Crop & Soil Sciences: News & Events

News Archive 2006

Department Celebrates the Holidays with Annual Potluck Gathering (posted 11.30.06)
Friday, December 15, the department's Athens contingent will gather to share dishes prepared by our friends and colleagues for our annual Holiday Potluck. We'll be enjoying good company and good cooking from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in room 2401, on the second floor of Miller Plant Sciences Building. Please try your hand in the kitchen or grocery store and join us for snacking and celebrating.

University Reviews Crop and Soil Sciences Department (posted 11.17.06)
This month, from Monday, November 27 through Thursday, November 30, the university will be both reviewing and visiting the operations of the three campuses comprising the department. This review occurs only once every seven years. You may find the entire Program Review document on our site, under About Us :: 2006 Program Review.

UGA Soils Judging Team Participates in Regional Competition (posted 11.08.06)
Traveling to Bowling Green, Kentucky, the University of Georgia Soils Judging team spent four days in October getting low-down and dirty—for science, that is.

2006 UGA Soil Judging Team—6th place in Southeast Regional Contest Pictured L to R: Randy Snow, Chris Rickman, Steven Smith, Matt Stowe, Stephen Jones, Dustin Dinsmore (10th high individual), and Stephen Dockery

 

AGSA Coffee Hour, Election Day—Tuesday, November 7, 8:30-9-30 a.m. in the third-floor conference room.
This month the club again features organic, shade-grown, fair trade coffee from Cafe Campesino of Americus, GA, as well as various options for you to nosh on with your coffee. Please send any breakfast food requests for this month's Coffee Hour to jhaider@alum.emory.edu. And sometime after breakfast, if you're eligible, don't forget to vote!

GEOG 8020, #56-476, a Geomorphology Seminar titled "Human Impact on Fluvial Systems," offered Spring 2007. (Posted 11.01.06)
Why is this news on the CSS site? Geomorphology is the study of landforms, both of their origins and possible future states. Pedology, one of the two main branches of soil science, draws upon basic studies in Geomorphology. Fluvial Geomorphology looks at how sediment is carried in water channels, and how human activity changes these systems. For more information, view the class synopsis and reading list.

University and corporate positions now posted on site (Posted 11.01.06)
The most current listings the department receives for teaching positions, assistantships, and for crop- and soil-related industry jobs will be posted as they are received. Keep on top of what's on offer—There are several tenure track positions up now. Find it under About Us :: Employment Opportunities.

AGSA Offers Fresh Designs in New T-Shirts, Polos, and Hats (Posted 10.26.06)
"Crop Circle" t-shirt worn out? Need holiday gift ideas? AGSA has just what you're looking for! This year we have a NEW departmental t-shirt design, plus polos and hats available in a variety of sizes and colors. Check out the designs and find more information at our website, http://www.uga.edu/agsa/.

DIRECTIONS: Use our pre-order form to choose items that you would like to order. Please send your pre-orders as soon as possible (before FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3) so we have a better idea of the number of items that we need to order. It is not necessary to send payment (preferably a check payable to AGSA) with your order, but it is preferred for large orders. In order to encourage you to send a check with your pre-order, we will be giving away "which dawg are you?" t-shirts to at least 10 people, drawn at random, who send pre-orders with payment before FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3.

Please either e-mail your order to agsa@uga.edu, place in the AGSA mailbox in the main office (Rm. 3111), or mail to: AGSA, Dept. of Crop and Soil Sciences, 3111 Miller Plant Sciences Bldg., Athens, GA 30602-7272.

Thanks for your interest!
Agronomy Graduate Student Association
http://www.uga.edu/agsa

Graduate Students meet Wednesday, September 13 (Posted 09.12.06)
This is to remind you that there is a mandatory meeting for all graduate students this Wednesday, 13 September with our graduate coordinator, Miguel Cabrera, who will discuss issues important to new and returning graduate students alike. The meeting will run 5:00 p.m. through 6:30 p.m. in the third floor conference room (3113 Miller Plant Sciences). Food will be served.

Agronomy Club Hosts Fall Cookout (Posted 08.31.06)
The students of the undergraduate Agronomy Club are hosting a Crop and Soil Sciences department-wide cookout to celebrate the start of fall semester, and provide some time for the Athens students, staff and faculty to relax and interact with each other. Weather permitting, it is scheduled for next Thursday, September 7th at 5 pm, in front of the Miller Plant Sciences Bldg. Your presence is a great way to show support and appreciation towards our enthusiastic and enterprising students. See you there!

UGA Soil Judging Team Places Third in National Competition (Posted 06.05.06)
The University of Georgia Soil Judging Team competed in the National Soils Contest hosted by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA on March 23-24.

Soil Judging Team members pose with their backs to the San Andreas Fault Pictured L to R: Anthony McEver, Tony DeMarco, Gus McCormick, Charles Moore, Andrew Croy

The UGA team placed both third overall and 3rd in the team competition. Tony DeMarco placed 7th in the individual scoring. Twenty-one teams from across the country participated in this year's event.

Each member of the team is an Environmental Soil Science major. Andrew McEver is from Baldwin County, Tony DeMarco is from Gwinnett County, Gus McCormick is from Bullock County, Charles Moore is from Hart County, and Andrew Croy is from Forsyth County.

 

AGSA Research Forum and Poster Contest a Success (Posted 05.19.06)

The 2006 Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Research Forum and Poster Contest was a resounding success, sparking animated conversation and exchange of ideas throughout the third-floor hallways where the posters were displayed. Thirteen department graduate and undergraduate students submitted posters detailing an area of research. Following an opening reception, Dr. Bill Miller and Dr. David Knauft reviewed the entries and selected the top three posters.

