INAGnews winter-spring 2013

inagnews COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

INSTITUTE OF APPLIED AGRICULTURE

WINTER/SPRING 2013

Sports Turf Terps Are Tops Intercollegiate Athletics to manage the universities sports facilities.

Then, the coaches held lots of study sessions. Students studied over winter break and took one practice test after another. Students are tested in all areas of sports turf from turfgrass weed, insect, and disease identification to such field safety issues as field hardness, traction, and overall playability.

See TOPS, pg. 4

Pictured with STMA President are (L to R); Ryan Higgins, Jus>n Patenaude, Ma? Park and Sco? Hosier

By Glori Hyman Sports Turf Terps are #1. Boy! Say that fast three times. Whether your tongue gets twisted or not, the fact remains that our team took first place in the Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) 2013 Student Challenge, held January 14-18 in Daytona Beach, FL. The IAA began its sports turf program in the fall of 2009, and entered its first Sports Turf Managers student

University of Maryland Penn State University Virginia Tech University

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competition in January 2011, taking 3rd place. Being competitive by nature, the Good Dr. Mathias wanted to be number one. The following year, Maryland climbed to second place in a competition so tight that only 6.5 points separated first from sixth place. Maryland was a mere 1.5 points behind first-place Purdue.

By the third year, the Terps blew the turf out from under our opponents, scoring an unprecedented 149 points!

Maryland’s team outpaced second-place Penn State by 15 points, and beat last year’s score by 18.5 points.

How did we do it? First, IAA Advisor Dr. Kevin Mathias recruited Alex Steinman to help coach the team.

Steinman works with campus Institute of Applied Agriculture 2123 Jull Hall, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 20742-2525 http://iaa.umd.edu

CONTENT S

From the D irector ... p 2 Willowsford Taps IAA... p3 New Faculty Introduced... p4 Tops In San Diego.. p 6 Alumni Spo tlight... p 8 Around the ‘Tute ... p 1 0 Student File s ... p 11

Talk Like a Terp From the Director...

IAA Alumni, do you remember your Oral Communication class? Playing charades, trying to speak for 60 seconds without saying um, or selling a grab bag trinket to your classmates? Perhaps you still have a VHS tape of your speeches. When I run into alumni, they inevitably bring up stories from their Oral Comm class. Truth be told, many of my favorite IAA memories have occurred in Oral Comm classes.

I’m probably not telling you anything new, but I love teaching that class. It’s a great class—fun, engaging, and practical. And, now all University of Maryland students will have an opportunity to take the IAA’s Oral Communication class. In Fall 2012, the university implemented its new General Education program, which among other things, added a component in Oral Communication. The demand for seats in oral communication courses jumped to 4,000 seats per year. In order to help campus meet that demand, we hired three new instructors to teach Oral Communication, offering over 600 seats per year.

We must be doing something right because our alumni recommend the IAA to their own children.

I think 10% of our current students are children of alumni! See the story about a second-generation turf student on page 11.

Throw in our top place finishes at the Sports Turf and Turf Bowl Competitions, and I think you’ll agree that it’s an exciting time to be a ‘tute terp! d

inagnews Institute of Applied Agriculture 2123 Jull Hall University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-2525 Phone: 301-405-4685 FAX: 301-314-9343 E-mail: gdhyman@umd.edu WEB: iaa.umd.edu

We were fortunate to hire three experienced, engaging, energetic instructors who have brought new talents to the IAA and have quickly become assets to our department. You can read about our new faculty on page 5.

In addition to oral communication, several IAA courses have been approved for a new category called Scholarship in Practice. Becoming part of the campus general education program has afforded IAA students and alumni new opportunities, and it has opened doors for all university students to discover the IAA and our hands-on approach to learning.

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IAA DIRECTOR Glori D. Hyman GRAPHIC DESIGN Jim Black inag news is published two times a year by the Institute of Applied Agriculture. The IAA welcomes all comments, alumni updates, and agriculturerelated news.

