Special Recognition
Ed Tuinier Memorial Scholarship Recipient - Zachary Pernack
August 12, 2010 -- "My professional goal is to own my own retail greenhouse. I want to pursue my career in floriculture because I have been working in a greenhouse since the age of 12," says Pernack. "Just being in the horticulture field makes me feel good overall as a person."
The Tuinier scholarship is awarded to sophomore, junior, or senior undergraduate students enrolled in the floriculture program at Michigan State University. Ed Tuinier, owner of Post Gardens, loved the greenhouse business, building his firm to one of the top 50 U.S. companies, inspiring his children, all of whom work in one of the two Post Gardens locations. A graduate of Michigan State University, Ed was a major benefactor of the MSU horticulture program and demonstration gardens.
The American Floral Endowment (AFE) Announces the 2010 Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship Recipient
Alexandria, VA - May 10, 2010 -- A Michigan State University (MSU) graduate student, currently pursuing her doctorate, has been awarded the American Floral Endowment’s 2010 Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship.
Daedre Craig, who is currently receiving the Michigan State University Plant Science Fellowship, is the head grower for the MSU Horticulture Organization of Graduate Students and has been recognized by numerous organizations for her achievements in research and academia. This latest achievement nets her a scholarship of $8,000.
This scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke Jr., who made indispensable contributions to the advancement of the global floriculture industry. It is awarded to students who have completed, or are in the process of completing either a Bachelor of Science or a Master of Science in horticulture or a related field, with the intention of pursuing a master's or doctorate and leading floricultural scientists and educators.
"Receiving the Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship will allow me to broaden the scope of my dissertation research and open up additional education and extension opportunities to disseminate the results of my research," Craig wrote in her application for the scholarship.
Since beginning graduate school, Craig has presented her research to several groups, including the Floriculture Research Alliance (http://floriculturealliance.org/), MSU’s annual Floriculture Research Update, and the Horticulture Career Development class.
Craig's current research project is focusing on using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the production of greenhouse crops. "Growers have traditionally used incandescent lamps to create artificial long days for photoperiodic crop production. However, many developed countries are phasing out incandescent lamps due to their energy inefficiency; they convert only about 10 percent of the energy into visible light."
Given the 2007 passage of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandates the phase-out of incandescent bulbs by 2014, Craig's focus is on finding an alternative to the incandescent lamp for photoperiodic lighting.
"Daedre's research project has great potential to create useful information for growers, as well as improve our fundamental understanding of flowering," wrote Erik Runkle, associate professor and floriculture specialist at MSU, in his recommendation letter. "The subject of LEDs for greenhouse applications is of widespread interest, and we need unbiased, research-based information on their utility and cost effectiveness."
After earning my Ph.D., I will seek a teaching and/or research position at a university or botanical garden. Ideally, I would like to teach and continue research in the areas of floriculture, plant physiology, and greenhouse production, lighting and energy cost reduction," says Craig.
"AFE received some outstanding applications and the selection process was extremely difficult," said AFE's Education Chairman Ken Altman of Altman Plants in Vista, Calif. "What set Daedre apart was her demonstrated commitment to the industry and her studies, as well as her exemplary academic progress."
The American Floral Endowment has more than 20 scholarships available to students studying floriculture/horticulture or related fields. For more information, visit www.endowment.org/education.
The American Floral Endowment is dedicated to advancing the industry through funding floriculture research, educational grants and scholarships. More than $14 million has been funded toward research projects benefiting the entire industry, and more than $300,000 in scholarships designed to attract and retain the future leaders of the industry.
2010 PLANET
Congratulations to the MSU landscape team that represented MSU at PLANET (Professional Landcare Network) Student Career Days held in Atlanta last week (sort of like the landscape olympics). There were 900 students competing from 70 different colleges and universities from across the United States, Canada, and as far away as England. MSU finished 10th out of the 70 schools competing (second in the Big Ten).
The team was composed of members of Horticulture Club and included Rochelle Bolt, Jake Emling, Meghan Fisher, Joel Franken, Tim Gray, Jackie Grow, Zeke Kadish, Brenda Landhuis, Drew LeFresne, Sara Marcucci, Jamey Martinez, Jim Moylan, Lesley Recker, Ashley Whalen, Mitch Zost, and team coaches Brad Rowe, Marcus Duck, Bert Cregg, and Tom Fernandez.
Top 20 performances in individual events included:
- Ashley Whalen, 3D CAD Landscape Design (1st)
- Jim Moylan, Irrigation Design (2nd)
- Team of Drew LeFresne, Jamey Martinez, and Jim Moylan, Landscape Plant Installation (2nd)
- Zeke Kadish, Compact Excavator Operation (6th)
- Joel Franken, Maintenance Cost Estimating (9th)
- Tim Gray, Small Engine Repair (9th)
- Team of Jake Emling and Drew LeFresne, Wood Construction (11th)
- Team of Jim Moylan and Joel Franken Irrigation Assembly (11th)
- Team of Zeke Kadish and Jamey Martinez, Landscape Maintenance Operations (12th)
- Brenda Landhuis, Annual and Perennial ID (14th)
- Brenda Landhuis, Business Management (14th)
- Lesley Recker, Business Management (15th)
- Team of Zeke Kadish and Joel Franken, Truck and Trailer Operation (17th)
- Meghan Fisher, Safety Management (18th)
- Rochelle Bolt, Interior Landscape Design (19th)
- Sara Marcucci, Sales Presentation (19th)
- Jim Moylan, Irrigation Troubleshooting (19th)
- Zeke Kadish, Skidsteer Operation (20th)
Top scorers for MSU:
- Zeke Kadish (282 points)
- Joel Franken (339 points)
- Brenda Landhuis (314 points)
- Jim Moylan (310 points)
Special congratulations to Joel Franken, Brenda Landhuis, and Jim Moylan for being awarded scholarships worth $1000.
Jim "Chip" Moylan is OFA scholar!
Thirty-six students from 23 U.S. and international schools applied for this year's OFA Scholars Program. Representing the best in young scholarship and initiative, these students will be at the 2010 OFA Short Course to gain invaluable exposure to networking and mentoring opportunities. Please join us in congratulating this year's OFA Scholars.
MSU Horticulture Students Ranked Highly at
Annual Mid-American Collegiate Horticulture Society Competition
Recently, five of our horticulture students, Bill Holdsworth, Mitch Zost, Matt Chansler, Brenda Landhuis and Megan Fisher, represented the department at the Mid-America Collegiate Horticulture Society (MACHS) competition hosted by the University of Wisconsin. The team placed second overall in the competition and were narrowly beaten by the team from Iowa State. Bill Holdsworth won 1st place in the overall individual competition and others ranked highly in some of the categories including a 1st place for Mitch Zost in herbaceous ID with Matt Chansler taking 3rd place in the woody plant ID category. A total of 43 students competed and our students performed well, finishing consistently in the top 15 in many of the categories.