MSU graduate student selected for prestigious soil science endowment
Contact: Carson McFatridge
STARKVILLE, Miss.—An agronomy student in Mississippi State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has been awarded the university’s W.B. Andrews Endowment for Soil Science graduate fellowship.
Elizabeth Worley, of Pulaski, Tennessee, is set to graduate with her master’s degree from MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences this May before advancing directly into the department’s doctoral program.
Worley’s research examines optimal times for farmers to apply nitrogen to maximize yield, which is especially vital during a rainy spring like the one experienced this year. While her primary focus is corn, she has worked with most state-grown row crops.
“The research we are doing is important as we further our understanding of soil fertility and the approach used in managing nutrients in Mississippi,” she said. “My time in graduate school has been my favorite season of life. I have the best team and a strong network, and the work we are doing matters. My experience has been invaluable.”
Worley is under the direction of Vaughn Reed, assistant professor in the plant and soil sciences department and a scientist in the university’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. He noted the direct benefits Worley has received as the assistantship has allowed her to focus on her studies.
“Elizabeth has grown in her writing ability and critical thinking, and she has taken charge in the classroom and the field. The whole team has benefited from her efforts. The data she is generating will provide valuable information for our state’s farmers, helping them increase profitability and improve efficiency,” he said.
The award was named in honor of the late Baker Andrews, a 1929 and 1930 MSU alumnus and former agronomy professor. The endowment may fund graduate assistantships, equipment or research to improve soil science. The Andrews Family has long supported MSU and agricultural research, funding the development of the MAFES W.B. Andrews Agricultural Systems Research Farm north of campus.
For more information on MSU’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, visit www.pss.msstate.edu. Find the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at www.mafes.msstate.edu.
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