March 24, 2015
Rife receives Future Leaders in Science Award
Trevor Rife, doctoral student in plant pathology, was selected by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America as recipient of the 2015 Future Leaders in Science Award.
Rife is one of 18 graduate students who received the award in recognition of his interest and engagement in science advocacy. Award winners received a trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the societies' annual Congressional Visits Day in March, where they met with their members of Congress and advocated for agricultural and environmental research.
Rife is a graduate student in the genetics program and will graduate in mid-2016. Jesse Poland, assistant professor of plant pathology, serves as his advisor. Rife's research attempts to shorten the breeding cycle by introducing genomic prediction into plant breeding programs, which has the potential to double the progress that scientists can make. He also develops data collection software that is being used by plant breeding programs around the world.
American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America are scientific societies based in Madison, Wisconsin, helping their 10,000-plus members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy, crop, soil sciences and related disciplines by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.