Winter/Spring 2013

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Willowsford Develops Agriculture & Taps into IAA Forty miles from Washington, DC in Loudoun County VA, a new development named Willowsford is being built. So what? That’s nothing new. Ah, but this one is unique and has ties to the IAA. The Willowsford community is being built with ecological friendliness at its core.

For starters, 2,000 of the 4,000 acres will be put into permanent easement and managed by the Willowsford Conservancy.

Extensive walking trails, mountain bike trails, community gardening areas, and dog parks are being created. But, most unusual, a few hundred acres will be farmed. Yes, the community is being designed around a functioning farm. The developers believe it is important to future homeowners to have access to fresh food.

In early 2011, IAA’s Sustainable Agriculture Advisor Ellen Pollishuk helped develop the ag plan for Willowsford. “We came up with a staged plan of how to use the various allotted ag lands. We decided to start with a very customer friendly CSA market farm, placed close to the first phase of the building, and adjacent to a community center. By August, 2011, a farm manager was hired and the farm started to take shape,” Ellen explains.

4 acres were under intensive cultivation, and Willowsford Farm needed more help.

IAA’s first graduate in Sustainable Agriculture, Deb Dramby was hired to help with the everyday farm work, and to coordinate volunteers and visitors. Plans for 2013 include farming an additional 50acre site, more appropriate for larger scale vegetable production, and a 100-acre site to house beef cattle and free range chickens.

Even in a tight market, new homes are selling at Willowsford. Who knew that the Local Food Movement would translate into new farms becoming established inside of housing developments? d

By summer 2012 a barn, irrigation, and deer fencing had been installed, about

IAA’s first Sustainable Agriculture graduate Deb Dramby at Willowsford Farm.

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IAA Student Interns at Maryland State Fair

By Nina LaTassa IAA second-year student Cody Cashman simply can’t do enough of a good thing. The 20-year-old agribusiness major and former 4-H fanatic set so many goals for himself during his summer 2012 internship at the Maryland State Fair that “he was told he couldn’t do it all,” said his advisor, Ray Gless. “He had so many ideas!”

Indeed Cashman, who hails from Carroll County, has always dreamed of running the show at the 133-year-old fair—just like his dad, Andy, who serves as its assistant general manager to fair president, Howard (Max) Mosner. “Since Cody’s father has worked for me for 15 years, I have seen Cody grow into the fine young man he turned into. Cody has always taken interest in this fair,” says Mosner.

According to Mosner, Cody’s responsibilities while interning included working on beef cattle tie-outs, handling social media, refining the fair’s Energy Management Plan, and developing QR codes, which enable people to access information about the fair through their smartphones.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Cody, who worked over 100 hours each week after the fair began. “It was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve had so far.” One of Cody’s favorite memories of the summer was being able to make people smile each day through his “Fair Family of the Day” initiative, in which a family was selected at random to receive free food tickets and wristbands for rides.

“I tried to pick families who would really need it,” Cody said.

“One family showed up with only $20 to spend, so that made their day.”

Between mingling with the likes of actor/singer Victoria Justice, celebrating Mosner’s 50th year at the fair with a spectacular Cake Boss-created cake, and jamming to famed The Band Perry, Cashman practiced his oral communication skills, too.

“I really got a chance to develop better social skills, leadership skills, and decision-making skills,” said Cody, who had just completed the Oral Communication class, taught by IAA Director Glori Hyman, before the internship began. In that class, he tried his hand at video production and he designed a Facebook page promoting the fair and highlighting its features.

“Cody’s one of those students you love to have in class because his enthusiasm is contagious and he’s just so likeable,” says Hyman. “But on top of that, he is focused on his career path and realizes how vital effective communication will be to his success.”

As for Cody’s communication skills, he’ll put them to use—as well as his infinite supply of internship ideas—at the Wisconsin State Fair this summer, a fair that is three times the size of Maryland’s.

