Fabiano Colet Receives Inaugural TOP Fellowship

July 1, 2022
Fabiano (center) receives the inaugural TOP fellowship from Mike Chrisman (left) & Mike O'Keeffe (right)

Fabiano Colet has had a busy few months, he received his Master’s Degree in Agronomy & Crop Science this May & just won the inaugural TOP (The Ohio Program) Fellowship! This fellowship will help him greatly as he continues his graduate education pursuing his PhD under the advisement of Dr. Laura Lindsey

Fabiano shared how meaningful these achievements have been as well as a bit about his current research centered on soybeans: 


What does winning this fellowship mean to you?

This was a highly competitive fellowship - winning it was a great achievement, since it represents the good work I’ve put in throughout my time as both an undergrad and graduate student. 

Did you have any connection to the TOP program prior to this fellowship? 

In November 2017, I came to the US to participate in an internship program facilitated by The Ohio Program (TOP). TOP helped me secure a one-year internship with a host company – Knox Horticulture Inc., located in Winter Garden, FL. Through this internship, I had a year full of personal and professional improvement, learning, and making friends and connections. Also, through TOP, all the interns (myself included) were able to participate in Cultivate 18’, which was an excellent opportunity for us to learn more about the horticulture industry in the US, participate in workshops, improve our networking + make friends and connections from all over the world. 

What is your current research focus?

I’m currently working on two projects. One of the projects, is evaluating foliar fungicide and insecticide applications in soybean. This project aims to help Ohio farmers make informed decisions regarding pesticide application in soybean. 

The second project aims to evaluate yield response and the return on investment of biological seed treatments in soybean. This project involves 17 states in the US, and Dr. Lindsey (my advisor) is the leading PI. We’re evaluating nine commercial products that contain different microorganisms, including bacteria or fungi, for at least two growing seasons.  

WhY'd you decide to continue onto your PhD here at OSU HCS

The Ohio State University and the HCS department are well-known for their esteemed faculty, great research facilities, and resources. When all of these factors were put together, it was not difficult for me to decide to continue my PhD studies here. Also, I’ve truly enjoyed the projects I’ve been involved with here – first, during my Master’s and now during my PhD.  


You can follow along with Fabiano's research on Twitter!