Page 3 - Impact Spring 2023

I’d like to apply my skill sets in both education and plant breeding for new systems to directly serve my community.
Passion, plants, & progress
Meet agronomy and plant genetics doctoral student Hannah Stoll, whose research aims to assess the amount of breeding progress CFANS has made on intermediate wheatgrass (IWG). Trademarked as Kernza®, it is the first commercially available perennial grain crop in the U.S. and is recognized as a multifunctional food, feed, and eco-friendly crop.
“Some key traits we're trying to improve are grain yield, seed size, and resistance to shattering,” said Stoll. “In addition to quantifying progress, I’ll be looking into what regions of the genome are associated with these key domestication traits. Identifying these genomic regions gives breeders the ability to better select parents for future generations of IWG breeding — meaning faster progress!”
Stoll’s primary motivation for completing her PhD is the desire to educate in some capacity in the future. “I’m passionate about breeding new, sustainable cropping systems. I’d like to apply my skill sets in both education and plant breeding for new systems to directly serve my community,” she said.
When the Plant Breeding Center was formed, Stoll was its first program coordinator, planning workshops, seminars, and more. “In addition to this role being excellent professional development, these events were great opportunities to learn new research skills, connect with scientists around the world, and better connect with researchers at my own institution,” she said. “Additionally, I’ve served as a member of the Vegetable Breeding
for Immigrant Farmers Working Group...an incredible opportunity that piqued my interest in participatory breeding as a future career.”
Lights, camera,
RESEARCH!
CFANS held its inaugural Research Symposium on March 16 at the St. Paul Student Center. The symposium featured poster and oral presentations from undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdocs. More than 80 students participated from across the College to showcase their research projects.
The symposium provided an opportunity for CFANS students and researchers to present their work and engage with their peers and faculty members. Presenters covered a wide range of topics, including agricultural economics, animal science, entomology, food science, and plant pathology, representing multiple research areas throughout the College.
 Check out the slideshow featuring student researchers in action at z.umn.edu/spring- 2023-research-symposium