Read on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.<\/p>\n
![\"Valedictorian](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/abby-brown-300x169.jpg\")
Abby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Brown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.<\/p>\n
\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.<\/p>\n
As she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:<\/p>\n
\u201cNever give up, but don’t let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Clay](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Clay-Chu-300x169.jpg\")
Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.<\/p>\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.<\/p>\n
Chu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.<\/p>\n
Chu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.<\/p>\n
Wherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Catherine](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Catherine-Harward-300x169.jpg\")
Catherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.<\/p>\n
She loved every minute.<\/p>\n
So when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Sayed](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Sayed-Mashaheet-300x169.jpg\")
Sayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.<\/p>\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Across the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.<\/p>\n
Mashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n![\"CALS](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/CALSmag-Brooklynn-300x169.jpg\")
Brooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.<\/p>\n
Her second application was accepted.<\/p>\n
Since arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.<\/p>\n
She is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.<\/p>\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Watch Brooklynn’s video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n![\"Cameron](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Cameron-Parsons-300x169.jpg\")
Cameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.<\/p>\n
And this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.<\/p>\n
After graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Maria](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Maria-Balcazar-Tellez-300x169.jpg\")
Maria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.<\/p>\n
Read her full interview.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Friday is the big day. One that so many CALS students have worked hard to reach.\r\n\r\nNearly 325 are slated to graduate\u00a0on Dec. 15<\/a>,\u00a0including undergraduate, graduate and Agricultural Institute students. Not to mention\u00a0four students who share the distinction of being named valedictorian.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.\r\nAbby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.\r\n\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nBrown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.\r\n\r\nAs she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:\r\n\r\n\u201cNever give up, but don't let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d\r\nFu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.\r\n\r\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.\r\n\r\nChu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.\r\n\r\nChu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.\r\n\r\nWherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d\r\nCatherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.\r\n\r\nShe loved every minute.\r\n\r\nSo when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d\r\n\r\nHarward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.\r\n\r\n\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d\r\nSayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.\r\n\r\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nAcross the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.\r\n\r\nMashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.\r\n\r\nRead the full story.<\/em><\/a>\r\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.\r\n\r\nHer second application was accepted.\r\n\r\nSince arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.\r\n\r\nShe is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nWatch Brooklynn's video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>\r\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.\r\n\r\nAnd this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlong with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.\r\n\r\nAfter graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.\r\n\r\n\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d\r\n\r\nTellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.\r\n\r\nRead her full interview.<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The homestretch is narrowing, and the end is in sight. Meet seven of the college’s outstanding students poised to receive degrees at commencement exercises this Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-students","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Brown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.<\/p>\n
\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.<\/p>\n
As she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:<\/p>\n
\u201cNever give up, but don’t let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.<\/p>\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.<\/p>\n
Chu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.<\/p>\n
Chu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.<\/p>\n
Wherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.<\/p>\n
She loved every minute.<\/p>\n
So when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.<\/p>\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Across the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.<\/p>\n
Mashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.<\/p>\n
Her second application was accepted.<\/p>\n
Since arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.<\/p>\n
She is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.<\/p>\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Watch Brooklynn’s video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.<\/p>\n
And this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.<\/p>\n
After graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.<\/p>\n
