On September 1, the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science hired a new faculty member, Dr. Alexander Lindsey. Alex started his career in Agriculture as an undergraduate at Michigan State University. When asked about what sparked his interest in the agricultural field Alex said, “I started out picking strawberries for my uncle in high school and realized how much effort went into food production. I saw first-hand the difficulties associated with farming, and thought it would be great to help find solutions to agricultural problems. That first summer really started my serious interest in agricultural production.” Alex worked as a sales representative in Wisconsin and became a Certified Crop Advisor before heading back to school. He graduated with a Masters in Weed Science from Michigan State University and a PhD from The Ohio State University.
Throughout his studies and career, Alex found that the most fascinating thing he learned was that all that you learn from textbooks isn’t black and white. “There’s so much we don’t know and that’s what makes research so interesting,” says Alex. A research project that is of particular interest to Alex has to do with interseeded cover crops. “There’s a small establishment window where growers can plant cover crops after corn using current methods, and some of the research is using different seeding methods to help widen the planting window,” Alex said.
In addition to exciting new research projects Alex will be teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses within the department and is looking forward to the experience. “Teaching allows you to look at things in a different light. It’s a challenge and more responsibility but it’s exciting.” Currently, Alex is teaching the Weed Ecology and Management course with Weed Specialist, Bruce Ackley. Future plans will lead Alex to teach Environment Physiology of Managed Plant Systems, a graduate level course. “This course we can tailor to a particular graduate student group. Within the confines of the course, we can cover topics that the students are interested in,” said Alex. Alex would love to help students learn how their factual knowledge of course material can be applied directly to real-world projects, “I think that would be really beneficial,” he said. As a recent graduate of HCS’s PhD program, Alex offered some words of wisdom to all students interested in Agriculture, “Don’t hold yourself to the minimum requirements. Be involved and make connections with your peers, faculty, staff, and connections outside of the classroom. Go on internships; they are a great way to find out if the path you’re on is the right one for you and don’t be afraid of having a bad experience either.” With personal experience from internships, graduate programs, and as an industry professional, Alex is pleased with his new appointment as a faculty member, saying, “Ohio State has a lot of opportunities and I’m looking forward to collaborating with different members of HCS and outside our department.” The Department of Horticulture and Crop Science is thrilled to welcome Alex and looks forward to helping his career continue to grow.