Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences

PSE Students, Faculty, and Staff Enjoy Welcome Back Picnic

jainayoung — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:22:35 +0000

At lunch time on Friday, September 14, students, faculty, and staff associated with the Plant, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Department gathered between the front of Deering Hall and the historic greenhouses to enjoy our annual Welcome Back Picnic.

First year student, Ruby Daybranch, enjoys some freshly grilled corn-on-the-cob

There were tons of goodies to enjoy at this year’s picnic: Grillmasters Brad Libby and Joel Whitney (ENH) made sure that all the handmade burgers and sausages were grilled to perfection. Assistant Professor of Weed Ecology, Eric Gallandt provided sweet corn from nearby Rogers Farm, and Brad and Joel grilled the ears in their husks over the charcoal for everyone as well.

Dr. Stephanie Burnett, Assistant Professor of Ornamental Horticulture, made sure that the vegetarians among us would have something delicious to eat as well! She prepared tempeh and grilled vegetables. From what I heard around the picnic, it was the best tempeh that most of the attendees had ever had! (Nice work, Dr. Burnett!) Luckily, there were several vegetarian options for our meat-free friends. In addition to tempeh with grilled veggies and corn on the cob, Dr. Burnett and Instructor Jaina Young (Landscape Design, Construction) put together a large salad, and Jaina made a few vats of homemade baked beans! For dessert, those who moved fast enough were able to get a square of homemade apple cobbler and espresso cookies!

Senior Environmental Horticulture student, Joel Whitney, finally gets to take a break from his Grillmaster duties!

While the picnic was going on, several Horticulture Club members took the initiative to weed the gardens in front of Deering Hall. We all just want them to know how much we appreciate their hard work to make Deering Hall look so good. Thanks, Katey Coulling (ENH), Zach Campbell (ENH), Meghan McLain (ENH), and Matt McAdam (ENH)!

It was a beautiful day, and many people remained to eat and talk. Dr. Gallandt thanked everyone for coming and said that this year’s picnic was the most well-attended kick-off we’ve put on yet. I guess next year we know what we have to live up to!

Thanks to Environmental Horticulture students (and members of the Horticulture Club!), Matt McAdam, Meghan McLain, Katey Coulling, and Zach Campbell (L to R) for weeding in the beds in front of Deering Hall!

A special THANK YOU to the following people…

Dr. Eric Gallandt – for providing the grills and the sweet corn.

Brad Libby and Joel Whitney – for being the Grillmasters ), and for helping to tear down!

Dr. Stephanie Burnett – for making a lot of yummy food, helping to set up and tear it all down…!

Environmental Horticulture Graduate Students, Shuyang Zhen & Jonathan Foster – for setting up and also tearing down (and, JF – for being generally hilarious).

Dr. Marianne Sarrantonio and Heather Simpson (ENH) – for washing dishes (yuck!) helping to tear it down.

PSE Academic Awards Reception

tsutomuohno — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:14:16 +0000

At the PSE Department Awards Reception on April 25th, 2012, awards were presented to undergraduates and graduates in the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences. The following awards were presented to the respective recipients; Bangor Garden Club Scholarship (Sara Tryzelaar), John F. Boyle Prize in EES (Maggie Burns), Samuel L. Boucher Horticultural Education Fund (Fang Geng), Cecil Brown Scholarship (Marcelo Rugini), Arthur C. Clayton Horticulture Scholarship (Sara Tryzelaar and Patrick Vaillancourt), Janet Engle Cormier Soil Science Scholarship (Jamie Brooker and Marcelo Rugini), Dr. Miroslaw M. Czapowskyj ’58 Scholarship (Jamie Brooker), Eastern Maine Orchid Society Book Award (Heather Frey), Mark and Charmaine Jensen Scholarship (Sara Tryzelaar), Landscape Horticulture Scholarship (Sara Tryzelaar, Patrick Vaillancourt, Yuwen Yang, Joshua Drew, and Parris Avery), Lyle E. Littlefield Prize (Nicole Fici), Maine Landscape and Nursery Association Scholarship (Joshua Drew), Jane M. McCabe Memorial Horticulture Scholarship (Parris Avery), New England Farm & Garden Association/Margaret McKee Gerrity Scholarship (Nick Rowley), Ellen Louise Payson Landscape Horticulture Scholarship (Joel Whitney), Roland A. Struchtemeyer Scholarship (Neil Thompson) and Sustainable Agriculture Award (Emily Fox). It was wonderful to have parents, other family members, and Donors present at the Department Reception and College Banquet. Congratulations to all the award recipients and a big thank you to all our Donors for their continued support of our students!

Joshua Drew is the recipient of the Maine Landscape and Nursery Association Scholarship

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:17:14 +0000

Josh is this year’s recipient of the Maine Landscape and Nursery Association Scholarship. MeLNA is a non-profit organization for the Maine green industries and plant lovers. Our Environmental Horticulture program works closely with MeLNA (www.MeLNA.org) and very much appreciates their support. Each year, MeLNA awards a scholarship to an Environmental Horticulture student at the University of Maine. The recipient has to be a Maine residence and plan to work in Maine after graduation. The faculty and staff in the Environmental Horticulture program select the recipient based on the student’s academic merit and financial needs.

