Student Awards
The Department of Crop and Soil Sciences is proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students, whose dedication, curiosity, and scholarly excellence continue to elevate our program. This year’s awardees distinguished themselves across a wide range of competitive platforms—from national CANVAS division competitions to university‑wide honors—earning top placements, fellowships, and recognition for both research and communication. Their accomplishments reflect not only individual talent but also the strength of our departmental mentorship and the vibrant academic community that supports their success.
- CANVAS Awards
- American Peanut Research & Education Society (APRES)
- University of Georgia Competitions and Awards
- CRSS Competitions and Awards
- Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture
CANVAS Awards
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-3 Crop Ecology, Management, and Quality Division
M.S. Student Poster Competition
- 1st Place: Anshul (Pilon-Tubbs Laboratories)
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-4 Seed Physiology, Production, and Technology Division
M.S. Student Poster and 5-Minute Rapid Competition
- 1st Place: Anshul (Pilon-Tubbs Laboratories)
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division
Ph.D. Poster Competition
- 1st Place: Kelvin Jimmy Awori (Advisor: C. Pilon)
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division
Ph.D. Oral Competition
- 2nd Place: Kelvin Jimmy Awori (Advisor: C. Pilon)
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division
M.S. Poster Competition
- 1st Place Luke Sykes (Advisor: C. Pilon)
CANVAS Crop Science Society of America C-2 Crop Physiology and Metabolism Division
M.S. Oral Competition
- 2nd Place: Luke Sykes (Advisor: C. Pilon)
Jimmy Awori presents his project titled “Heat Resilience in Wild-Derived and Cultivated Peanuts: Exploring Photosynthetic Thermotolerance.”
American Peanut Research & Education Society, Inc. (APRES)
Joe Sugg Graduate Student Competition (Oral Presentation) M.S. Student Division
- 1st Place: Anshul (Advisor: C. Pilon)
- Honorable Mention: Benedetta Sara Poles (Advisor: C. Pilon)
University of Georgia Competitions and Awards
Three Minute Thesis
- Winner: Anshul, M.S. Student (Advisor: C. Pilon) for “Peanuts: The Uncrushed Oil Potential”
UGA Presidential Graduate Fellow Award
- Bryn Watkins, Ph.D. (Advisor: J. Thompson)
2025 CAES Alumni Association Outstanding Master’s Student Scholarship
- Anish Bhattarai (Advisor: Bastos)
E. Broadus Browne Research Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research, Doctorate
- Maria Teresa Tancredi (Advisor: J. Thompson) for "One Size Does Not Fit All: Exploring Farmers’ Mindsets on Cover Crops to Inform Outreach"
Anshul presents at the UGA 3MT competition.
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Competitions and Awards
CRSS 3 Minute Thesis Competition
M.S.
- 1st Place: Samantha Bowen (Advisor: T. Grey)
- 2nd Place: Joshua Falkowski (Advisor: A. Thompson)
- 3rd Place (tie): Michaela Lubbers (Advisor: J. Thompson) and Anshul (Advisor: C. Pilon and S. Tubbs)
- People's Choice Award: Michaela Lubbers (Advisor: J. Thompson)
Ph.D.
- 1st Place: Emmanuella Bredu (Advisor: J. Snider)
- 2nd Place: Comfort Adegbenro (Advisor: J. Snider)
- 3rd Place: Nushrat Niva (Advisor: L. Lacerda)
CRSS 3 Minute Thesis participants and faculty.
Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture Conference
M.S. Poster Competition
- 1st Place: Madelyn Willis, Crop and Soil Sciences (Advisor: M. Levi)
- 2nd Place (tie): Anish Bhattarai, Crop and Soil Sciences (Advisor: L. Bastos) and Taranjeet Sodhi, Agricultural Engineering (Advisor: G. Rains)
Ph.D. Poster Competition
- 2nd Place: Emmanuella Bredu, Crop and Soil Sciences (Advisor: J. Snider)