Admissions | Faculty | Contact Us | Jobs | Monarch
 |
Crop Sciences |
Admissions | Faculty | Contact Us | Jobs | Monarch
|
Crop Sciences |
Emily Heaton, PhD
I am the new Manager of Energy Crop Product Development for Ceres, Inc. (www.ceres.net). Ceres is a plant biotechnology company that is now poised to become the major seed supplier for energy crops. Energy crops represent the next “green revolution” My unique training in the Photosynthesis and Atmospheric Change lab at the University of Illinois has allowed me to be one the few recent graduates in the country prepared for the new energy crop industry. I have been able to move fluidly from research and theory at UIUC to practice and implementation at Ceres, Inc. where I can now help shape the new face of US agriculture!
Jeff Wong, PhD
After leaving Illinois, I moved to California where I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). The position which I am currently filling is an endowed professorship in biotechnology funded by the J.G. Boswell Foundation, the charitable arm of the J.G. Boswell company of Corcoran California. My appointment is mainly teaching (75%), with approximately 25% time for research endeavors.
The high caliber of research being done and the facilities available to do research at the University of Illinois, in my opinion, puts it at the upper echelon of graduate research programs. The research experience I gained while at the University of Illinois will be invaluable in both my own research goals as well as my teaching goals.
The availability of the faculty and their willingness to go the extra mile to help students coupled with the current research projects being done puts the University of Illinois in a category by itself.
The Crop Science Graduate Organization brings together graduate students from the many specialties offered in the department and provides a forum for graduate students with different backgrounds and specialties to meet and interact.
David Alderks, M.S.
Achieving an advanced degree from the Department of Crop Science at the U of I has been very beneficial and rewarding for me. I was able to interact with a variety of different people, and everyone was excellent to work with, making it a positive experience. There were plenty of opportunities to participate in and learn from. The experiences and information gained will be valuable for a lifetime.
Dr. Digambareppa Biradar, PhD
I am currently Associate Director of Research at University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India beginning June 2004. I am the recipient of the Sir C. V. Raman Award for Young Scientist (2002) in Agricultural Sciences from Government of Karnataka, Bangalore in India. This award was finalized and presented in 2004 October. Since I left UIUC, I have also received the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Research Fellowship (1999) and am currently on Commonwealth Academic Fellowship (2004) at Rotahmsted Research, UK.
I owe a lot to the excellent graduate training and also post doc experience that I received at UIUC from 1990 to 1995 for all the successes that I have attained so far. I thought of sharing this news to the current fellow crop science faculty and students with a special thanks to Drs Rayburn and Bullock.
Bryan Young, M.S.
I am currently a Research Agronomist for Burrus Seed Farms, Inc. Besides field research, I also assist the sales staff by organizing field training sessions, writing research results and agronomy articles for our yearly harvest report, and presenting topics in our fall agronomic meetings. As a graduate student, I improved my communication and presentation skills by presenting research results at scientific meetings and being a teaching assistant in Crop Sciences 340, Applied Statistical Methods. My experiences in and out of the classroom prepared me for the challenges I would encounter in the working world.
Silvia Rondon, PhD
I enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois. I chose the University of Illinois because it is one of the best universities in the US. The experience of meeting and dealing with lead researchers not only in my field (Entomology-Integrated Pest Management) but also on other agricultural areas (i.e. Weed Sciences, Plant Pathology) has opened up many opportunities for me. I am currently working at the Protected Agricultural Greenhouse Project as Research Associate Scientist at the University of Florida developing an Integrated Management Plan to reduce pesticide use on the strawberry crop.
A.J. Stewart, M.S.
The Department of Crop Sciences afforded me the opportunity to learn and participate with top researchers. The experiences accumulated from the department allowed for a seamless transition into the working environment. The climate of the department was conducive not only to research but activities outside of academics.
Laura Maupin, M.S.
As a graduate student in the Department of Crop Science I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn from an excellent faculty member, develop my research and laboratory skills, and interact with graduate students from multiple areas in modern agriculture. My experience has provided the knowledge and discipline to be successful in a highly competitive job market.
Kelly Cook, M.S.
During my time spent as a student at the University of Illinois, the educational, research, and outreach opportunities I received have contributed to my career path. The mentorship from professors is second to none. Their interest and support in students lies not only in providing a solid educational foundation, but also guiding students in their professional development by enhancing their strengths and improving on their weaknesses.