Congratulations are in order for Allison Robinson as she recently received the Outstanding Technical Service Award from the IR-4 Project!
The IR-4 Project was initiated by the USDA and "land-grant universities to ensure that specialty crop farmers have legal access to safe and effective crop protection products". They've been around since 1963 helping "specialty crop growers address pest management concerns so they can produce healthy fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other crops recommended for a healthy diet; as well as flowers, shrubs, and landscape plants that enhance our environment."
Allison has been with us as a Research Associate in Dr. Doug Doohan's Weed Ecology Lab since 2015 when she began by managing his IR-4 trials. Over the years her responsibilities have grown significantly and in 2021 she was selected as the IR-4 Field Research Director for the entire North Central Region (a role she holds till this day)!
What is the Outstanding Technical Service Award?
The Technical Service Award is given for outstanding technical service to the IR-4 program over the course of several years. To be eligible, Allison proved a sustained level of contribution to IR-4 (with an upbeat + positive attitude) that was above & beyond what was expected of her.
What is Allison's focus?
Allison’s focus is primarily weed control trials, but she is a quick learner and never shies away from a new challenge. For instance, she averaged 6 trials the past few years until 2023 when she (gladly!) took on 19 trials!
Here's an overview of Allison's 2023 trials:
- Hemp trials: "these are notoriously tricky trials and Allison has proved to be among the chosen few that have had success with this crop" - Nicole Soldan
- Greenhouse trials: "Allison has not conducted [this type of trial] in the past, but when asked if she was interested, she rose to the challenge and will conduct her first greenhouse trials in 2023" - Nicole Soldan
- Processing sunflower trials: "This is something that Allison has not done before. Given her heavy workload, I checked in with her and asked if she would rather give the processing trial to someone else. Her response was “No! I want to do this. I love learning new processes and new equipment.” - Nicole Soldan
We are honored that Allison is a part of our team! Special thanks to Nicole Soldan + Dr. Doohan for providing insight into the IR-4 Project + the Outstanding Technical Service Award.