Ever since I was a little girl, one of the things I have loved
most is wading through streams. I love feeling the coolness of the water on my
legs. I love watching the water as it flows around bends and over rocks. I love
turning over those very same rocks to find out what lives underneath. I have
been lucky enough to play and work in streams in Kentucky, the U.S., and the
world.
With each stream I visit, I think of a quote by the fluvial
geomorphologist Luna Leopold: “The health of our waters is the principal
measure of how we live on the land.” Some streams I have visited were healthy
and functioning well, while others were not.
Because of my love of streams and the environment, I decided to spend my
career working on ways to improve the health and functioning of streams. Luckily for me, while working at the University
of Kentucky, I have been able to combine my love of streams and the environment
with my love of teaching.
In the next few months, I will have the opportunity to
continue working with students on environment and sustainability issues. Starting
in the fall of 2014, the University of Kentucky will open the doors to a new
living learning community focused on the environment and sustainability. Located at Woodland Glen II, this new community
called Greenhouse is open to freshman and sophomores of all majors with an interest in the environment and sustainability.
Greenhouse is a partnership between the College of Agriculture, Food and
Environment (CAFE) and the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). Mary Arthur
(Forestry), Shannon Bell (Sociology), and Alan Fryar (Earth and Environmental
Sciences) and I are co-directors.
Greenhouse is designed to foster the development of an environment-
and sustainability-focused community on UK’s campus by helping students make
connections with each other as well as faculty, staff and community
professionals. The intent is that these campus community connections will lead
to student-driven contributions that
will improve the environment and advance sustainability on campus and beyond. In
essence, these are the four C’s of Greenhouse: campus, community, connections
and contributions.
Students in Greenhouse will enroll in a two-credit hour
connected course (AS 100 Pathways and Barriers to Environmental Sustainability)
in the fall and a one-credit hour course in the spring. Co-curricular activities such as weekly
coffee chats, tours and field trips, guest speakers, and movie nights are
planned. You can find out more at http://greenhouse.as.uky.edu/.
While I think of a quote by Luna Leopold when I think of
streams, I think of one by his father, the famous conservationist Aldo Leopold,
when I think of Greenhouse: “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity
belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may
begin to use it with love and respect.”With
Greenhouse, we want to build a community of engaged students who can improve
the environment and sustainability at the University of Kentucky and beyond.
[Author's Note: To put yourself in a proper frame for reading, please turn on your favorite holiday music, sit by a fire (or candle), pour yourself some coffee, hot cider, or hot chocolate, and enjoy.]
2013 has certainly been a great year for the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment! We have so much to be reflective on in this season of togetherness and celebration of love. Below are some reasons that 2013 has been such a banner year for us all. This is no way serves as an official list, but one of reflection and promise as we look toward a bright 2014. Check out the University's holiday greeting and then come back to check out the rest of the blog........
What's In a Name?
This year brought on a name change for our College. Our new name has stirred emotions of alumni, students and others, bringing on much discussion. The new name, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment truly does encapsulate who we are and what we do by today's standards. For those in the industry, agriculture is such an implied word. But what about for generations removed from the farm? The addition of "...,Food and Environment" helps focus on some of the pressing challenges for the industry in the future and helps with public education on some of the issues we are working so hard to research, educate and extend ourselves into Kentucky's communities. The name change allows the general public to better understand who we are: The landgrant College focusing on contributions and innovations in animal sciences and animal health; in crop, plant and food production; in the health and well-being of Kentuckians through nutrition, family development and activity; in food production, development and food security; in environmental stewardship through design, alternative fuel approaches, woodland and natural resource management; and in personal development through leadership, economic and humanitarian measures.
In short, the new name allows us to prepare for the challenges of 2014 and beyond. We are poised to better tell our story and continue making a difference in the lives of Kentucky and beyond.
Our Students
Our student body currently sits at its largest in UK history. The University is now nearly 30,000 Wildcat strong. The many accomplishments of our students through awards in undergraduate research, leadership roles taken throughout campus and nationwide in organizations, and the high academic caliber of our student body make this a big pride point among our Big Blue Nation faithful. As a top ten research college of agriculture, we hold high esteem for the accomplishments of our students- in and outside the classroom.
