Student Spotlight
Student Spotlight Interview: Balihar Kaur
Meet Balihar Kaur, a crop science PhD student advancing zoysiagrass breeding to improve seed yield and sustainability. Recently, she showcased her skills by winning the beginner track at the 2024 N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Hackathon, where she applied AI to solve real-world agricultural challenges.
Elevating AI for Tech-Driven Turfgrass
Every Crop and Soil Sciences student follows their own path. Brynna Bruxellas' started using GIS to find a path to no roads.
Jaleel Hewitt: Growing Caribbean Dreams
Jaleel Hewitt is a senior majoring in agroecology with big plans for sustainable agriculture in the Caribbean starting with his family farm in Jamaica.
Sarah Bailey: Fresh From the Pit
Sarah Bailey is a freshman majoring in soil science, who just won first place in college soil judging -- her first time out.
Evelyn McAdam: Weaving the Fabric of Sustainable Agriculture
Evelyn McAdam, a junior Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems major, conducted a research fellowship in Amanda Cardoso’s crop physiology lab, researching flood response in fiber hemp.
Caden Noonkester: Agriculture Inside the 20
Caden Noonkester is an agronomy and agricultural business double major and NC State football starting punter who's starting to feel equally at home on football and cotton fields.
Connecting Field and Lab with an Eye Toward Extension
Duncan McSorley has spent the past year and a half interning in extension and the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative on his way to some day becoming an extension specialist.
Student Spotlight: Antonio Tranquilino
Antonio Tranquilino is a two-year NC State student majoring in Turfgrass Management and Horticultural Science Management to multiply his landscape career prospects.
Student Spotlight: Md Mahfuz Islam
Md Mahfuz Islam waited for six months and traveled over 8,000 miles to become an NC State soil science graduate student. Now nothing can stop him.
Amanda DeLucia: Aspiring Agriculture Educator
Have you stood in the middle of the NC State brickyard all night with a bunch of animals? This was a pinnacle moment for graduating senior Amanda DeLucia in her NC State experiences.