Miller award supports careers in Cooperative Extension

Master’s student Maya Shydlowski, right, harvesting small grains with teammates Elmer Flores, driving the combine, and postdoctoral researcher Josh Hegarty, center. They harvested about 1,000 test plots over two days in the July heat. (Courtesy Maya Shydlowski)

Four students plan to share their knowledge

Four students connected to the UC Davis Department of Plant Science have received grants from the Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award, which supports learners interested in careers with Cooperative Extension.

The 2024 awardees are Maya Shydlowski, Erika Escalona, Sam Dudley and Ben Baldi. All four students said they are eager to share what they are learning with people in the field who need solutions for everyday problems.

“They are all fantastic students and do a lot of work with cooperative extension,” said Kelly Paglia, advisor supervisor for the department.

Maya Shydlowski: Use fertilizer more efficiently

Maya Shydlowski already graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Department of Plant Sciences, and has returned as a master's student in the horticulture and agronomy graduate group, studying with Mark Lundy, an associate professor of Cooperative Extension. In between, she worked for University of California Cooperative Extension in Santa Clara County. “I enjoyed working in extension and am interested in continuing to explore that as an option for my career,” Shydlowski said.

The award will support her work to find practical solutions to problems faced by growers.

“I'm working on a project that can help us better estimate nitrogen use efficiency by calculating the nitrogen status of a plant,” Shydlowski said. “I hope that would eventually help growers apply fertilizer more efficiently and reduce harmful nitrogen losses.”

Shydlowski also is working with Lundy on a project to explore how growers can still produce despite using less water -- a reality imposed by drought and ever-tighter water regulations in the state. 

Erika Escalona: Soil health and pest management

Master’s student Erika Escalona presents her research on using steam to control soil-borne organisms that can infect lettuce and spinach in the Salinas Valley. (Courtesy Erika Escalona)

Erika Escalona grew up in a family of agricultural workers in Watsonville. “My childhood sparked my passion for agriculture and inspired me to study ways to tackle key challenges, like improving soil health and pest management,” Escalona said.

She's now in the horticulture and agronomy graduate group. She works with Steve Fennimore, a professor of Cooperative Extension in the department, on ways to manage soil organisms that affect crops in her home area.

“I'm really interested in a career in extension because it's all about bringing research directly to the community and farms, which I find important and inspiring,” Escalona said. “I believe this field will let me keep connecting the agricultural community I grew up in with academic research.”

She'll use the award to finalize her master's thesis, publish her findings and present her research at conferences. “I want to share my work with a bigger audience, highlight the importance of our findings, and contribute to improving alternative pest management practices,” Escalona said.

Sam Dudley: Drought-tolerant grapevines

Doctoral student Sam Dudley is creating a new model for breeding drought-tolerant grape rootstocks. (Courtesy Sam Dudley)

Sam Dudley is a doctoral student in the horticulture and agronomy graduate group. He studies the drought tolerance of grapevine rootstocks and how the physiology of root systems can help growers save water. “I hope to use genetics, physiology and mathematical modeling to make it easier to breed new drought-tolerant rootstocks,” Dudley said. 

“Working with UC Cooperative Extension in my undergraduate education is what inspired me to pursue a career in science, and I would feel lucky to have the opportunity to continue to work with cooperative extension in the future as well,” Dudley added. “The intersection between science and practical applications to the field is a crucial link that I plan to continue pursuing.”

He'll use his Miller Award “in collaboration with Cooperative Extension to parameterize and simulate a structural functional plant model to predict drought tolerance of grapevines at the field scale. He's working with Megan Bartlett, in the Department of Viticulture and Enology.

Ben Baldi: Empowering underrepresented groups

Benjamin Baldi is a master's student focusing on plant pathology, with help from his assistant, Smokey. (Courtesy Benjamin Baldi)

Benjamin Baldi is working a master's degree in international agricultural development, with an emphasis on plant pathology. In the fall, he'll start a doctoral program with the horticulture and agronomy graduate group, shifting into weed science.

“My journey with plants has taken me across the globe and through several aspects of agriculture including farming, extension and education, with a strong focus on farmer empowerment,” Baldi said. “There are many challenges for smallholder and organic farmers in weed management, including access to emerging and advanced technologies that could assist them.

“During this program, I plan to collaborate with the dedicated UC ANR extensionists, farmers and researchers to address related projects, while honing my scientific methods and preparing for a career in extension,” Baldi added. “I hope, with this opportunity, to be involved in contributing innovative solutions and support to underrepresented agricultural communities."

Baldi's PI is Mohsen Mesgaran, an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.

More about the Miller Award

The Milton D. and Mary M. Miller Plant Science Award is given each year to undergraduates and graduate students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences interested in a career in Cooperative Extension. In addition, it is available to members of UC Cooperative Extension aiming for advanced degrees.

Awards range from $2,000k to $5,000. For more information about the award or to apply, contact Kelly Paglia, advisor supervisor for the Department of Plant Sciences, at kpaglia@ucdavis.edu. 

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