Congrats Grads!

Congratulations to all of the Fall 2012 HORT grads! 

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

Aggies for Hire - Job Postings

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

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:

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

Meet Corey Wahl, the new Howdy! Farm Technician:

If you haven't met Corey at the Howdy! Farm yet, you will soon.  Hailing from the Northwest, he's a great addition to the Howdy! Farm team.  His office is temporarily located on the 2nd floor in the HFSB and students can reach him by email at corey.wahl@tamu.edu Here's a little bit more about him:

'My name is Corey Wahl and I hold a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture, which I received at Washington State University. After I graduated I was promoted to Biological Science Technician with the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Washington State.  The main focus of my work was germplasm maintenance and conservation. My hobbies include cooking, playing guitar, photography, attending concerts and festivals, and writing.    I am very interested in organic and sustainable farming and feel very fortunate to be working with the Howdy Farm as it continues to grow.  My goal is to help the Howdy! Farm become a fully sustainable demonstration garden that provides education and inspiration to the university as well as the community.  Some of the specific sustainable practices I hope to integrate into the farm include: rainwater harvesting, no-till soil management, intensive raised bed gardening, compost production, and intercropping.'

Join us in saying, 'Howdy, Corey!'

Peace Corps Oct. 4th Info Session

Agrilife Today features Howdy Farm

Click to access full article

 

Help the reforestation efforts for Bastrop's Lost Pines!

Howdy!

My name is Ingrid Karklins and I am currently a student leader in the Society for Ecological Restoration Student Guild. I am contacting you today because I believe many students within your department may be interested in getting involved with our student organization.

This year, we will be collecting loblolly pine seedlings in Bastrop on October 6th and students will have the opportunity to propagate them in the greenhouses in West Campus.   Additional projects include planting seedlings on Griffith League Scout Ranch in Bastrop; a restoration project in Schob Park; opportunities to visit with the Texas Forest Service and get involved in the Bastrop Fire Recovery project; opportunities to view the effects of severe fire on soils; an opportunity to help rebuild the Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis) habitat and more!

Our first meeting will be held September 26th in Rudder Tower Room 302 at 5:30 pm.

Thank you for your time and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Ingrid Karklins

Undergraduate Chair
Society for Ecological Restoration Student Guild
undergraduate_chair@ser.tamu.edu

http://ser.tamu.edu/about

Volunteer at the Howdy Farm:

Get your hands dirty and learn by working on A&M's own Student Farm.  The Howdy Farm includes 5 acres of organic growing space behind the HORT building on West Campus and students from all around A&M pitch in to lend a helping hand.  Learn more at http://studentfarmblog.wordpress.com/

 

This week's volunteer hours are: 

Tues / 2-5  

Wed / 2-5 

Fri / 1-5

Contact Matt Weintraub if you're interested in volunteering:  

214.708.1160

matt.weintrub@gmail.com 

facebook.com/tamuhowdyfarm

'Organic Gardening is My Life' - Seminar Wed. 9/19

Howdy,
Next week the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences is hosting a speaker that I think would be of interest to students, faculty and staff in Horticulture:

SOIL & CROP SCIENCES SEMINAR

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

4:00 p.m. - Heep Center - Room 103; Refreshments - 3:45 p.m.

John L. Dromgoole

Owner - The Natural Gardener; Austin, TX

“Organic Gardening is My Life”

John Dromgoole is the owner of The Natural Gardener, Austin’s organic garden center, and Lady Bug Natural Brand, His award-winning nursery is a three-time winner of Today’s Garden Center’s “Revolutionary 100 Garden Centers,” eleven-time winner of Austin Chronicle’s “Best of Austin,” and has been featured in many national gardening magazines. In 2008, The Natural Gardener was honored with the national award of “Innovative Garden Center of the Year” by Garden Center Magazine.

For 29 years, John has hosted America’s longest continuously running organic gardening radio talk show on 590 KLBJ. On television, John once hosted the first national organic gardening series on PBS, “The New Garden.” Currently he appears on “Central Texas Gardener” (over 13 years) and the “Weekend Gardener” (20 years). He has won state, local, and regional awards for his work in promoting organic gardening and farming, including “Texas Legendary Promoter of Organics.”
John’s main focus is to bring new and old gardeners on board with the organic technique, teaching them how easy, beneficial and beautiful it is to be an organic gardener.

Some Sweet Bikes...

http://maroonbikes.com

These are awesome...rent yours today!

Study Abroad Photo Contest! (and a couple of great tutorials)

Have you studied abroad?  Do you have some great pictures? Read on...

Photography for Study Abroad- Photoshop Basics

The Photoshop Basics class will be 09/06/2012 from  5:30pm-7:30pm, Student Computing Center Rm 4.114.

The Texas A&M Study Abroad Programs Office is offering a basic photo-editing class geared towards study abroad students, but the class is open to everyone.  The class will be about two hours and is designed for anyone interested in learning basic photo editing in Photoshop. We will cover basic image corrections, adjusting color and tone, cropping, and if we have time some basic masking techniques.  

Although the class is geared towards future study abroad students it is open to everyone. Please bring a photo to edit! Make sure your photo is at least 1MB in size.

Photography for Study Abroad- Matting Your Photograph

The Matting Your Photograph class will be 09/12/2012 from 5:30pm-6:30pm, Rudder, Rm  701.

The Texas A&M Study Abroad Programs Office is offering a basic photo-matting class geared towards study abroad students, but the class is open to everyone.  The class will be about an hour and is designed for anyone interested in learning how to matt a photograph. We will show you how to cut out a matte frame and how to mount your photo. We will also discuss the tools you will need and briefly cover framing options.

If you are interested in participating please RSVP to Michael Clement at mclement@tamu.edu. Although the class is geared towards future study abroad students it is open to everyone. Please bring a photo to edit! Make sure your photo is at least 2MB in size.

***Aggies Abroad Photo Contest***

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 in the Rudder Exhibit Hall

Entries Due: By 5pm Friday, September 14, 2012

As part of the September 19^th Overseas Day we will be holding the Aggies Abroad Photo Contest! We are looking for photos, taken abroad in the last year, which capture images that illustrate the entrant’s study abroad experience. Submissions should have excellent composition, be visually interesting, and capture the impact of the international experience. Entry forms can be found on our website at studyabroad.tamu.edu or picked up in the Study Abroad Programs Office in Bizzell Hall West. Entries (2 max per person) are due at the study abroad programs office by September 14^th and each must be accompanied by a submission form, a digital copy of the entry, and a matted physical copy. Winners will be chosen by visitors to Overseas Days and will receive prizes donated by local businesses.

Study Abroad Scholarships - Apply by OCT. 1st

Now is your chance to apply for scholarship funds through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for your 2012-2013 Study Abroad plans.  If you are considering a Study Abroad program this winter, next spring, OR Summer of 2013, don't miss the October 1st Deadline!

Don't miss out on this great opportunity for financial assistance to help you realize your international study goals.  Visit http://studyabroad.tamu.edu/_customtags/ct_FileRetrieve.cfm?File_ID=050F7274704F0B72020D7077020B1C700D0A70140F7802056E05087075017071730101007174760075 for the downloadable application, BUT note that you should apply by the OCTOBER 1st DEADLINE for Summer 2013 Study Abroad.

Plan Ahead...Consider Study Abroad

Learn about Study Abroad options (click here)