What began decades ago as an experiment in horticultural education is still going strong — and celebrating 50 years of public service. Offered through local Extension offices all across the country, the national Extension Master Gardener program brings together local gardeners with a passion for educating others and land-grant universities to help spread the most up-to-date research and information on gardening and horticulture.

Six University of Georgia faculty received awards Monday for their commitment to public service and outreach. The awards were presented at the 32nd Annual Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon, held at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

Four graduate students in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have been honored with an E. Broadus Browne Award for Outstanding Graduate Research. Given in honor of the former director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations, the award is presented to outstanding CAES master’s and doctoral students recognized for both their research and effective communication.

Dependents of military service members are invited to apply to attend two week-long camping experiences coordinated by the University of Georgia’s 4-H program at no cost. Held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in June, these summits are open to 13- to 18-year-old dependents of military members currently serving in active, guard and reserve components.

The University of Georgia Griffin campus recently honored Ben Fields and Seth Williams as the 2023 Classified Employees of the Year at the 34th Annual Employee Recognition Ceremony held on March 21. The award is presented to classified personnel who have made the most significant impact on UGA-Griffin programs.

Farmers around the world grow peanuts because the plant adapts to poor soils and produces a crop even as droughts become more common. Smallholder farmers around the world grow the crop on modest plots and cook the nuts into traditional dishes or sell the crop for money to send their kids to school. On April 12, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the University of Georgia announced a five-year extension of their collaborative research and outreach work in peanut innovation.

Kevin Vogel, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia, has received a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation. Supported by the more than $1 million CAREER grant, Vogel and his team will spend the next five years building upon the still-limited body of research regarding the symbiotic relationship between kissing bugs and a highly specified bacterium that resides in their gut.

Georgia 4-H dedicated the Thomas F. Rodgers Administration Building at Rock Eagle 4-H Center to honor former Georgia 4-H state leader Tom Rodgers for his years of service to 4-H and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. During his tenure as Georgia 4-H leader, Rodgers championed the renovation of the Rock Eagle 4-H Center, raising more than $2 million to secure Rock Eagle’s status as a centerpiece of Georgia 4-H.

Three University of Georgia professors from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have been appointed to serve on Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA). Chosen by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) secretariats and external referees, Faith Critzer, Abhinav Mishra and Todd Callaway will serve among a roster of experts from 33 countries.