Ernest Bernard sitting in his lab beside a microscope.

Ernest Bernard Receives the UTIA Institute Professor Award

Bernard NewsLeave a comment

                              The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recognized some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 15, 2023. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute. UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and celebrated their work. “I’m excited to celebrate the amazing work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “These awards are well-deserved and represent our employees’ steadfast dedication to their work, the Institute and the people

Denita Hadziabdic Guerry

Denita Hadziabdic Guerry Receives the UT Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture Faculty Global Excellence Award

Hadziabdic NewsLeave a comment

                                  The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture recognized some of its top faculty, staff, researchers and Extension experts at UTIA’s annual awards and promotions luncheon on the UTIA campus in Knoxville on August 15, 2023. Many of the awards are gifts made possible by faculty, alumni and friends of the Institute. UT Institute of Agriculture Senior Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice President Keith Carver hosted the award winners and celebrated their work. “I’m excited to celebrate the amazing work of our UTIA faculty and staff,” says Carver. “These awards are well-deserved and represent our employees’ steadfast dedication to their work, the Institute and

portrait of Autumn McLaughlin

Autumn McLaughlin Announced as Recipient of 2023 I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium

Graduate Student NewsLeave a comment

                                Autumn McLaughlin, a doctoral student with the Herbert College of Agriculture Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, was selected as a recipient of the I.E. Melhus Graduate Student Symposium at the American Phytopathological Society (APS) Annual Meeting, Plant Health 2023. The highly anticipated symposium, which centers around the theme of “Systems-based approaches, tools, and tactics to combat mycotoxins for a sustainable and safe food supply,” provides current and recent graduate students the opportunity to present their research during the acclaimed Melhus session. Recipients receive an honorarium of $500 to apply to the cost of attending the

Dawson Kerns accepting award from SIP.

Dawson Kerns Receives SIP Mauro E. Martignoni Award

Graduate Student NewsLeave a comment

                            Dawson Kerns, a doctoral student conducting research on resistance mechanism to Vip3Aa in corn earworm, received the Mauro E. Martignoni award at the 2023 International Conference on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control and 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology (SIP) held in College Park, Maryland. The Mauro E. Martignoni Award, the Society’s premier award for student research, recognizes Kerns’s scientific excellence and ability to communicate their science effectively in their application. SIP is a scientific society that brings together people from diverse backgrounds within the scientific community, fostering unity and collaboration. To learn more about SIP, visit siponline.org. For those interested in learning

portrait of Nar Ranabhat in the lab

EPP Welcomes Nar Ranabhat at the Soil, Plant and Pest Center

Ranabhat NewsLeave a comment

                                The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology welcomes Nar Ranabhat as an assistant professor and Extension plant pathologist at the Soil, Plant, and Pest Center located in Nashville, TN. Ranabhat is scheduled to join the team on July 1, 2023. In this role, Ranabhat will specialize in diagnosing and managing diseases of ornamental plants, nursery plants, and turf in commercial and residential, natural, or managed systems. Ranabhat will utilize traditional and innovative tools to educate diverse audiences, ranging from Extension agents to government agencies and agricultural producers. Throughout Ranabhat’s graduate and postdoctoral research, he has worked on employing a range of traditional and advanced

Aedes mosquito on a plant

How Environmental Shifts Can Affect Vector-Borne Illnesses

Publication, Trout Fryxell NewsLeave a comment

                            The publication titled “How Environmental Changes Can Lead to Increased Transmission of Vector-Borne Illnesses,” authored by Associate Professor Rebecca Trout Fryxell in collaboration with Jennifer Richards, an Extension curriculum specialist, Susan Reynolds, a teacher at South Doyle High School, and Lynne Middleton, a State 4-H curriculum specialist, details a MEGA:BITESS lesson plan for middle and high school students. The lesson plan is designed to teach the learner to understand how mosquitoes serve as vectors for transmission of infectious agents causing disease, identity what factors are needed for mosquito oviposition, and observe how changing temperature and precipitation patterns could potentially increase the number of individuals affected by

EPP Welcomes New Assistant Professor at the Soil, Plant and Pest Center

Blog, Gireesh NewsLeave a comment

                                      Please help welcome Dr. Midhula Gireesh to the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Gireesh joins the team today, June 1, 2023, as an assistant professor and Extension entomologist at the Soil, Plant and Pest Center in Nashville, TN. In this role, Gireesh will develop an educational program using traditional and innovative outreach tools for diverse audiences and an applied research program focused on insect and mite pests affecting ornamental plants, nursery plants, and turf. The role also involves supporting county Extension agents and specialists, stakeholder groups, and regional and state leaders. Gireesh will also play an important role in the

Portrait of Taylor Miller

Taylor Miller Reflects On Graduate Experience within the Herbert College of Agriculture

Blog, Graduate Student NewsLeave a comment

                                    Taylor Miller, a recent graduate student, sat down for an insightful interview with the Herbert College of Agriculture to share her remarkable journey and experiences during her time in graduate school. In the interview, Miller recounted her favorite memories and classes that left a lasting impression. Graduating from the Herbert College of Agriculture was not just an academic achievement for Taylor; it was a testament to her unwavering dedication and the invaluable impact of her alma mater. To read Miller’s interview, visit her highlight “Achieving Academic Excellence at Herbert: Taylor Miller“.    

a pollinator pollinating a flower in the gardens

University of Tennessee to Host “Garden Buzz: The Celebration of Pollinators” in Honor of Pollinator Week

Blog, Events, Tsuruda NewsLeave a comment

                              The University of Tennessee Bee Campus Committee, a group comprised of UT faculty, staff and students, in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority and UT Gardens, invites communities across the state to celebrate Pollinator Week at a series of pollinator events, Garden Buzz, on June 20, 2023. Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health, initiated and managed by Pollinator Partnership. Garden Buzz will offer participants opportunities to learn more about pollinators in Tennessee through educational sessions and to fill their gardens with locally grown plants that attract pollinators. “Garden Buzz is an example of the great events the University of Tennessee offers

Mark and Karen Windham

Professor Emeritus Mark Windham Awarded the Joseph and Marion Klima Medal for Excellence

Blog, M. Windham NewsLeave a comment

                                      Professor emeritus Mark Windham was awarded the Joseph and Marion Klima Medal at the 2023 ARS National Rose Convention in Shreveport, LA on May 6, 2023, by the American Rose Society (ARS). The award recognizes Windham’s many contributions to the American Rose Magazine and ornamental plant pathology and outreach to rosarians. “I am honored. I would also like to thank Sara Collins, a research associate within the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, as she was instrumental to the success of the resistance work at the Plateau Station,” Windham said. The Celebration Awards Banquet, which took place during the National Rose