Read her full interview.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Friday is the big day. One that so many CALS students have worked hard to reach.\r\n\r\nNearly 325 are slated to graduate\u00a0on Dec. 15<\/a>,\u00a0including undergraduate, graduate and Agricultural Institute students. Not to mention\u00a0four students who share the distinction of being named valedictorian.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.\r\nAbby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.\r\n\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nBrown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.\r\n\r\nAs she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:\r\n\r\n\u201cNever give up, but don't let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d\r\nFu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.\r\n\r\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.\r\n\r\nChu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.\r\n\r\nChu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.\r\n\r\nWherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d\r\nCatherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.\r\n\r\nShe loved every minute.\r\n\r\nSo when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d\r\n\r\nHarward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.\r\n\r\n\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d\r\nSayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.\r\n\r\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nAcross the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.\r\n\r\nMashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.\r\n\r\nRead the full story.<\/em><\/a>\r\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.\r\n\r\nHer second application was accepted.\r\n\r\nSince arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.\r\n\r\nShe is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nWatch Brooklynn's video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>\r\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.\r\n\r\nAnd this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlong with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.\r\n\r\nAfter graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.\r\n\r\n\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d\r\n\r\nTellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.\r\n\r\nRead her full interview.<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The homestretch is narrowing, and the end is in sight. Meet seven of the college’s outstanding students poised to receive degrees at commencement exercises this Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-students","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.<\/p>\n
Chu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.<\/p>\n
Chu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.<\/p>\n
Wherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.<\/p>\n
She loved every minute.<\/p>\n
So when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.<\/p>\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Across the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.<\/p>\n
Mashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.<\/p>\n
Her second application was accepted.<\/p>\n
Since arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.<\/p>\n
She is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.<\/p>\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Watch Brooklynn’s video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.<\/p>\n
And this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.<\/p>\n
After graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.<\/p>\n
Read her full interview.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Friday is the big day. One that so many CALS students have worked hard to reach.\r\n\r\nNearly 325 are slated to graduate\u00a0on Dec. 15<\/a>,\u00a0including undergraduate, graduate and Agricultural Institute students. Not to mention\u00a0four students who share the distinction of being named valedictorian.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.\r\nAbby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.\r\n\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nBrown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.\r\n\r\nAs she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:\r\n\r\n\u201cNever give up, but don't let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d\r\nFu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.\r\n\r\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.\r\n\r\nChu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.\r\n\r\nChu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.\r\n\r\nWherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d\r\nCatherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.\r\n\r\nShe loved every minute.\r\n\r\nSo when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d\r\n\r\nHarward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.\r\n\r\n\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d\r\nSayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.\r\n\r\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nAcross the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.\r\n\r\nMashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.\r\n\r\nRead the full story.<\/em><\/a>\r\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.\r\n\r\nHer second application was accepted.\r\n\r\nSince arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.\r\n\r\nShe is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nWatch Brooklynn's video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>\r\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.\r\n\r\nAnd this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlong with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.\r\n\r\nAfter graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.\r\n\r\n\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d\r\n\r\nTellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.\r\n\r\nRead her full interview.<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The homestretch is narrowing, and the end is in sight. Meet seven of the college’s outstanding students poised to receive degrees at commencement exercises this Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-students","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.<\/p>\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Across the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.<\/p>\n
Mashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.<\/p>\n
Her second application was accepted.<\/p>\n
Since arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.<\/p>\n
She is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.<\/p>\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Watch Brooklynn’s video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.<\/p>\n
