Clark Roberts knew he belonged at NC State University after a field trip to campus his freshman year of high school. Four years later, he is gearing up to graduate from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering with a number of meaningful experiences under his belt.
Roberts will graduate on May 3 with a degree in biological and agricultural engineering technology (BAET) with a concentration in agricultural systems management and minors in crop science and agribusiness management. As he prepares to walk across the stage to accept his diploma, he is looking back on the time he spent as a student and an undergraduate research assistant in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
His interest in combining theory and practice in agriculture started his junior year of high school.
“I wanted something that involved critical thinking and working with my hands,” says Roberts, whose background in farming and love for his high school biology classes made BAET a great fit. “Once I began my college classes, I knew I made the right choice. Each BAET and crop science class has given me valuable information that I will take with me after I leave campus.”
When he wasn’t spending time doing homework in Weaver Labs, Roberts sought opportunities to apply his coursework through hands-on research. That’s what led him to undergraduate research. For two years, he worked on turf research with NC State’s Pesticide and Trace Element Fate and Behavior Research group, and he worked on corn and cotton research in NC State’s Weed Science Program for one year. Over the course of these three years, Roberts cultivated his love for learning by doing.
While working as an undergraduate research assistant in the Pesticide and Trace Element Fate and Behavior Research group, Roberts conducted spray experiments on row crops, analyzed golf course soil samples for pesticide activity and history, and analyzed herbicide effectiveness on weeds and turfgrass on research plots and greenhouses.
After two years of turf research, he shifted gears to corn and cotton research in 2024. This work focused on applying varied rates of herbicides to corn and cotton and conducting greenhouse experiments.
“It was a great experience because I got to travel all around North Carolina to conduct herbicide research trials for industry pesticide companies,” Roberts says. While traveling to greenhouses and research stations, he learned skills like how to read a pesticide label, properly calibrate a backpack sprayer and rate weed growth in the field.
Working with Ph.D. and master’s students who thought differently than him helped Roberts develop as an undergraduate research assistant. By helping with the technical side of projects, “I learned even more about agriculture and how state research is conducted than just by being in the classroom,” he says.
An important lesson he learned from his four years at NC State is “that a perfect score does not define you,” he says. Coming to college from a small town, he quickly realized he was going to have to learn to juggle a lot.
“When I got to college, I was overwhelmed with everything that a freshman had to keep up with,” Roberts says. He believes speaking with peers and “learning that doing your best is much more important than stressing over test grades” are two good pieces of advice to stick to.
That mindset has given him the confidence to take chances and explore different career paths. After graduation, he plans on starting a career in the North Carolina Department of Transportation or in the geotechnical industry.
Roberts says any students thinking of coming to NC State to study agriculture should do it. “The professors in CALS want to help you succeed, and most have been in the same shoes as you. They understand the struggles of college and by asking for help you will be just fine.”
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