What better way to cap off another great semester than a celebration! On April 17th, 2024, we hosted the inaugural Horticulture & Crop Science Departmental (HCS) Spring Soiree at The Ohio State University Faculty Club. It was an evening celebration of the many great accomplishments our students, staff, faculty, alumni, & friends of HCS have achieved recently. We had a meal, connected with friends both old and new and took a few moments to recognize a few of the tremendous accomplishments those in our department have achieved, including our 2024 CFAES College Award Winners + for the first-time our very own HCS Departmental Award Winners.
Thank you to all our friends who were able to make it out for the Spring Soiree and to our students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends of the department that positively contribute to our department each and every day; we truly appreciate you.
Without further ado, we'd like to introduce you to the inaugural class of HCS Departmental Award Winners...
The Outstanding Senior Award winners, Kyeongjae Kim (Sustainable Agriculture), Ben Stover (SPS Plant Biosciences), Jacob King (SPS Agronomy), Katie Fulcher (SPS Agroecology), Quinn McGonagle (SPS Horticulture), Travis Brake (Professional Golf Management) were selected for demonstrating academic excellence and being highly engaged in HCS, CFAES, and OSU service and activities as an undergraduate student majoring in one of our majors: Sustainable Plant Systems, Sustainable Agriculture or Professional Golf Management.
The Outstanding Graduate Student Award winners, Gurkirat Singh + Rachel Combs-Giroir, were selected for demonstrating academic excellence and providing service to fellow graduate students and the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
The Outstanding Staff Award winners, Tony Dobbels + Laura Chapin, were selected for exemplary job performance, exceptional dedication, consistently exceeding expectations; and excellent service to others both in the department and externally.
The Friend of HCS Award went to Justin Marotta for his support of the research, teaching, and extension missions of the faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
The Young Alumni Professional Achievement Award went to Andrew Northeim for early professional accomplishments and contributions to the turfgrass industry following graduation from the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
The Distinguished Alumni Award winners, Bob Jones Jr. + Mark Jordan, were selected for bringing distinction to themselves and the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at-large through their actions, commitment, and leadership.
inaugural class of HCS Departmental Award Winners:
- Kyeongjae Kim (Sustainable Agriculture)
- Ben Stover (SPS Plant Biosciences)
- Jacob King (SPS Agronomy)
- Katie Fulcher (SPS Agroecology)
- Quinn McGonagle (SPS Horticulture)
- Travis Brake (Professional Golf Management)
- Gurkirat Singh (MS in the Gschwend Lab)
- Rachel Combs-Giroir (PhD in the Gschwend Lab)
- Anthony Dobbels (Researcher in the Essman Lab)
- Laura Chapin (Researcher in the Jones Lab)
- Justin Marotta - Possum Run Greenhouse (Retired)
- Andrew Northeim - Columbus Crew; Turfgrass Science Class of 2014
- Bob Jones Jr. - The Chef’s Garden; Horticulture Class of 1989
- Mark Jordan - Westfield Country Club; Agronomy Class of 1986
2024 CFAES Award Winners:
- Caitlyn Tasney - Distinguished Senior
- Grant DeBruin - Distinguished Senior
- Nelly Arguello-Blanco - Outstanding Publication by a Graduate Student
- Regina Vann Hickok - Special Recognition
- Todd Steiner - Distinguished Extension Professional
- Chieri Kubota - Distinguished Professor
- Bruce Ackley - Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer
It was absolutely delightful to come together to celebrate with our friends and a big congratulations to all our graduating seniors and graduate students becoming Ohio State Alumni this year. We cannot wait to see the impact you will go on to have in the world!