The University of Arkansas Plant Pathology Graduate Student Association is a registered student organization that formed in 2002, that among other activities, serves community farmers and homeowners by pinpointing and finding solutions for plant problems. Currently made of 25 graduate students in the Department of Plant Pathology in Bumpers College, members are from the U.S., China, Nepal, Colombia and Argentina.
PPGSA President, Keiddy Urrea, is from Colombia and was active in a similar association there before beginning graduate school at the University of Arkansas. Urrea became active in the University of Arkansas group in 2007 and served as Vice President last year.
“It’s great experience and helps improve your skills, your communication and opportunities,” she said.
The group is in collaboration with the Biology Graduate Student Association, which parallels interests.
“We’re trying to make our group bigger and have interest with other graduate students,” she said, explaining that they’re connecting with groups that share similar topics and technologies.
As opposed to undergraduate RSOs, which spend time directing students to a more specific area of study, PPGSA members are all graduate students who have a narrowed focus.
“We have research going on all the time,” she said. “It is demanding.”
Urrea encouraged students that it is a worthwhile endeavor, increasing coordination and time management.
“People have to do these kinds of (busy) things in college because later they’ll have to deal with many people and deal with many things.”
Activities
PPGSA focuses primarily on manning a booth biweekly at the Saturday Fayetteville Farmer’s Market, which will be open this summer from 8 a.m.- noon, starting at the end of May.
Community farmers, local growers “bring the (sick) plant to us, we take it to the lab and work on it, then bring it back with the answers,” Urrea said. “We focus on diseases, on symptoms that are not normal.”
It’s “one of the more rewarding activities for me and an important aspect for many students,” said group Faculty Advisor, Craig Rothrock.
The group receives mostly ornamental, vegetable and fruit plants from the community to study.
Members attend the annual American Phytopathological Society Conferences, which are in Honolulu (national) and Corpus Christi (regional) this year. During these, members attend meetings specific to their research, which instantly divides them based on work objectives, topical discussion and crop interest.
Students must be prepared to “give talks, but mostly do posters about research,” Urrea said.
Members meet for monthly meetings to plan group activity- a particularly challenging endeavor because fundraising is not an option and this year will participate in the spring festival, advertising their services and group goals to the community.
“We have activities to improve careers and future opportunities for students,” Urrea said. “We host seminars with speakers, professors from the University and professors in our areas of interests.”
Officers
This year’s officers are Keiddy Urrea, President; Jonathon Smith, Vice President; Jianbing Ma, Treasurer and Craig Rothrock, Faculty Advisor.
The 2011/2012 officer campaign speeches and election will take place at about 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, in room nine of the Plant Sciences building. Results will be announced the following Tuesday after the stuents have had a week to make their decisions.
Urrea always looks forward to a new set of officers because “your (past officers’) ideas are good but fresh ideas are needed and always welcome.”
Jonathon Smith, former Treasurer and current Vice President is hoping to return to post as Treasurer.
“I like keeping the organization funded,” he said.
Smith became an officer because he truly appreciated PPGSA activity.
“I had enjoyed events hosted by the PPGSA and… I wanted to help get more events sponsored,” he said. “I have really enjoyed hearing suggestions from other students and incorporating those with officer’s ideas.”
Officer elections follow a straightforward schedule. “ Potential officers sign up, they have a day to campaign and then the members vote,” Urrea said. “It’s very democratic.”
Urrea highly recommends getting involved by taking on responsibility, then by moving up in officer ranking.
“You get good experience for a year, then move up and you know what to expect.”
PPGSA advisor, professor Craig Rothrock, conducts research that is directed toward developing sustainable cropping systems, according to the University of Arkansas Plant Pathology website.
In addition to teaching and research, he runs the Farmer’s Market booth with the students, helps with the labwork on the plants and helps with event planning.
“My role is to assist the students in realizing their goals as a group…finding funding for activities or providing guidance on organizing (them),” he said.
Since the RSO is graduate-student centered, Rothrock sees himself as a facilitator rather than advisor. He likes to step back and watch the students come into their own leadership roles to encourage professional development.
“It has served as an educational experience for students…and is a chance to interact with the public in an advisory role.”
PPGSA has “increased the public awareness of the importance of plant diseases and agriculture in growing plants and producing food at the local level.”
No comments:
Post a Comment