News | Doctor of Plant Health

Dr. Lee Briese - Successful Farming Magazine

Recent DPH graduate, Dr. Lee Briese is featured in the November issue of Successful Farming magazine. Congratulations, Lee!

AFA 2019

Dr. Sal Ramirez and DPH student Lindsay Overmyer attended the AFA Opportunity Fair on November 8th in Kansas City!

You can read more about AFA here: http://www.agfuture.org/s/1342/rd16/index3.aspx?sid=1342&gid=1&pgid=1334

IANR Fellowship Luncheon

Congratulations to Brett Lynn on receiving the William J. Curtis Fellowship.

The Curtis Fellowships are awarded to UNL Doctor of Plant Health (DPH) students with outstanding qualifications and interest in pursuing the DPH degree in any plant health related area (agriculture, horticulture, regulatory, etc.). These Fellowsihps are competivively awarded to outstanding students who have been accepted into the DPH program. Selection is based on student potential as measured by undergraduate performance, professional experience, and leadership qualities.

DPH Student Ali Loker Published in Biological Control

Congratulations to current DPH student Ali Loker on being published in the Biological Control Journal.

Biological control and integrated pest management in organic and
conventional systems
Brian P. Baker, Thomas A. Green, Ali J. Loker

IANR Fellowship Luncheon

Congratulations to Ali Loker on receiving the William J. Curtis Fellowship.

The Curtis Fellowships are awarded to UNL Doctor of Plant Health (DPH) students with outstanding qualifications and interest in pursuing the DPH degree in any plant health related area (agriculture, horticulture, regulatory, etc.). These Fellowsihps are competivively awarded to outstanding students who have been accepted into the DPH program. Selection is based on student potential as measured by undergraduate performance, professional experience, and leadership qualities.

Congratulations to Dr. Justin McMechan

Congratulations to DPH alumnus Dr. Justin McMechan on receiving the Abbey Award from the University of Minnesota.

The 2019 Abbey Award recipient is Justin McMechan, a 2009 agronomy graduate from the University of Minnesota Crookston. After graduating from UMN Crookston, McMechan continued his education to obtain a masters degree in entomology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He went on to earn a Doctor of Plant Health degree as well as a Ph.D. in entomology also from Nebraska-Lincoln studying the oversummering ecology of the wheat curl mite.

You can read more about Dr. McMechan and the award here: https://www.crk.umn.edu/news/alumniawards2019

New DPH Student Brett Lynn

Brett Lynn is an agronomist that enjoys partnering with growers to find practical agronomic solutions that can be implemented at the farm-level. Brett believes in leveraging interdisciplinary knowledge coupled with practical experience to ensure producers remain profitable while reducing their environmental footprint. The desire to bolster his interdisciplinary knowledge drew Brett to the Doctor of Plant Health (DPH) in Fall 2019.

Prior to embarking in the DPH program Brett received his B.S. (2016) and M.S. (2019) in Agronomy from Kansas State University. During his B.S. he interned with Crop Production Services and WinField Solutions. He also worked for Monsanto/Bayer Crop Science while completing his M.S. Additionally, Brett has been a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) since 2017.

Brett is always seeking opportunities to collaborate with companies and growers that embrace innovation. Following the DPH program Brett intends to work in production agronomy and/or consultation. The best way to contact Brett is via email: brettalynn93@gmail.com.

New DPH Student Ali Loker

Ali grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and received her B.S. in Community and Environmental Sociology, with a certificate in Global Health, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012. Her degree allowed her to take a variety of plant science courses alongside sociology courses, to provide a well-rounded perspective of how people interact with their food system. Ali has production experience from a variety of organic vegetable farms and a small scale goat dairy. Most recently, she worked for the IPM Institute of North America as a project manager, where she collaborated with food retailers to develop and implement sustainability programs for their supply chains. It was through this work that Ali developed the desire to expand and deepen her technical background through the DPH program.

"I am honored to be part of the DPH program and have the opportunity to gain the breadth and depth of knowledge the program offers. I was attracted to the DPH because of the interdisciplinary nature and emphasis on practical application. I see the need for many individuals with this type of understanding to effectively collaborate with others to solve the world's most pressing issues, like food stability and climate change. I believe the DPH will give me a strong foundation to help increase the resiliency of agricultural systems after graduation."

Fall 2019!

Excited to have the students back on campus! To all the new students, welcome to UNL!!

We're happy you're here!!

Welcome Back photo

Dr. Lee Briese - Final Seminar

April 10th, 2019 - Final DPH Seminar, Dr. Lee Briese

Science Communication in Agriculture: The Role of the Trusted Adviser