And this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.<\/p>\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.<\/p>\n
After graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.<\/p>\n
Read her full interview.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Friday is the big day. One that so many CALS students have worked hard to reach.\r\n\r\nNearly 325 are slated to graduate\u00a0on Dec. 15<\/a>,\u00a0including undergraduate, graduate and Agricultural Institute students. Not to mention\u00a0four students who share the distinction of being named valedictorian.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.\r\nAbby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.\r\n\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nBrown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.\r\n\r\nAs she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:\r\n\r\n\u201cNever give up, but don't let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d\r\nFu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.\r\n\r\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.\r\n\r\nChu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.\r\n\r\nChu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.\r\n\r\nWherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d\r\nCatherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.\r\n\r\nShe loved every minute.\r\n\r\nSo when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d\r\n\r\nHarward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.\r\n\r\n\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d\r\nSayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.\r\n\r\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nAcross the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.\r\n\r\nMashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.\r\n\r\nRead the full story.<\/em><\/a>\r\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.\r\n\r\nHer second application was accepted.\r\n\r\nSince arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.\r\n\r\nShe is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nWatch Brooklynn's video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>\r\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.\r\n\r\nAnd this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlong with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.\r\n\r\nAfter graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.\r\n\r\n\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d\r\n\r\nTellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.\r\n\r\nRead her full interview.<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The homestretch is narrowing, and the end is in sight. Meet seven of the college’s outstanding students poised to receive degrees at commencement exercises this Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-students","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Across the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.<\/p>\n
Mashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.<\/p>\n
Read the full story.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Growing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d<\/p>\n Brooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.<\/p>\n Her second application was accepted.<\/p>\n Since arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.<\/p>\n She is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Watch Brooklynn’s video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n When Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d<\/p>\n So he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.<\/p>\n And this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.<\/p>\n After graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d<\/p>\n Maria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.<\/p>\n \u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Anaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.<\/p>\n \u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d<\/p>\n Tellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.<\/p>\n Read her full interview.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Written by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"Friday is the big day. One that so many CALS students have worked hard to reach.\r\n\r\nNearly 325 are slated to graduate\u00a0on Dec. 15<\/a>,\u00a0including undergraduate, graduate and Agricultural Institute students. Not to mention\u00a0four students who share the distinction of being named valedictorian.\r\n\r\nRead on to learn\u00a0the stories of seven of the college\u2019s outstanding graduates. They\u2019ve accomplished\u00a0big things as students here, and now they\u2019re poised to go out into the world and acheive\u00a0even more.\r\n The homestretch is narrowing, and the end is in sight. Meet seven of the college’s outstanding students poised to receive degrees at commencement exercises this Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[82,1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-students","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7946,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578\/revisions\/7946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Brooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\nAbby Brown<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nAs a valedictorian for December\u2019s graduation, Abby Brown has advice for future NC State students: Get to know your teachers.\r\n\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to college wanting to be valedictorian. I just wanted to do the best I could and learn the most I could,\u201d says Brown, who is earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in plant and soil sciences with a concentration in agroecology<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn our department, we have professors who care about us professionally and personally, and that sets us apart. Their investment, encouragement and support in my life helped me reach this point,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nBrown is especially appreciative of the help she got during her junior year as she conducted greenhouse research for Dr. David Jordan in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.\r\n\r\n\u201cSushila Chaudhari, the post-doc, taught me what a greenhouse study looks like and what the important factors are to consider,\u201d she says. \u201cThis experience taught me about time management, what an investment research is and the value of preparedness, and it showed me the behind-the-scenes work that goes into writing a greenhouse study based research paper.