort Harvest, Wed Nov 14th HFSB Atrium

Specialized Internships - Spring 2013

Apply Now for Spring 2013 Specialized Internships @ the Howdy Farm:

• Social Media Intern
• Outreach Intern
• Composting Intern
• Aquaponics Intern
• Organic Production Intern
• Vegetable Sales/CSA Intern
• Technical Writing Intern

Internships are open to students from all majors.  Internships are eligible for 1-3 hours of course credit.  The Howdy Farm is located on the West Campus of Texas A&M.  If you know someone who might be interested, pass it along!

AggieExternships w/ Calloway's Nursery

Calloway's Nursery is hosting up to four AggiExternships over winter break. Attend an Information Session if you're interested on Nov. 14th, Nov. 19th, or Nov. 29th.

TAMU Green Roofs (HORT 485) - Spring 2013

From Dr. Astrid Volder: ‘We are ready to start recruiting students for next semester’s 485 (Spring 2013). As the green roof is coming along, next semester we will also start working on building a green wall. Students can sign up for the 485 by contacting me (room 405, a-volder@tamu.edu) and filling out the 485 form provided by Katie Marek, Undergraduate HORT Advisor. The horticulture section (max. 10 students) will have a fixed meeting time in Spring 2013 of Thursday mornings from 8.30am – 11.30am. Sections run by Atmospheric Sciences and Landscape Architecture (only 5 students each) will likely meet Tuesday mornings or Wednesday afternoons. There is a blog for the project that you can find on http://tamugreenroof.wordpress.com .’

M.S. and Ph.D. in Plant Breeding via Distance Technology Approved

Individuals interested in the M.S. or Ph.D. in Plant Breeding distance program should:
[1] Contact either Wayne Smith, Associate Department Head for Soil and Crop Sciences, Mike Arnold, Associate Department Head for Horticultural Sciences, or LeAnn Hague, Distance Education Coordinator in Soil and Crop Sciences, to discuss the application process (contact information below);
[2] Apply for admission through the Apply Texas on-line application process (http://ogs.tamu.edu/prospective-students/admissions/applying-to-graduate-schoo/);
[3] All admission requirements, including GPA, GRE, and English Proficiency for non-U.S. citizens, are the same as for those applying for admission for on-campus programs.
For more information, read the November issue of the Texas A&M Plant Breeding Bulletin

The “Role of Horticulture in the Conservation and Utilization of Biodiversity”

The Department of Horticultural Sciences presents The “Role of Horticulture in the Conservation and Utilization of Biodiversity”, Presented by Tim Davis Professor/Senior Scientist, Regional Director for Asia Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture & Department of Horticultural Sciences
Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. HFSB Room 104
*Refreshments provided

"Sustainability and Agriculture: A report from the front lines" by Molly Jahn, University of Wisconsin

Campus Seminar on Monday, Nov. 12, 4pm, Kleberg building, Rm 127: 

Molly Jahn, Professor of Agronomy, former Dean of Agricultural and LIfe Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and former Deputy Under Secretary at the US Department of Agriculture, is an eminent plant geneticist and breeder whose crop varieties are now grown on six continents.  Throughout her career, Dr. Jahn's work has linked fundamental advances in crop genetics and genomics with breakthroughs in agriculture in the U.S. and around the world through innovative partnerships with farmers, industry, non-profits, government and international agricultural organizations.  In 2011, Dr. Jahn was selected to represent the U.S. on a major international commission focused on sustainable agriculture and food security.  

At her Bush Presidential Library forum talk Tuesday evening, Dr. Jahn will share her perspectives on global food security and the innovations in agriculture, food systems and natural resource management that will be critical to our survival and prosperity in the 21st century.  Today, in a world with a billion hungry and a billion suffering from over-consumption, we produce enough food for everyone to have enough to eat.  What are the near term steps we could take to improve food security in the U.S. and around the world?  And what about a future where our agricultural and food systems are further threatened by increasing population, changing climate and degradation of critical natural resources?  Can agriculture move from extractive to regenerative modes, restoring and enhancing our natural resource base while meeting human needs and demands?

GEORGE BUSH PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM ISSUES FORUM SERIES:

"Food Security, 21st Century Agricultural Systems and Genomics" by Molly Jahn, University of Wisconsin.  November 13, 2012,  7 p.m., Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, Hagler Auditorium.   A reception will follow. Through a generous sponsorship from AT&T the event is offered free of charge, but reservations are strongly recommended.  Register for free online at http://jahn.eventbrite.com/