Our college's largest undergraduate and freshman classes have came the past two years. As over 400 freshman and transfer students have entered our door, our undergraduate student enrollment is at 2699 students, and with adding graduate students, we sit at just shy of 3200 total students. The scholastic achievements of our students make them our college's most academically talented group in our history. This year's mid-fifty percantile for our incoming class was a 22-27 ACT and a 3.3-3.9 high school GPA. One of our incoming freshman, Megan Harper, of Calloway County, was named a Belles of the American Royal and Agriculture Future of America Scholar. Others received many top scholarships from around the University and around the country.
Our UKAg students hold leadership positions across the ranks of campus as well. DanceBlue is a student-ran philanthropy on campus and involves many of our students. This year's overall student chair is Claci Ayers, an agricultural biotechnology student and UK's current Homecoming Queen. Many of our other students, including Christa Childers, a dietetics student, who serves on the Family Relations Committee, and Alex Bugg and Kaitlin Klair, serving as team captains of the CAFE Cow Tippers DanceBlue Team, a group consisting of students from across the College. DanceBlue is one of my favorite things our students do each year and it truly brings our campus together. If you have never been, try and check it out February 22-23, 2014. The video includes last year's reveal and the group dance number at the end, and is sure to inspire you and get your toe-tapping.
Our faculty and staff
We are widely known for our committed faculty and staff that serve the College in so many ways.
We began 2013 with two of our professors, Dr. Roberta Dwyer and Dr. John Grove, being named Outstanding Teachers at the University. We will begin 2014 by having another recipient, Dr. Mark Coyne, receiving the same distinction.
On a national front, Dr. Bill Silvia, Animal Sciences, was recognized as a Regional National Teacher by the USDA and APLU. Also from Animal Sciences, Dr. Debra Aaron received the Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Section of the American Society of Animal Science.
Dr. Kelly Webber, Dietetics and Human Nutrition, received a NIH grant for work on weight loss. The year's Patricia Brantley Todd Award Recepients were recently named from our School of Human Environmental Sciences, including Jason Hans, Family Science, for the teaching award.
Some of our student programming won awards at the annual NAADA Conference, including programs for National Ag Awareness Day and Ag Bash.
Leadership
Finally, we want to thank and acknowledge the leadership and administration of Dr. Scott Smith. Dr. Smith leaves our College where he has been Dean since 2001. We appreciate his work and commitment to the Commonwealth and wish him the best, although he's not going very far and will be teaching some sections of GEN 100 for our students.
We also want to welcome Dr.Nancy Cox into the role of Dean effective January 1, 2014. We know that she will be a visionary dean and lead UK Ag to even greater heights.
In Summary...... It's been a great year to be a Wildcat, and hope that some of you who may be prospective Wildcats or parents of a soon-to-be-Wildcat see the many proud accomplishments for our College this year, in years prior and in years to come. How will you prospective Wildcats engage your potential here at UK and make your mark? We look back on an exciting year for our College, and look forward to the greatness that 2014 will bring for our UK Ag Family. Remember that our Incoming Freshmen Scholarships are due January 15, 2014!
Happy Holidays!!
- Jason H.
Jason Headrick is the Director of Student Relations for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. He is a 2002 graduate of UK with a B.S. in agricultural communications and is set to complete his MA in May 2014. He serves on the board for the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association. He also is on the board for the Fayette County UK Alumni Club.
Landscape Architecture is defined as the partnership of
disciplines including design thinking, fine arts, architecture, and other
design oriented themes for the creation of projects ranging from public parks
and parkways to academic campuses or urban city master plans.
Many of us are unaware of this intriguing
profession, one that can take you around the world and back, maybe even the
moon one day. The University of Kentucky Landscape Architecture Department has
done just that; they are now requiring their students to study abroad at least
once while in the five-year program.
Fitz Roy Spires in Patagonia,
with Katelyn Nixon.
This past summer eight students including myself traveled to
South America for two-weeks and some stayed for an additional two-weeks! This was an experience of a lifetime and
would not have been possible without Landscape Architecture. While on this trip I caught a wicked awesome
bug and it has yet to leave, it’s the travel bug!
