Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department of Horticultural Sciences

Sustainability | Wellness | Food Security

Ph.D. student receives national scholarship

Runshie Xie in front of a floral background. Photo by James DeCamp

Runshie Xie. Photo by James DeCamp

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Runshi Xie as he received the 2021-2022 Spring Meadow – Proven Winners Endowed Scholarship.

Currently advised by Mengmeng Gu, Ph.D, associate professor and Extension Horticulture, Xie was one of three students that were chosen from a competitive national applicant pool for their academic achievements, outstanding leadership abilities and commitment to pursuing horticulture careers.

Xie has a great interest in plant breeding and the study of plant-insect interaction. His works involve developing insect-resistant crape myrtle cultivars and insect biology-based IPM strategies such as mating behavior for CMBS, which will lead to more innovative and sustainable pest control and management menthods for the horticulture industry. He is working on a multi-state, multi-disciplinary project to help combat crape myrtle bark scale, an invasive insect that attacks crape myrtle and other woody plant species in the United States.

Xie also has received several awards during his career, including the Texas A&M Ed Rachal Foundation Aggie Leader Scholarship, second place in the poster competition at the Plant Breeding Symposia in 2020 and 2021.

The goal of the Spring Meadow – Proven Winners Endowed Scholarship is to award qualified students that are interested in woody plant production, propagation, breeding, and horticultural sales and marketing.

TAMU Horticulture Club Virtual Plant Sale

Flowers in The Gardens on April 14, 2021. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

The Texas A&M Horticulture Club is having a virtual plant sale this year. We will be selling annuals, perennials, shrubs, succulents, tropicals, vines and groundcover!

Due to COVID-19, and our dedication to keeping our patrons and personnel safe, we are implementing a different process that we have in years past. You must pre-order your plants by 12 p.m. noon on Friday, April 16, through the Texas A&M Marketplace website, and then you can schedule a pick-up time in Lot 98.

Horticultural Sciences Faculty and Staff Receive Vice Chancellor Awards in Excellence

Texas A&M AgriLife faculty and staff were honored Jan. 14 during the Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence ceremony, which followed the annual State of AgriLife Address, both held virtually this year.

The awards, established in 1980, recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed across Texas A&M AgriLife and celebrate the contributions and achievements of faculty, students and staff members.

Recipients represent personnel in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M Forest Service and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL.

Congratulations to Mengmeng Gu, Ph.D. Lisa Whittlesey, Randy Seagraves and Caren Walton who all received Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence this year. These awards recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed by faculty, students and staff members across Texas A&M AgriLife.

Extension Education Awards

The Extension Specialist or Program Specialist Award was presented to Mengmeng Gu, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Extension specialist, Department of Horticultural Sciences. Gu develops research projects and outreach educational programs about sustainable landscape management. Her workshops about unmanned aerial systems address the possibilities of using drones to monitor plant health, irrigation needs, pest pressure and inventory without having to manually scout each crop. Gu is best known for her work with the Crapemyrtle Bark Scale Team, recognized for its national impact via webinars, YouTube videos and publications.

Team Collaboration Award

The Team Award was presented to the Junior Master Gardener Learn, Grow, Eat & GO! Team consisting of AgriLife Extension’s Lisa Whittlesey, senior program specialist and International Junior Master Gardener coordinator; Randy Seagraves, horticulture program specialist; Caren Walton, horticulture program specialist; Michael Lopez, family and community health program specialist; and Rusty Hohlt, Healthy Texas program director, all of Bryan-College Station, as well as Renda Nelson, program director, Better Living for Texans/SNAP-Ed, Amarillo. The team formed from an intervention study targeting childhood obesity among third graders at 28 schools. The study showed a wide range of positive results, including children with a reduced body mass index, increased physical activity and better engagement with parents. In the 2019-2020 school year, the program was offered in 119 Texas counties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team created 40 online videos that allowed county programs to continue working with schools. Now their work has expanded nationally and internationally, with 29 states receiving training and supplies. The program is now being used in international development in several countries, and the team continues to expand it to additional age levels and regions.

Tenure Track Assistant Professor – Controlled Environment Agriculture

Texas A&M University
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Horticultural Sciences

Location
College Station, TX

Open Date
Oct 1, 2019

Description

The Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX seeks outstanding applicants for a full-time tenure-track Assistant Professor faculty position in Controlled Environment Horticulture.  This is a 9-month, tenure-track faculty position with research, teaching and service responsibilities. The anticipated start date is August 1, 2020. The successful applicant will be responsible for developing a strong research program utilizing controlled-environments to develop sustainable and economically viable production systems that support the selection, culture, and marketing of selected specialty crops. The applicant will work closely with faculty at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas as part of a statewide initiative on controlled environment agriculture.

