CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 12/09/19

UGA Tifton campus celebrates fall graduates

By Maria Sellers

Faculty and staff at the University of Georgia Tifton campus celebrated their fall graduates during a special ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 7. Eleven of the 17 students listed below participated in the celebration.

Students who received their bachelor’s degrees from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences this fall, their hometowns and majors are:

  • Brandon Dowling, Morven, Georgia; agribusiness
  • Nicole Taylor, Tifton, Georgia; agricultural education

Students who received their master’s degrees from UGA CAES this fall, their hometowns and majors are:

  • Sydni Barwick, Boston, Georgia; entomology
  • Carson Bowers, Dacula, Georgia; entomology
  • Shanshan Cao, Shiyan, China; horticulture
  • Lissi Carr, Ray City, Georgia; agricultural and environmental education
  • Clarence Codod, Bauko, Phillipines; plant pathology
  • Will Hemphill, Gainesville, Georgia; plant pathology
  • Sarah Hobby, Tifton, Georgia; plant protection and pest management
  • Dario Di Genova, Firenze, Italy; crop and soil sciences
  • Justin Lanier, Cordele, Georgia; plant protection and pest management
  • Jason Mallard, Portal, Georgia; plant protection and pest management
  • Lauren Perez, Elgin, South Carolina; entomology
  • Pete Perrin, Chula, Georgia; agricultural and applied economics
  • Taylor Randall, Sylvester, Georgia; crop and soil sciences
  • Arianna Toffanin, Cartigliano, Italy; crop and soil sciences

Davis Gimode of Nairobi, Kenya, received a doctoral degree in plant breeding, genetics and genomics.

The celebration preceded the official commencement ceremony, which takes place on the Athens, Georgia, campus on Friday, Dec. 13.

George Vellidis, professor in the CAES Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and director of UGA-Tifton academic programs, said faculty members were excited for the large number of graduate students who participated in the ceremony this year.

“I am sure all of our faculty are proud,” said Vellidis. “We have mentored them or had them as our students for two to four years and we look forward to seeing where they go next in their careers.”

This year’s ceremony consisted of a special commencement address from Joe West, assistant dean at UGA-Tifton.

“Graduation is a special time of the year for our campus. These graduates are our future agricultural leaders and it’s great to be able to celebrate this accomplishment with them,” said West, who has announced his plans to retire in February 2020.

The graduates also had the opportunity to participate in the new tradition of blowing the centennial whistle, which began last year during UGA-Tifton’s centennial celebration.

The ceremony took place in the seminar room in the National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL) building at UGA-Tifton.

For more information about the UGA Tifton campus and the academic programs offered there, visit tifton.caes.uga.edu.

Authors:
Maria Sellers
Experts/Sources:
George Vellidis
UGA-Tifton Assistant Dean Joe West poses for a picture in front of campus with the 2019 fall graduates.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Some of the University of Georgia's extended campuses saw damage from Hurricane Helene. (Photo courtesy of Adam Fouche) CAES News
Relief efforts continue after Hurricane Helene 10/04/24
The University of Georgia community has rallied in the wake of Hurricane Helene, coming together to address damage done to campus facilities while also lending a helping hand to friends and neighbors hit hardest by the storm. While UGA’s main campus weathered the storm with relatively minor damage, the same could not be said for the Tifton campus, where heavy rains and high winds brought down trees and power lines, leaving the campus and surrounding area without power.
The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel saw some damage from the winds and rain of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA) CAES News
UGA weathers Hurricane Helene 09/27/24
The University of Georgia’s main campus was fortunate to emerge relatively unscathed after Hurricane Helene barreled through the state early Friday morning. However, the impact was more significant at our extended campus locations. While the UGA Griffin campus reported no major damage, UGA-Tifton was hit much harder, with dozens of downed trees and power outages, as well as flooding in several buildings. Damage to farm operations across south Georgia appears to be extensive.
Yangxuan Liu, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics, reflects on her journey from medicine to agricultural economics. Her work supports farmers across Georgia while also empowering residents in her local community of Tifton. CAES News
CAES economist recognized as emerging leader for work supporting farmers 09/09/24 Claire Sanders Kinnard
For Yangxuan Liu, her career as an associate professor of agricultural and applied economics feels like equal parts coincidence and fate. “I was initially involved in agriculture because of my family farm in China. During breaks from school as a child, I would go visit my grandparents and work in their fields where they grow corn, wheat, cotton and other crops. This really gave me respect for the value of working the ground,” Liu said.
Nino Brown stands in front of a peanut field holding up a red net bag of harvested peanuts above his head as he speaks to participants in the Georgia Peanut Tour in 2022. CAES News
CAES experts study oil production to boost Georgia’s peanut power 09/05/24 Maria M. Lameiras
A new study by experts in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is seeking to increase the value of Georgia’s peanut crops for new markets while reducing losses caused by aflatoxin, a consistent threat to the No. 1 peanut-producing state in the United States. The four-year, $490,000 grant will take a systems-based approach toward developing high-oil peanut varieties bred to withstand the unique climate and pest pressures of the Southeast.
Recent rankings from Forbes and The Princeton Review demonstrate continued excellence. CAES News
UGA ranks among best universities in the nation 08/30/24
The University of Georgia continues to solidify its position among the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher education. “The University of Georgia’s impressive rankings by a host of national publications reflect the tremendous talent and hard work of our exceptional faculty, staff and students,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “While individual rankings can fluctuate from year to year, UGA’s consistently strong performance across a wide range of criteria speaks to our position among the nation’s leading universities.”
Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium CAES News
Keep on the grass 08/29/24 Emily Cabrera, Scott Michaux
When the University of Georgia Bulldogs step between the hedges at Sanford Stadium, the grass on Dooley Field needs to look perfect. More importantly, though, it needs to help safeguard the health of athletes who compete on it. Gerald Henry plays a big role in the latter. The UGA Athletic Association’s endowed professor in environmental turfgrass leads a research team in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences committed to creating sports fields that look good and perform well to limit the occurrence of injuries.