Our journey began in the capital city of Chile, Santiago, then
continued west across the Andes Mountains and into Argentina. In Argentina we visited several cities
Mendoza, which has some tasty wine, Cordoba, Rosario, and Buenos Aires, the
capital. I wish I could show you every picture from the trip however it may
take several weeks and that would only cover the first half of my trip, the
second half of my trip was not school related but was equally as epic. The picture above is one of the more
memorable meals on the trip, it consisted of almost all parts of a cow and it
was delicious!
I spent the
last two-weeks of my journey in Patagonia where I was able to complete a dream
of mine which is represented in the picture above.
Charlie is a senior in Landscape Architecture. He is from Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Earlier in the semester, the College of Agriculture, Food & Environment hosted over twenty
agricultural companies at our annual Career Fair. Students labored over their preparations for
the Career Fair: we searched for the perfect professional outfit, brushed up
our resumes with a fine toothed comb, and practiced our handshakes- all for the
sake of securing an interview for a job or internship. Now that the Career Fair is over, we’re done,
right?
WRONG! We are
done with the hard part- making a good first impression with the
recruiters. Now, however, we have the
opportunity to not only remind our potential employers of our names and
credentials, but we also have the opportunity to impress them with our follow-up
etiquette.
What
exactly is follow-up etiquette? It is
the simple steps we can take to ensure the connections we made at the Career
Fair are solidified. The day or so after
the Career Fair, be sure to contact the employers to whom you spoke. Sending a quick, simple e-mail thanking them
for taking their time to come to the Career Fair and reminding them that you
are interested in their company can help you to stand out above all the other
people they met at the Career Fair. If
you spoke with them about something unusual, such as sports during your initial
introduction or connection, mention it in your e-mail. You want the employers to read it and think,
“Oh, right, I remember this person…”
Countless
interviews, internships, and jobs have been won at Career Fairs, and the Career
Fair hosted by the College of Agriculture, Food & Environment this week is
no exception. Who knows? Maybe it will be YOU who earns one of those
coveted positions at the prestigious companies who were on campus - just
remember to use your follow-up etiquette and solidify the connections
made.
Kendall is a senior majoring in Agricultural Education. She is from Georgetown, Kentucky and will be student teaching in the spring. After graduation, Kendall would like to work in the education sector.
How can you be sure that you’ve picked the right major? It’s hard to know what you should study when
you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life after college just
yet. If you’re in the right major,
you’ll definitely figure it out within the first two semesters.
Here are a few clues:
1.You will think that most of the material you’re
learning in your classes is really interesting.
2.You will probably have a lot of common interests
with other students in your major.
3. As you
find out all of the different career paths that your major could lead to, you
should be able to picture yourself doing some of them, and enjoying it.
When I first transferred to UK, I
had three different majors I was looking into, and I thought they all looked
really interesting. But I’ve never had
to worry about whether I made the right choice- I know that I did. It’s really simple; I’ve made a lot of
friends, my professors have been really inspiring, I’ve liked the majority of
my classes, and I’ve learned a lot.
As a Natural Resources &
Environmental Science major, I’ve gotten to take a lot of really awesome field
trips and explore areas of Fayette County and Kentucky that I might never have
experienced. Since being outside is one
of the criteria I have for my future career, I know this is the major for me
because my classes take me there. I’ve
been to Mammoth Cave National Park, Robinson Forest, Griffith Woods, the
Cincinnati Zoo, McConnell Springs, Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, the
Arboretum, and so many more. Plus, I’ve
done all kinds of awesome experiments and projects through my classes and
labs. Just Monday I got to dissect a
pigeon for my Ornithology class.
Although my major isn’t for
everyone, I know that everyone should be just as excited about their major as I
am about mine. The most important thing
is that you’re picking a career field where you will be challenged, but also
one that you will be passionate about.
Sandy is a senior at the University
of Kentucky, majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences. She is from Guston, Kentucky in Meade County. She
is involved with the COA Agriculture
Ambassadors, undergraduate research, and post graduation, she is considering graduate school. She and her husband now live in Lexington.
Greenhouse is designed to foster the development of an environment-
and sustainability-focused community on UK’s campus by helping students make
connections with each other as well as faculty, staff and community
professionals. The intent is that these campus community connections will lead
to student-driven contributions that
will improve the environment and advance sustainability on campus and beyond. In
essence, these are the four C’s of Greenhouse: campus, community, connections
and contributions.