The successful candidate will develop a nationally and internationally recognized, extramurally funded research program that integrates basic and applied horticulture to develop and optimize controlled environment production systems for various horticultural specialty crops. Research should address the optimization and use of state-of–the-art controlled environments to develop and promote specialty crop production to produce economical and profitable crops that are high in nutritive value to improve the nutrition and health for growing populations of Texans and US citizens. The successful candidate will mentor undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scientists and research technicians. The candidate will develop and teach courses at the graduate and undergraduate level, and contribute to the department by service on assigned committees.  The individual will be expected to publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals appropriate to the discipline and to compete successfully for external funding to support his or her program.

The Department of Horticulture is located in the Horticulture/Forest Science building (90,000 sq. ft.) which boasts a beautiful atrium, the Benz Gallery of Floral Art, modern research and teaching laboratories as well as a growth chamber complex. Greenhouse space is located behind the building (38,000 sq. ft) as well as at the Horticulture Teaching, Research and Extension Facility (HortTREC) located near Snook, TX. The department offers two undergraduate and three graduate degrees that prepare students for a myriad of diverse career opportunities. More information about the department is available at https://hortsciences.tamu.edu/.

Bryan-College Station is a vibrant community that offers cultural diversity, arts and entertainment, and excellent job opportunities. The community’s low cost of living is advantageous to the student and general population, making it an ideal place to live.

Qualifications

Doctoral degree in Horticulture, Plant or Crop Science, or closely related discipline is required.  Successful candidates should have a strong background in horticultural crop production in controlled environments with knowledge in plant physiology, plant stress, plant breeding, environmental relations or disciplines related to the study of plant responses to controlled environments. Excellent written and oral communication skills are required, and a demonstrated ability to publish in refereed journals is desired.

Application Instructions

Applications are only accepted online at http://apply.interfolio.com/69427. Applicants must include in their application electronic copies of a cover letter, transcripts, curriculum vitae with a list of three references including contact information, as well as research and teaching vision statements. Vision statements should not only address the specific research and teaching programs the candidate would initiate at Texas A&M but should also include how these programs will contribute to the Departments goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The preferred format for uploaded documents include PDF, DOC or DOCX.

Review of complete applications will begin on December 1, 2019 and will continue until the position is filled. For further information contact Patricia Klein, Ph.D., Search Committee Chair, at pklein@tamu.edu or at 979.862.6308.

SOUTHEAST TEXAS NURSERY GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION Scholarship – Apply by May 15th

Dear Students:

The members of the Southeast Texas Nursery Growers’ Association welcome your participation in our scholarship program.  Any Junior, Senior, or Graduate student maintaining a 2.5 GPA, having completed 60+ college class hours, carrying a minimum of 12 semester credit hours and who intends to continue their education in Agriculture, Agronomy, Forestry  or Horticulture is eligible to apply.  The scholarship money is to be used for continuing attendance at Texas A&M University. Selection for this award will be based primarily on financial need; scholastic achievement, social activities, and special awards or accomplishments.

We will award one individual $1,000.00 scholarship to a student at Texas A&M University , to help with tuition, books, and fees for 2013-14 academic year.

The John and Shirley Mauney Scholarship is to honor a former Southeast Texas Nursery Growers’ Association member, husband and wife, John and Shirley Mauney for their vision in forming our association and their many years of Association service and leadership.  The $1,000.00   scholarship will be funded for the selected recipient on a one time, late August basis only.

 The application for the John and Shirley Mauney Scholarship can be obtained here and the completed form must be returned to  info@stnga.org by May 15, 2013.  Our selection committee will review the applications and pick the finalists on June 1, 2013.   The scholarship will be paid directly to the student by August 28th, 2013 .

We thank you for your participation in our Scholarship Program and wish you the very best in this process.

Sincerely,

Alan Gardipee

President

Southeast Texas Nursery Growers’ Association

William C. Welch Landscape Horticulture Scholarships – Apply by March 1, 2013!

welch6The Landscape Design Consultant’s Council of Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. is pleased to announce that the annual William C. Welch Landscape Horticulture
Scholarships will be awarded at the Horticulture Department Spring Awards banquet on April 13, 2013. This year two scholarships will be awarded.

The scholarship competition is open to any undergraduate or graduate student with a specific interest in landscape horticulture.  Scholarships are awarded annually from income earned on an
endowment established by the Texas Landscape Design Critics’ Council of Texas Garden Clubs, Inc.  Scholarships are funded through an endowment generated by members’
sale of Dr. Welch’s books Perennial Garden Color, Antique Roses for the South, The Southern Heirloom Garden and The Bountiful Flower Garden, as well as gifts from friends and associates of Dr. Welch.

Two $2000 scholarships will be awarded; one to a graduate student and one to an undergraduate student.

In addition to the application form, the applicant should send a one page typewritten essay explaining their interest and career goals in landscape horticulture.

*** Please note the deadline of March 1, 2013 for the applicants to be considered.  Submit completed applications to Ms. Katie Marek in HFSB Room 204B.