Curious about Horticulture in China?

The 2013 Horticulture in China study abroad trip is wrapping up, but there's still time to catch up on the student and faculty blog where they've been posting about their observations, experiences, and tours: http://aggiehortgoestochina.blogspot.com/

Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. Scholarships

Texas Garden Clubs, Inc., gives annual scholarships to Texas resident students who are college-level juniors or above. The applicant must have at least a 3.25 GPA and be majoring in a field of horticulture. The fields of horticulture included are floriculture, landscape design, horticulture, botany, biology, plant pathology, forestry, agronomy, environmental concerns, city floriculture planning, land management and other allied subjects. The application deadline isSeptember 1st.

http://www.texasgardenclubs.org/index.html

From Agrilife Today: David Byrne receives national 2013 Carroll R. Miller Award for peach research

COLLEGE STATION — Dr. David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist in College Station, has received the Carroll R. Miller Award from the National Peach Council.

The award was established in memory of Miller of Martinsburg, W.V., a founding member and first president of the peach council, according to the group’s website. The award is given “to encourage and recognize noteworthy research relating to improved marketing and utilization of peaches and/or peach products.”

Bryne, who researches stone fruit and roses, was cited for his recent introduction of four new peach varieties suitable for growing in areas that do not receive the cold temperatures that most other peach varieties need to produce.

Dr. David Byrne, Texas A&M AgriLife Research peach breeder, examines trees in his plot in College Station. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips)

He said they are the first series low-acid white peaches for warmer climates.

“These releases are part of several decade-long projects in which I’ve been developing a range of stone fruit types adapted to the warm winter regions of the world,” Byrne said.

He is currently in the process of releasing a series of yellow peaches, nectarines and flat peaches adapted for such regions. He has also actively investigated the origin of peach germplasm and, with various collaborators, has documented the health benefits of eating peaches and plums.

Byrne received his bachelor’s in plant science from Rutgers University in 1975 and his doctorate in plant breeding in 1980 from Cornell University. Click for original article.

Meet the 2013 Italy Study Abroad Trip Leaders: Dr. Millie Burrell & Mr. Paul Greer

Visit:  http://youtu.be/BvynCd8Dicg for high resolution video

A brief introduction to Millie and Paul:  For those of you who do not already know us, the photo below is of Millie Burrell and Paul Greer at the Vatican Gardens during a previous trip to Italy.  Millie and I are married, and live in south College Station.  Hopefully many of you will know us already, as we both have been in the Horticulture Department for many years.  Millie completed her masters here, and a PhD in Botany in the Biology Department. At one time or another, Millie has taught most of the classes in the department, so she is well versed on the subject.

Millie studied Ancient Greek and Latin as an undergraduate, lived in Italy for a year, has travelled through out most of the country and speaks Italian.  I have been at Texas A&M since 1994, and in the Horticulture Department since 1997. My background is as varied as horticulture itself, including computer and networking, to research on cotton and guayule (Parthenium argentatum), a drought resistant rubber producing plant commonly found in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. 

We are sorry that Dr. Lombardini & Dr. Starman cannot go on this trip, but we are excited and looking forward to interacting with the students, and sharing our experiences and knowledge of Italy. Please feel free to contact me by email at pgreer@tamu.edu

Boboli Gardens in Firenze. The gardens in Italy are so incredible, rivaled only by the architecture and culture. And the food is not bad either.

Paul at the Vatican Gardens

Paul at Siena, Italy during Serpentine Meeting

Paul appreciating classic cars during the Rally 1000 Miglia in Siena

Millie in Pisa

From TAMU Times: Green Roof Project Brings Earth to Sky at Texas A&M

The stark, gray rooftop of the Langford Architecture Building on the campus of Texas A&M University will turn green in the months and years to come as students and professors from three academic disciplines come together to create a “green roof.”

Green roofs are roofs that are either partially or completely covered with vegetation. “Green roofs help cool rooftops, conserve energy, prevent urban flooding, provide wildlife habitat and create urban green space,” says Bruce Dvorak, a professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, and one of three faculty members leading students in the rooftop planting project.

The green roof project on Langford Building A is funded by a Tier One Program (TOP) grant, a funding initiative at Texas A&M designed to enhance students’ learning experiences.

