Thirty-three student researchers filled the Townsend Hall lobby and Commons to showcase their work at the Fall 2022 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) Research Symposium. CANR staff and faculty moved from poster to poster, inquiring about the students’ current research and future plans.

“Thank you to the students who presented their work today. Your research moves us closer to solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges and building a healthier, more sustainable future,” said Erik Ervin, chair of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and professor of turfgrass and horticultural systems.

The researcher posters were grouped the college’s five unique strengths:

• Climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation;
• Human dimensions of food, agriculture and natural resources;
• Sustainable food systems, landscapes and ecosystems;
• Genetics and genomics for plant, animal and ecosystem improvement; and
• One health intersections among animal, plant, human and ecosystem health.

Students provided succinct and compelling short video poster presentations via the Forager One platform; then the Nov. 16 in-person event gave the young researchers a chance to summarize their work, often to a visitor without prior knowledge of the subject.

“The symposium was a great way to share my research with my peers within the college, and to gain more experience communicating complex topics to individuals who aren’t experts in my field, which is what science is all about!” explained Emily Kennebeck, a graduate student in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. “I loved seeing the wide range of projects that are being completed by other students and speaking with them about their research.”

“[The CANR Research Symposium] was a motivating and challenging experience, especially as a visiting scholar from the University of Bologna in Italy,” added Ph.D. student Martina Bordini, who conducts research with Professor of Animal Genetics Behnam Abasht.

Bordini took home the top award in genetics and genomics research.

“This award is an encouragement and inspiration to keep doing research with more and more motivation and devotion,” said Bordini.

Awardees

Jeff Buler, professor of wildlife ecology, and Ryan Arsenault, associate professor of animal science, announced five first-place award winners.

Climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation

Winner: Amanda Crandall, graduate student, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology

Title: The impacts of climate and anthropogenic change on migrant stopover using weather surveillance radars

Genetics and genomics for plant, animal and ecosystem improvement

Winner: Martina Bordini, Ph.D. student, Department of Animal and Food Sciences

Title: Differential gene expression profiles elucidate molecular pathways associated with wooden breast defect in pectoralis major muscles

Human dimensions of food, agriculture and natural resources

Winner: Carl Nelson-Poteet, undergraduate student, Department of Applied Economics and Statistics

Title: Common pool resource use under heterogeneous risk and impact

One health intersections among animal, plant, human and ecosystem health

Winner: Liang-en Yu, Ph.D. student, Department of Animal and Food Sciences

Title: In-ovo glutamine administration regulates intestinal epithelium development in a broiler intestinal organoid model

Sustainable food systems, landscapes and ecosystems

Winner: Emily Kennebeck, graduate student, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Title: Mustard 'amara' benefits from superelevated CO₂ while adapting to far-red light over time