Faculty Expertise
William “Bill” D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, has been elected as Fellow for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
Branch is the 17th UGA faculty member to receive this honor, which recognizes inventors whose innovations have had a significant impact on society, economic development and quality of life.
Student Life
Congratulations to the following Crop and Soil Sciences students on receiving honors and awards at the 2025 Beltwide Cotton Conferences held in New Orleans, LA January 14 - 16:
- Joshua Lee (Advisor: John Snider)
2nd Place, PhD Oral Competition - Emmanuella Bredu (Advisor: John Snider)
3rd Place, PhD Poster Competition - Jayson Wisekal (Advisor: John Snider)
3rd Place, MS Oral Competition
- Ashbin Bhat (Advisor: John Snider)
3rd Place, MS Oral Competition
In observance of World Soil Day (WSD) on December 5th, students and faculty on all three campuses sponsored soil-related activities to provide UGA students with a break from exams.
In Athens, booths offering soil painting, a soil texture ID contest, soil critters, NRCS and lab demos, and more were set up in front of Miller Plant Sciences building. Participants included faculty and students from CRSS, Odum School of Ecology, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and folks from the NRCS.
At UGA-Griffin, World Soil Day was celebrated at the Research Garden. Visitors participated in fun-filled, student-led activities that raised awareness about soils and soil properties, including, soil horizons and profiles, soil texture and color, water movement, rocks and minerals. Participants ranged from on-campus students to outside visitors.
The team at UGA-Tifton presented various soil demos, including "soil your undies," soil respiration, microscope viewing of nematodes, cation exchange capacity, water holding capacity, soil compaction, and many more. Participants stated that they really enjoyed the event, and it has deepened their understanding of soil.
World Soil Day highlights the critical role of soil in sustaining life on Earth and underscores the urgent need for sustainable soil management practices. WSD is held annually as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources. The 2024 theme was “caring for soils: measure, monitor, manage.”
Crop and Soil Sciences students received several honors/awards at the 2024 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting held in San Antonio, Texas.
- Josh Lee (advisor: John Snider)
1st Place - Crop Irrigation Strategies and Management Community, Agronomy Society of America, Ph.D. Poster Competition. - Ashbin Bhat (advisor: John Snider)
2nd Place - Precision Agriculture Systems Community, Agronomy Society of America, M.S. Poster Competition. - Emily Bedwell (advisor: George Vellidis)
1st Place - Evapotranspiration Measurement and Modeling Community, Agronomy Society of America, Ph.D. Oral Competition - Jasia Jannat (advisor: George Vellidis)
2nd Place - Precision Agriculture Systems Community, Agronomy Society of America, Ph.D. Oral Competition - Sara Maktabi (advisor: George Vellidis)
3nd Place - Precision Agriculture Systems Community, Agronomy Society of America, Ph.D. Oral Competition - Nushrat Niva (Advisor: Lorena Lacerda)
3nd Place - Airborne and Satellite Remote Sensing Community, Agronomy Society of America, Graduate Student Oral Competition - Anish Bhattarai (advisor: Leo Bastos)
1st Place - Precision Agriculture Systems Community, Agronomy Society of America, M.S. Oral Competition - Anish Bhattarai (advisor: Leo Bastos)
1st Place - Sensor Based Nutrient Management Community, Agronomy Society of America, Graduate Student Poster Competition - Kelvin Jimmy Awori (advisor: Cristiane Pilon)
1st Place – Global Climate Change Community, Agronomy Society of America, Ph.D. Oral Competition - Luke Sykes (advisor: Cristiane Pilon)
3rd Place – Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division, Crop Science Society of America, M.S. Poster Competition
Contact Us
Main Office: 706-542-2461
Fax: 706-542-0914
Miller Plant Sciences Building
120 Carlton Street
Athens GA 30602