Plant Science & Landscape Architecture Newsletter |
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With the warm weather this fall, it is hard to believe that the mid-semester is upon us and holiday season is almost here. Life on campus has been active and engaged. As you will see in this month's newsletter, our undergraduate students are raising funds for their club activities and our graduate students are getting things done, with several MS and PhD defenses completed or soon to be completed. Our faculty are also going above-and-beyond their regular teaching, research, and Extension duties, having identified two stellar candidates to interview on December 2nd and 9th, with the support of staff to ensure a smooth and welcoming experience for all.
You might also notice that our department newsletter is now being distributed in a more email friendly format. This is being done to make it more readable and to be able to broaden the distribution of our newsletter to undergraduate students, alumni, and our allies and supporters. We hope you enjoy the new format and look. As always, please do not hesitate to contact any of us to share news worthy events and activities from people affiliated with our department. We'd love to hear from you.
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Maussi Arrunategui
Maussi is an MS graduate student with Dr. Ana Legrand.
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What job/career did you envision when you were younger?
Since a very young age, I fell in love with plants. When I was 6 years old, I remember I saw little seedlings on my roof, and I was amazed how these plants could be growing on a roof. At that time, I knew plants were going to be important in my life.
When I was able to come to this country, I saw the opportunity of following my passion for plants as a career and I took it, even when it meant starting my studies all over again and in another language. I graduated from Manchester Community College. Then, I transferred to UConn where I graduated from the Sustainable Plant and Soil Systems major.
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Hometown: Piura, Peru
Favorite Color: Aquamarine
Favorite Snack/Food: Mangos
Dream job: Working on Integrated Pest Management
What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time I walk around my neighborhood, I like to observe the changes of seasons so markedly shown in the plants in this part of the world.
Favorite project: My field project for my thesis. It was carefully planned, and I enjoyed every step that made it possible.
Favorite thing about plant science and/or landscape architecture: My favorite is the people that make the place unique. The faculty and staff that have been so helpful to make my dream of obtaining my masters possible.
Why UConn: When I was a student in Manchester Community College, I learned that UConn was the best university to study agriculture in the state and because of this prestige I chose UConn.
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Cora McGehee recently completed her Ph.D. defense on October 24th. The title of her exit seminar was, "Association between bacterial communities and oomycete plant pathogens with lettuce in hydroponic systems." The core objectives of her research were to characterize the communities and how they survive in reused nutrient solutions, evaluate disinfectants in cleaning surfaces, and determine whether potentially beneficial microbes activate the lettuce immune response. Her research was conducted under the direction of Rosa Raudales and has led to four peer-reviewed publications, with a fifth in preparation. Post-graduation, Cora is pursuing opportunities with an Extension outreach focus that will allow her to directly impact producers and the community.
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Now Recruiting! National Needs Fellowship Program in PSLA
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ATTN: Course Offerings for Spring 2023 |
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With retirements and new hires, we wanted to let you know that the our department will offer the following courses in the spring semester taught by adjunct or new faculty in the department. These courses are in addition to what is traditionally offered by our department in the spring semester.
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SPSS 2210/SAPL 210 – Golf Course Management taught by Cathryn Chapman
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SPSS 2500E/SAPL 500 – Principles and Concepts of Agroecology taught by Roy Davis
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SPSS 2520/SAPL 520 – Floral Arts taught by Justine Ramsey
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SPSS 3540/SAPL 540 – Garden Center Management taught by Dustyn Nelson
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SPSS 3675/SAPL 675 – Greenhouse Technology & Operations Lab taught by John Creedon
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The following 25 PSLA undergraduate students are being recognized for their academic achievement through more than $80,000 in scholarship awards for the 2022-2023 academic year: Matthew Antunes, David Beisler, Sophia Carlson, Fatima Cisneros Ortega, Victor Cizik, Anyania Collazo, Marco Da Cruz, Ana DiMauro, Brian Garzon, Shynaijah Hall, Elisabeth Helmin, Zachary Masi, Monique Michaud, Nicole Molloy, Carlie Ritchie, Kyle Robin, Thomas Rubera, Geneva Scott, Colby Sweeney, Emily Syme, Shicheng Tang, Neil Tighe, Laura Urban, Abigail Varga, and Evan White.
Congratulations to these students! In recognition, please join us for the CAHNR & RHSA Scholars Ceremony and Brunch Celebration on Saturday, December 3rd at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. Registration is required. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
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Kudos to the Hort Club
The following message was sent to the department about our Hort Club students and is published with permission of the author.
Oct. 4, 2022
Hi, Shelley.
I’m writing to you as the advisor for the Horticulture Club. I’ve been corresponding with the Club’s Officer Team about a purchase during the mum sale. The Team has been incredibly helpful and accommodating. I was pleasantly surprised to learn I could easily issue payment remotely (electronically) to reserve my purchase and schedule a pick-up time that worked with my schedule. The Team confirmed my purchase last week, let me select my preferred colors, proactively reminded me of the scheduled pick-up time, and the student who assisted me during pick-up today around 11:45am (regretfully, I did not get her name) went so far as to provide a trash bag to protect my car interior as the mums were freshly watered. I was ready to leave with three mums, but she also kindly reminded me that I paid for four. 😊 Overall, it was the best customer service experience I’ve had in some time—the Team set the bar quite high. Not only that but the mums are gorgeous, and the Team provided care instructions as I’m a mum novice.
