First Graduate of UNL's Doctor of Plant Health Lands Job at Borlaug Institute

May 2, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. — The first graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Doctor of Plant Health Program is enjoying her job as the program coordinator at the Borlaug Institute of International Agriculture.

Tara Wood graduated from UNL's Doctor of Plant Health Program in May 2013. The doctor of plant health program started when she arrived in January 2010.

"Tara was our ideal first student," said Gary Hein, program director. "She was very bright and had the flexibility to go with the flow and understand that we were a developing program."

UNL's program is one of two in the country, the other offered at the University of Florida. UNL has been working closely with UF to make the programs the best they can be.

Part of that, Hein said, is offering a range of classes related to plant health including plant science, soil science, weed science, plant pathology and entomology.

"We are trying to provide people the background so they can start working across the whole production system to identify problems in the field and learn how to deal with them," Hein said.

Hein was Wood's faculty adviser and helped her get internships with companies in her area of interest, including an internship in Ghana providing assistance with managing corn production.

 "Work at establishing the best internships for you," Wood advises current students. "They will tell you if what you think you want to do is what you want to do."

Wood has been to Rwanda twice during her time as program coordinator. The project she helped work on helped Rwandans increase their productivity in the harvest of pyrethrum flowers.

Sometime this year, she will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The goal is to help the Congolese army grow its own food so it does not need to pillage food from nearby farms.

Wood said her favorite part of the job is getting to travel to developing countries and learning about the people and how she might help enhance their quality of life.

"I can see the big picture and be able to address the problems on a production level," Wood said.

She said this was in part due to her degree at UNL.

"We don't just talk about the science," Wood said. "We incorporate leadership training and communication skills. We do a little bit of agricultural economics and policy. That really sets you apart."

Wood received her bachelor's degree in environmental science from Eureka College in Illinois and her master's degree in entomology at the University of Arkansas.

Since Wood graduated, three more students have graduated and 12 currently are enrolled. Dori Osantowski graduated in December and began a position with Syngenta earlier this year. Laura Dotterer and Jeremy Wagnitz will graduate this May and both have found job opportunities.

For more information, visit: http://dph.unl.edu/