Aaron Englander receives NESARE Graduate Student Research Award

ericgallandt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:56:34 +0000

Aaron Englander, a new M.S. student working with Ellen Mallory on the Local Bread Wheat Project (http://sites.google.com/site/localbreadwheatproject/), was awarded $9,767 for his project “Farm-grown microbial soil inoculants: Effects on bread wheat yield and quality.” The aim of his project is to evaluate the efficacy of two farm-produced microbial inoculants and one commercially-available inoculant on organic bread wheat yield and quality. This project will help farmers evaluate whether to use microbial inoculants and whether inoculants can be produced effectively on their farms.

Environmental Horticulture Students Attend PLANET Student Career Days

sburnett — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:52:50 +0000

The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) Student Career Days are annual, three day meetings of horticulture students from around the country. At this event, students compete in skill-based events directly related to Green Industry Careers including landscape installation, plant identification, paver and patio installation, bidding and estimating, and landscape design. They also attend a Career Fair where students meet prospective employers from around the country and find out about potential employment opportunities. PLANET is held in a different location in the country each year which provides students with the opportunity to see new plants and horticultural techniques. They also network with students from over sixty colleges and universities at this event. Our student teams have enjoyed and benefited from these trips.

Ben Costanzi Receives NE SARE Research Grant

ericgallandt — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:35:39 +0000

Ben Costanzi, M.S. student studying Weed Ecology and Management in the Department of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences, was one of 13 graduate students to receive a Northeast Region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) grant. His NESARE project, “Improving Weed Control on the Small Farm: Evaluation of Scale-Appropriate Cultivation Tools,” was awarded $8,700 to conduct studies of hand tools, with a specific focus on (1) efficacy and working rates, and (2) farmers’ qualitative assessment of ergonomics and ease of use. There were 51 proposals to this new NESARE program. Ben started his program in May 2010 and has initiated field and lab experiments focused on hand tools for weed control on small-scale farms. For more information contact Ben (Benjamin_Costanzi@umit.maine.edu), or Eric Gallandt (gallandt@maine.edu), or visit umaine.edu/weedecology.

Ben Costanzi, UMaine M.S. student is working on improved weed control for small-scale growers.

Michelle Jordan Places 3rd at American Society for Horticultural Science Meeting

sburnett — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:39:54 +0000

This July, recent landscape horticulture graduate, Michelle Jordan, competed in an undergraduate research competition at the American Society for Horticultural Science Meeting in Palm Desert, California. In this competition, Michelle gave a presentation about a project she led under the guidance of Drs. Stephanie Burnett and Jean Macrae from the College of Engineering. Michelle found two native plants that could be used in sub-surface flow horizontal wastewater treatment in an Engineers without Borders project in Dolce Vivir, Honduras. Congratulations, Michelle!

Black Bear Food Guild planting at the Rogers Farm

ericgallandt — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:54:48 +0000

The student-run Black Bear Food Guild is in its 16th season and students are busy planting at their Rogers Farm field site.

Horticulture Club Receives Honorable Mention at Bangor’s Garden Show

sburnett — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:30:05 +0000

Bangor’s Garden Show returned this year, and UMaine’s Horticulture Club was one of eight groups to display a gardenscape. Their theme was ‘Recycled Wishes’. The design featured two trees welded from rebar and holding blue glass bottles. An octagonal water feature was at the center of the display. Plants in the gardenscape included purple alum root, inkberry, birch, sunflowers, and impatiens. The students received an Honorable Mention for their design. UMaine alum Robert Bangs from Windswept Gardens received ‘Best in Show’, and Mary Lou Hoskins from Greencare Interior Plantscapes received the People’s Choice Award for a collaborative design with Mo McGlinn from McGlinn’s Wee Gardens. Congratulations to our students and alumni for their achievements!!!

Lauren Kolb, Ph.D. candidate, awarded the 2010-11 Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) Fellowship.

ericgallandt — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:26:53 +0000

Lauren’s research on managing weed/crop interference and integrating physical and cultural weed control in organic cereal crops includes a comparison of the most promising practices developed by researchers and farmers in northern Europe. Briefly, her thesis is that the fundamental agronomic practices used by most organic grain growers, practices developed over the last 50 years of input-intensive production, are poorly suited to organic production, where weed pressure is often very high. Lauren is comparing a range of production practices which aim to further enhance the competitive ability of the cereal crop, encouraging enhanced weed-suppression, as well as an innovative cultivation-based strategy in which the cereal crop is grown in wider rows, like corn or soybean, to permit aggressive cultivation between the rows. These practices have been evaluated in organic barley grown for dairy feed, and Lauren has now shifted her focus to organic bread wheat grown for regional millers.