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrown says she\u2019ll put that knowledge to work right away as she begins graduate school in soil science at NC State this spring. Calling herself a lifelong learner, she hopes one day to work overseas helping people who work in agriculture.\r\n\r\nAs she pursues that dream, she\u2019ll likely follow the other bit of advice she has for incoming students:\r\n\r\n\u201cNever give up, but don't let your academic success define you,\u201d she says, \u201cbecause we, as students, as people, are so much more than a grade.\u201d\r\nFu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThanks to the research of graduating entomology<\/a> Ph.D. student Fu-Chyun \u201cClay\u201d Chu, scientists now have new tools to help farmers get a handle on one of the most devastating and perplexing agricultural pests in North America \u2013 the western corn rootworm.\r\n\r\nThe pest, which costs U.S. farmers an estimated 1 billion dollars each year, has proven notoriously difficult to control. Farmers have tried insecticides and crop rotation, but the rootworm keeps evolving ways to overcome these strategies. Since the 1990s, many farmers have been using transgenic corn with a toxin that kills the larvae, but strains have recently been found that aren\u2019t killed by the toxins.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople have still not figured out what causes the resistance,\u201d Chu says. \u201cA big reason for this is because there is too little basic research, especially molecular genetic studies, done on the western corn rootworm.\u201d\r\n\r\nOver the past six years, Chu has worked diligently in the lab of Dr. Marc\u00e9 Lorenzen to devise the first-ever transgenic strains of the pest. In the rootworm, fluorescent proteins are produced whenever a targeted gene is activated, giving researchers a way to study that gene. Chu hopes that as scientists learn more about the insect\u2019s genetics, they can develop new strategies for managing it.\r\n\r\nChu\u2019s work wasn\u2019t easy. To create the transgenic rootworm, he had to figure out how to keep rootworm colonies alive in the lab and healthy for generations. In the end, he devised a specialized rearing system that will aid scientists who want to create and screen transgenic worms.\r\n\r\nChu, who came to NC State because of the strong reputation of the university\u2019s entomology program, says he\u2019s looking forward to \u201cgraduating, finding a job in industry and having a baby with my wife.\u201d One day, he hopes to return to his home in Taiwan and work in academia.\r\n\r\nWherever Chu lands, Lorenzen predicts that he\u2019ll put keen problem-solving skills to work.\r\n\r\n\u201cOverall, Clay has made major contributions to every project my lab is working on and has helped countless others troubleshoot issues that have come up in their research projects,\u201d Lorenzen says. \u201cHe\u2019s not only an outstanding graduate student but a really nice guy.\u201d\r\nCatherine Harward<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nCatherine Harward became her dad\u2019s \u201cright-hand man\u201d at Rocking H Cattle Company when she was 10 years old, learning how to give vaccinations and wrangle customers at auctions.\r\n\r\nShe loved every minute.\r\n\r\nSo when she accepts her animal science<\/a> diploma this week, Harward is heading back to Stanly County armed with a solid scientific foundation and some new ideas.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve always known I wanted to go back to the farm after I graduated,\u201d Harward said. \u201cIt\u2019s a passion, and it\u2019s something to be proud of \u2013 having something to give back to my family.\u201d\r\n\r\nHarward\u2019s animal science major includes a concentration in industry and minors in agricultural business management and leadership, augmented by a three-week study abroad trip to farms in Italy and Croatia to study the international market.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you grow up in the industry, you know how to feed cattle, how to give vaccinations, the day-to-day stuff \u2013 but then you come to CALS and learn the science behind everything you\u2019ve done for the last 10 years,\u201d Harward said. \u201cThat was a huge perspective I gained here: how important it is to learn the \u2018why\u2019 behind everything.\u201d\r\n\r\nSince Rocking H is one of several family farming endeavors, Harward will also continue her work on livestock marketing from Virginia to Georgia. Her other goal is to volunteer with organizations like the North Carolina Farm Bureau \u2013 where she completed an agricultural policy internship \u2013 to be an advocate for agriculture.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf you look at other departments, whether it\u2019s agronomy or agricultural education or others, you learn how agriculture is all tied together,\u201d Harward said. \u201cYou need every single industry in order to make agriculture efficient.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of the keys to an enriching CALS experience is simple, Harward said: Keep an open mind to all opportunities that come your way.\r\n\r\n\u201cI would\u2019ve never thought I would do study abroad or an internship away from our farm, because \u2013 as you know if you come from that background \u2013\u00a0there\u2019s always something to do on the farm,\u201d Harward said. \u201cBut those opportunities expanded my understanding of agriculture and myself. It\u2019s important to take opportunities even if you didn\u2019t anticipate them.\u201d\r\nSayed Mashaheet<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nSayed Mashaheet\u2019s research into wheat and ozone tolerance could actually help prevent a worldwide famine. The NC State University Ph.D. student in entomology and plant pathology<\/a> is working to develop resilient wheat varieties that are more tolerant to ozone \u2014 a pollutant often associated with climate change \u2013 as well as more resistant to wheat rust, a devastating disease that looks like rust on wheat stalks.\r\n\r\nIn 1998, a new strain of wheat rust was detected in Uganda. It was confirmed in 1999 and named Ug99. This new strain of the disease can destroy a wheat crop, leaving farmers and their families without food or income after working hard for an entire growing season, even if the disease reaches the field only few weeks before harvest.