In May, 19 college students arrived at the Noble Research Institute to begin their summer as a carefully selected group from across the country. They would spend 10 weeks working alongside agriculture researchers and consultants to build the future of agriculture through directed work in the Southern Great Plains. The Lloyd Noble Scholars program is built on the idea that development of the next generation of great scientists, agriculture leaders, consultants and innovators begins with a committed investment of time and effort. There are two pathways for students participating in the scholars program. Lloyd Noble Scholars in Agriculture work with our agriculture professionals in core areas of expertise including animal science and livestock management (emphasis on forage-based ruminant systems), agricultural economics, agronomy, horticulture, range management, soils and crops, and wildlife and fisheries. Lloyd Noble Scholars in Plant Science conduct plant science in a real-world laboratory setting with a scientist to bring innovation and science solutions together. Both pathways provide mentorship and collaborative working environments that expose students to the world of opportunities that exist in agriculture sciences.
200:
More than 200 qualified individuals applied for the scholar program in 2018 at the Noble Research Institute.
Each year, the program grows and becomes more competitive. This year was no exception. In 2018, more than 200 qualified individuals applied to work at the Noble Research Institute. What the 19 selected students took away from their time here will help build their future and perhaps bring some of them back to Noble.
This year’s students made up an exceptional group. The majority were working on deciding future directions of their careers or college degrees. One of the program goals is to expose students to a working environment that can offer them opportunities they don’t normally get from classroom experience. On the plant science side, many of the laboratory techniques and tools students get to work with are cutting-edge in their field and students get hands-on experiences using these in research settings. On the agriculture side, students get to work directly with agricultural producers through farm visits and applied research that take book-learning into real enterprise operations and settings. More importantly, they get to meet people who are passionate about what they do and care about helping the next generation of professionals find their place in the industry.
The summer is also full of opportunities for networking with other professionals and to explore some of the activities around the Southern Great Plains. Some of the group activities included catching a baseball game in Oklahoma City, mentor picnics and lunches, trips to the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, and attending conferences such as the Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association annual convention. Many of the scholars took time to experience community events such as the Okie Noodling Tournament in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, and the Fort Worth Stockyards in Texas. Ten weeks goes by fast when the days are full.
Kaylynn Ashby
Lloyd Noble Scholars in Plant Science
Kaylynn Ashby
Utah State University
Final Project: SSP Smorgasbord: Investigating Plant Responses to Peptide Hormones
Maddie Brightbill
College of William and Mary
Final Project: Characterization of Lesion Mimic Phenotypes in Medicago truncatula
Charlotte Burns
William Jewell College
Final Project: Analysis of Repeated Sequences and Annotation for Tetraploid Genome of Medicago sativa
Matthew Cullen
Clemson University
Final Project: Understanding Metabolic Flux between Lignin and Flavonoid Pathways – Impact on Disease Resistance and Nodulation
Grace Florjancic
Virginia Tech University
Final Project: Dicarboxylate and Peptide Transporters of Medicago truncatula
Cameron Reed
Southern Illinois University
Final Project: Functional Characterization of Medicago truncatula Plasma Membrane H+-ATPases
Eric Shyu
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Final Project: Reannotation of the Arabidopsis Genome and Discovery of Small Genes
Brandon Tidwell
Oklahoma State University
Final Project: Exploration and Analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Root Hair Length in Different Natural Accessions
Syed Uddin
University of Buffalo
Final Project: Cellular and Molecular Characterization of a Chicken Feet Mutant in Medicago truncatula
Kwan Yoon
University of Massachusetts
Final Project: Dissecting the Role of Calmodulin in Agrobacterium-Mediated Plant Transformation
Lloyd Noble Scholars in Agriculture
McKenzie Carvalho
Oklahoma State University
Final Project:What Good is Ag Policy?
Natalie Graff
Texas A&M University
Final Project: What Good is Ag Policy?
Carissa Pickard
Colorado State University
Final Project: Managed Grazing of Switchgrass Using High Stock Density
Chali Simpson
New Mexico State University
Final Project: Evaluating Vegetative Responses with Different Range Management Techniques
Cole Fagen
Angelo State University
Final Project: My Neat Noble Nature Walk
Kelly Kowis
Eastern Oklahoma State College
Final Project: Mob Grazing
Nichole Sederstrom
University of Wyoming
Final Project: Mineral Management and Alternative Marketing Options for Beef Cattle
Cresten Sledge
Texas Tech University
Final Project: Northern Bobwhite Quail Acoustics and White-tailed Deer Trends
Brent Weiss
Delaware Valley University
Final Project: Comparing Feed Efficiency to Igenity Trait Scores
From All Over the Country
The 2018 Lloyd Noble Scholars in agriculture and plant science attend higher education
institutions from the Midwest and beyond.
Benefits of the Scholar Program
Ten-Week Program
Housing Provided
Paid Internship
Transport Offered
Real-World Experience
How to Apply for the Scholar Program
The best way to find out how their summer experience went is to read about it directly from them on the One Noble Summer blog at www.noble.org/news/One+Noble+Summer. Each year, students write about their experiences first-hand. If you know of a student with 60 or more hours of college coursework who would be a candidate for this program, you can direct them to the Lloyd Noble Scholars program website at www.noble.org/education/scholar-program. Applications for summer 2019 will open in October 2018.
Read the One Noble Summer blog Learn about the Scholar Program