I will happily and, as a UConn community member, proudly recommend the Hort. Club to my friends, family and community members for all their mum and poinsettia needs. Job well done!
Warm regards,
Steph
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Undergraduate Club Fundraising Events |
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The UConn Horticulture Club will be holding its annual poinsettia sales this year, with sale dates being held on December 2, 5, 7, and 9 in the Floriculture Greenhouse (times TBD).
Our pot sizes are 4 inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch:
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4 inch pots will be $6;
- 6 inch pots will be $12 or 3 for $30;
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8 inch pots will be $15 or 3 for $40.
Pre-orders will be taken for UConn departments or faculty who wish to buy in bulk (18 or more plants) with a discount.
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The UConn Turf Club offers a fall leaf cleanup program. The students will come to your house and help make your yard look it's best. Their fee for the service is modest and all proceeds are used to pay for their trip to the national conference of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
We just learned that all fall cleanup appointments are now full. If you would like to make a donation to support their trip, please contact Cam Irvine. His phone number is 860-357-0034 and his email is cameron.irvine@uconn.edu
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CT-ASLA Student Chapter Fundraiser for LABASH 2023 |
Our landscape architecture students are currently developing a winter gift sale to raise money for a group trip to the national 2023 LABash Conference in Manhattan, KS. They are creating custom-designed items that will be advertised for sale starting after the Thanksgiving holiday. A recent report from the club advisor, Mariana Fragomeni, is that "their designs will make great holiday gifts." |
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More information about the winter gift sale is coming soon! Please look for signs in the hallway and emails with information on how and where to purchase a gift. Questions and inquiries can be sent directly to the student chapter president, Victor Cizik at victor.cizik@uconn.edu
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November 20 - 26th - UConn Thanksgiving Recess (no classes). The PSLA admin office will be open but working remotely on Monday / Tuesday (21-22), with closure on Nov. 23 - 25. Enjoy the holiday.
December 2, 5, 7, and 9th - Horticulture Club Poinsettia sale. Plants will be available for sale at the Floriculture Greenhouse. Times of the sale are TBD and will be announced soon. To place orders, or for more information, email uconnhortclub@gmail.com
December 2nd - In-person faculty candidate interview for the PSLA position of Assistant Extension Educator in Fruit Management. Stay-tuned for more information and announcements.
December 3rd - CAHNR & RHSA Scholars Ceremony and Brunch Celebration will be held at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. Registration is required. All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
December 9th - In-person faculty candidate interview for the PSLA position of Assistant Extension Educator in Fruit Management. Stay-tuned for more information and announcements.
December 13th - PSLA Winter Celebration. Potluck and Yankee Swap from 3-5pm. See details below.
December 26 - January 2nd - The PSLA admin offices will be working remotely during this week and reduced hours of operation. Please plan your work accordingly and enjoy the holiday.
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Seminars in November
November 11th - Josh Gendron (Yale), guest speaker giving talk entitled, Illuminating the plant calendar 12:15 – 1:15PM in YNG 132. This seminar is being hosted by Huanzhong Wang. Food will served at 12:00 for attendees. Please note that this is the last seminar of the PSLA Fall Seminar Series.
November 11th - Aminou Saibou’s Thesis Defense; 1:30PM in YNG 209. Aminou is defending his Master's Thesis titled, The Impact of Phosphorus and Zinc Starter Fertilization on Spring and Winter Canola Yield in Eastern Washington and Eastern Connecticut. Aminou is advised by Haiying Tao.
November 14th - Felicia Millett's Thesis Defense; 1:00PM in YNG 122. Felicia is defending her Master’s Thesis titled, Glandular and Non-glandular Trichomes are Colonization Sites and Host Entry Points of the Fire Blight Pathogen on Apple Leaves. Felicia is advised by Quan Zeng, CAES scientist and PSLA gratis faculty member.
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Winter Celebration, Dec. 13th |
Faculty, Staff, and Students: Please join us for the second annual Winter Celebration. We will hold this event from 3-5pm on Tuesday, December 13th in the LA presentation room in the lower level of the Young building. We will also host a "Yankee Swap" gift exchange, which was a fun activity at last year's event. If you've never heard of or experienced this kind of gift exchange, click here to learn more about Yankee Swap rules. More information will be sent out via email as the date approaches. Please plan to join us for this final event of the year. |
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The following members of our department will celebrate a birthday in November. Please join us in wishing them a happy birthday! |
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Maussi Arrunategui
Hayden Amtower
Gaurav Thapa Chhetri
Nora Doonan
Tracey Miller
Tyler Seidel
Alyssa Siegel-Miles
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