\r\n\r\n\u201cAt the time it was detected, this wheat rust strain was capable of overcoming most of the wheat varieties worldwide. It was a big problem that continued to spread and evolve,\u201d Mashaheet said. Today, many variants of this wheat rust strain are found in countries across Africa and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nAcross the globe, scientists are in a race against the disease, working to develop wheat varieties that are resistant to rust. The rapid pathogen evolution, the airborne spores, the difficulties of fungicide application and the lack of resistant varieties combined make it hard to prevent the disease or stop its advance.\r\n\r\nMashaheet\u2019s work specifically focuses on identifying lines of wheat that are tolerant to ozone, a toxic gas that can weaken wheat, making it more susceptible to diseases like wheat rust. \u201cIf wheat rust reaches Asia, with a large portion of the world\u2019s population, and significantly high ozone pollution, famine is a real possibility,\u201d Mashaheet said.\r\n\r\nRead the full story.<\/em><\/a>\r\nBrooklynn Newberry\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nGrowing up in one of North Carolina\u2019s poorest counties, Brooklynn Newberry knew her high school\u2019s shortage of Advanced Placement courses and extracurriculars would make college applications a challenge.\r\n\r\n\u201cI really had to be motivated to go to college on my own,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have parents who went to college to provide me with that kind of guidance.\u201d\r\n\r\nBrooklynn is the oldest of six and wanted to be the first in her limited-income family to get a degree. When her first application to NC State\u2019s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was deferred, she chose an alternate path to CALS through a local community college. She also threw herself into volunteer work with organizations focused on environmental cleanup and ending hunger.\r\n\r\nHer second application was accepted.\r\n\r\nSince arriving on campus, Brooklynn has worked as an assistant in a plant molecular biology laboratory and spent 10 weeks in Brazil investigating the interplay of vegetation, climate and fire.\r\n\r\nShe is now a senior plant biology<\/a> major, on track for December 2016 graduation. She has two goals: a career in conservation biology and becoming a role model for other rural students.\r\n\r\n\u201cI like to encourage students \u2013 especially if they\u2019re from the same background \u2013 and tell them how I got here,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nWatch Brooklynn's video.\u00a0<\/em><\/a>\r\nCameron Parsons<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhen Cameron Parsons took an introductory food science course as an undergraduate student pursuing a history degree, he found it to be an interesting elective. Little did he know that, just a few years later, the memory of that course would trigger a complete change of career.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter graduation, I got out and worked for a few years,\u201d Parsons says. \u201cI eventually decided to pursue a new career path by going back to school. I remembered how interested I was in the food science course, so I looked into careers and found that food science afforded opportunities in several fields.\u201d\r\n\r\nSo he re-enrolled at NC State and earned his second bachelor\u2019s degree \u2013 in food science \u2013 in 2012.\r\n\r\nAnd this week, Parsons will receive his third NC State degree: a Ph.D. in food science<\/a>, with an emphasis on the molecular biology of foodborne pathogens.\r\n\r\n\u201cI knew virtually nothing about microbiology as an undergrad but had to take the course to graduate,\u201d he says. \u201cWithin the first week I was completely fascinated by a world around me I never knew existed.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlong with his microbiology research and food science courses, Parsons served as a teaching assistant in the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) during each semester of his Ph.D. education. He says that among his biggest achievements is his mentorship of undergraduate students.\r\n\r\nAfter graduation he plans to work on a postdoc in his current lab, examining foodborne pathogen prevalence and characteristics in wild bears.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe FBNS department has been extremely supportive, both as an undergraduate and a grad student,\u201d he says. \u201cThe faculty and staff have always been generous with their time and genuinely willing to help in any way needed.\u201d\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMaria Balcazar Tellez came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2009 to attend Penn State University, where she earned bachelor\u2019s degrees in biological and agricultural engineering and philosophy. This week, Maria will earn her master\u2019s degree in biological and agricultural engineering<\/a> from NC State, in the area of waste management and renewable energy.\r\n\r\n\u201cI have always been interested in sustainability, and in our world today, it is important to find the most sustainable ways to feed people and provide protein sources for balanced diets,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cMeats are an important source of protein, however, with meat production there is an animal waste problem and other environmental concerns that need a cost-effective and sustainable solution.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnaerobic digestion of animal waste is a sustainable method of using waste byproducts, but it needs to be more cost-effective, Tellez says. So through her master\u2019s research, she explored the limitations and barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion in the North Carolina pork industry.\r\n\r\n\u201cI designed experiments to find more value in biochemical methane, a byproduct of anaerobic digestion,\u201d Tellez says. \u201cI developed a theoretical model showing how the agricultural production\/distribution system and agricultural sustainability fit into the global economy and how they are affected by a country\u2019s geography and national capital. In modeling the big picture of ag production, I found my future passion.\u201d\r\n\r\nTellez plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy and environmental studies, to examine food insecurity on a global scale and help shape food and energy policies.\r\n\r\nRead her full interview.<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nWritten by: Natalie Hampton, Chelsea Kellner, Carolyn Mitkowski, Dee Shore, Suzanne Stanard<\/em>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"