(from left:) Texas A&M Professors Bruce Dvorak, Astrid Volder and Don Conlee

In addition to Landscape Architecture, students from the Department of Horticultural Sciences, led by Professor Astrid Volder, and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences, led by Professor Don Conlee, are participating in the project, “designing, constructing, installing and maintaining all elements of the green roof including physical structures, instrumentation, planting and plant maintenance, and associated data processing and display,” Dvorak explains.  Read more and watch video here.

Congrats to all of our May Hort Grads!

Bachelor of Arts – Horticulture

Christine Cohen Kimberly Dunne Ryan Gersch Cody Grimmett Megan Hale Amanda Jenkins Rachelle Lemoine Katherine McNamee Kayle Short Johanna Storm Hilde Talsma Christine Thibodeaux Michelle Washburn Katherine Willis
Bachelor of Science –  Horticulture
Alexander Black Michael Cook Lindsey Felps Andrea Fonseca Lauren Garcia Mandy Little Heather MacDonald Morgan Metting Lacey Murray Kendall Raabe Jessica Smith James Wilkins Jake Wood

HORT Undergrad Laura Phillips on the cover of NSC Handbook:

Texas Dept. of Agriculture Internships

Please Note: Internship opportunities are posted each semester if available on our Employment website.  In order to be considered for an internship position, you must:

1. Submit BOTH a State of Texas Application and a Supplemental Intern Application
2. If you'd like to be considered for more than one internship, please send a separate email for
3. each position
4. Email should include your Last Name, First Name and the Position # in the subject line
5. Email your completed applications to: janet.kowalski@texasagriculture.gov

Deadline: May 10, 2013 for Summer Internships:

 13-900-1 – Trade and Business Development Intern/Austin

13-949-1 – Regional Operations Intern/San Antonio

13-927-1 – Regional Operations Intern/San Juan

13-907-1 – Trade and Business Development Intern/Austin

13-913-1 – Policy and External Relations Intern/Austin

13-948-1 – Regional Operations Intern/Houston

13-908-1 – Legal Intern/Austin

13-916-1 – Financial Services Intern/Austin

13-952-1 – Agriculture and Consumer Protection Intern/Austin

13-911-1 – Communications Intern/Austin

13-910-1 – Administrative Services Intern/Austin

13-951-1 – Agriculture and  Consumer Protection Intern/Austin

13-927-1 -  Regional Operations Intern/San Juan

Dr. Fred Davies to serve as Jefferson Science Fellow

COLLEGE STATION – Dr. Fred Davies, a Texas A&M University horticulturist, will spend the 2013-2014 school year as a Jefferson Science Fellow assisting the U.S. government with foreign policy.

Davies begins his 12-month fellowship in mid-August working in food security and international agriculture at the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development. He will return in September 2014 but remain available to the government for short-term projects for the following five years.

The Jefferson Science Fellowships allow tenured academic scientists and engineers from institutions of higher learning in the U.S. to help form and implement national foreign policy. The program is administered by the National Academies and supported through a partnership between the U.S. academic community, professional scientific societies, the State Department and the USAID.

The program is based on the premise that science and technology make fundamental contributions to security, economic, health and cultural conditions of modern societies, and are integral to the development and implementation of foreign policy.

Davies is among 13 individuals selected this year and is only the second Texas A&M faculty member chosen for the honor. Nicholas Suntzeff, a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy, was a 2010-2011 Fellow. Read more here

Dr. Volder seeks Green Roof Project Students (Summer HORT 485)

We need students for this summer semesters (I, II or both).  We will finish building a green wall on the Langford building as well as refurbishing vertical planters in the holistic garden.  More info HERE

Dr. Astrid Volder

Department of Horticultural Sciences

Texas A&M University

+ 979 845 9277

a-volder@tamu.edu

Tree Fund Scholarships: Apply by May 15th (grants, too!)

The TREE Fund offers scholarships for undergraduate students who aspire to careers in arboriculture, urban forestry and related fields.

GRANTS:The TREE Fund’s research grants have contributed to improvements in plant management techniques, industry safety practices and equipment, and strategies for disease and pest control.  We offer grants in the areas of Root and Soil Management; Planting and Establishment; Plant Health Care; Risk Assessment and Worker Safety; Technology Transfer; Urban Forestry; and Arboriculture Education.  Contact the TREE Fund to learn more about these grant opportunities:

http://www.treefund.org/home