To read the abstracts of the submissions, download Abstracts (pdf).

To view the winning posters, click each title. Congratulations to Dave, Rob and Greg!

• 1st Place: David Butler
  "Phosphorus Export from Aerated Grasslands" (pdf)
• 2nd Place: Rob Millings
  "A Comparison in Cotton of Mepiquat Chloride Activity with and without Cyclanilide Addition" (pdf)
• 3rd Place: Greg Pillar
  "Interaction of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene with Clay Minerals and Humic-Clay Complexes" (pdf)

CSS Hosts Reception to Bid Ingrid Barrios Farewell (Posted 05.01.06)
A reception honoring Ingrid Barrios, Administrative Assistant, for her work with the department was a well-attended success on April 28. Ingrid will be moving to Atlanta; her last day is May 5. Her reception came with sound effects and a field trip—Just as the conference room filled with people, a (very loud) fire drill sent everyone outside for fresh air. Once back inside, guests signed a card and munched excellent food while wishing Ingrid the best. The graduate students presented her with a keyring bigger than a fist to remind her of her recent ordeal during the Department's re-keying. We wish Ingrid the best in her future endeavors.

Department's Spring Fling Features Photogenic Participants (Posted 04.29.06)
Students, faculty and staff enjoyed a pleasant day out at the Plant Science Farm on April 21. Guests ate catfish, hushpuppies, burgers and other excellent food prepared by Jason Strickland, then played games by the lakeside pavilion. Ingrid Barrios and Deb Chasteen ran a raffle for department T-shirts, cookbooks, mugs and the ever-popular Agronomy Club peanuts.

Pictured L to R: Award winners Haley Gilleland and Abby Blocker-Joyner display their awards with Department Head Dr. Donn Shillling at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair held at UGA.

Dr. Shilling Presents Awards (Posted 04.29.06)
Dr. Donn Shilling presented Agronomy awards to young participants in the 58th Georgia Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, April 8, 2006.

The UGA Crop and Soil Department recognized the work of Haley Gilleland of Ben Hill Middle School in Fitzgerald and Abby Blocker-Joyner of Statesboro High School in Statesboro.

Congratulations to these bright, dedicated young women.

Department Hosts the Spring Fling on April 21, 2006 (Posted 04.13.06)
The Department hosts the annual Spring Fling gathering and cookout at the Plant Sciences Farm in Watkinsville on Friday, April 21, from 12 noon until 5:00 p.m. All students, faculty and staff are invited to enjoy an afternoon of games, prize raffles and a fish fry. Burgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers are also on the menu. Please RSVP by e-maililng Ingrid at ibarrios@uga.edu. We look forward to your joining us-See you there!

 

Departmental Banquet to be held April 13, 2006 (Posted 03.14.06)
The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Annual Banquet sponsored by the Agronomy Club will be held April 13, 2006. It will start at 6:30PM at Flinchum's Phoenix. Tickets are on sale from any Agronomy Club member, after Spring Break. Tickets are $5.00 each. If you need more information please email Jeremy Huskey at jeremy04@uga.edu. Everyone is invited and we hope to see you there!

New Administrative Assistants for Athens Campus hired
The department has hired two new Administrative Assistants:

• Deb Chasteen - Administrative Assistant II (Administrative support)
  Deb will be starting March 20th and assume Ingrid's responsibilities.
  This starting date will give her an opportunity to cross-train with Ingrid who will be leaving on May 6th.
• Melissa Hannah - Administrative Assistant II (Fiscal support)
  Melissa will be starting March 27th. She will be primarily responsible for providing fiscal support, but will also help with various administrative duties.

Dr. Craig Bednarz accepted research/teaching position at Texas Tech University
Dr. Craig Bednarz joined the UGA Crop & Soil Sciences Department as an Assistant Professor in Cotton Physiology and Management in December 1996 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2002. He recently accepted a research/teaching position at his alma mater Texas Tech University and departed from UGA at the end of March 2006.

His greatest contributions to the knowledge base of cotton in Georgia, the Southeast, and U.S. include determinations of yield and fiber quality losses associated with delayed harvest, compensatory capacity of cotton following early season fruit losses, effects of reduced plant populations on fiber quality, fundamentals of yield and quality components within the cotton canopy, and basic water use requirements of modern cotton production in coarse textured, low organic matter soils. His work demonstrates the uniqueness of cotton production in the lower coastal plain as compared to many other parts of the U.S.

Recognizing the discrepancy of fiber quality measurements from small plot research samples versus commercially ginned cotton, Dr. Bednarz conceived the idea of the UGA Micro Gin. He was instrumental in securing state and federal grants in excess of $2 million and provided leadership to bring the project to completion in 2004. The MicroGin is the most modern facility of its kind in the world and is an exceptional tool for addressing current fiber quality challenges facing Georgia producers.

His creative research, strong work ethic, and cooperative spirit made him a valuable member of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

2005 Fall Graduation (Posted 02.01.06)
Fall graduation was held on December 17, 2005 in the Mabler Auditorium.

Graduating class pictured L to R: Dean Angle, Charles Moore, James Brandon Stuart, Chad Jaudon, Dr. Donn Shilling, Derek Gann, Adam Godfrey, Anthony Demarco and Bryce Coble

• View additional photos of the graduation ceremony and reception.

Water Chemist position (Posted 01.31.06)
We are filling a position at our Griffin campus to support research and teaching in Water Chemistry.

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