“I’m so excited,” said Cody. “I can’t wait. I was born into this stuff!” d

Sports Turf Terps Are Tops TOPS, from pg. 1

Cody Cashman with QR codes for the fair.

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“Each year that we have competed in this event we moved up a place, and the students in this year’s competition had the gold medal as their goal and showed their excitement during the awards ceremony,” said Mathias. As the winning team of the Student Challenge within the 4-year

Winter/Spring 2013

division the IAA was awarded $4,000 to enhance lab activities in sports turf management.

Congratulations to team members Scott Hosier (IAA), Justin Patenaude (IAA), Matt Park (IAA), and Ryan Higgins (PSLA) on their stunning performance. d

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New Faculty Join IAA Communication from Notre Dame University of Maryland. Prior to his entering the field of education, Tony spent several years as a television reporter, weather anchor and telethon host in Baltimore and other TV stations around the country. You can still see Tony on Fox 45 on the weekends.

IAA welcomed three new faculty members this fall. All three are teaching Oral Communication classes for the university.

Nina LaTassa holds an M.A. in Speech Communication from Hofstra University, where she specialized in political rhetoric, and a B.A. in English from Bloomsburg University. After graduating from Hofstra, Nina worked as an editor at a research organization before moving to a suburb of Philadelphia with her husband.

Originally from Yonkers, NY, Nina developed a love for teaching while instructing at Northampton Community College, where she taught Speech Communication. She recently completed six years of teaching in the Media and Communication Studies department at Ursinus College, where she taught Argumentation, Public Speaking, and Speech Criticism in addition to coaching the speech and debate team.

Ed Priola holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication from Bowie State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the State University of New York. Ed has worked as an adjunct communication professor for several universities and colleges in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Ed’s instruction experience also includes overseas assignments in places like Romania, Albania and Afghanistan. Overall, he has taught communication subjects and skills in more than two dozen countries for USAID and other democracy building organizations.

Beforehand, Ed was employed in public policy and public relations positions for more than two decades.

His work included several presidential campaigns, for which he received a White House appointment to the US Department of Agriculture in 1989, and several years as the Public Affairs Director of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

He routinely delivers communication trainings for the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia and has travelled to Tanzania, England and Mongolia on their behalf. d

Congratulations to Nina for having a paper accepted for the 2013 Excellence at the Center Conference to be held at UNC Greensboro on April 19 & 20.

Tony Pagnotti comes to the IAA as a lecturer in Oral Communications after ten years as an adjunct instructor in Public Speaking at the Community Colleges of Baltimore County and Stevenson University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston University in Broadcast Journalism and received a Masters of Arts in Contemporary

INAG News

Inspector Gadget

Winter/Spring 2013

Turf evaluators.

Range finders. Trimble GPS receivers.

To the average person, these devices might seem strange and confusing, but for IAA instructors Roy Walls and Kevin Mathias, they’re all part of a good day’s work. IAA instructors shared those skills with a dozen 4-Hers on the practice football field in front of Jull Hall.

The 6-12 year-old students learned how to effectively use the gadgets to check the soil temperature of the playing field and determine the field’s hardness.

To test their pitching skills—and to add a little fun on the job—the 4-Hers used an odometer to measure how far they threw a baseball.

Maybe next decade these students will be on the IAA’s winning Sports Turf team.

Wilson Moves To Kentucky IAA Lecturer and University of Maryland extension horse specialist Kristen Wilson left the university in August and has accepted the position of academic coordinator within the University of Kentucky Equine Science and Management undergraduate degree program, a component of UK Ag Equine Programs.

“I have always loved Kentucky, especially the Lexington area. I have had the opportunity to travel to the area over a dozen times in the past eight years and each time I always thought to myself how nice it would be to live here,” said Wilson.

Wilson joined the IAA faculty in Fall 2005, and we wish her all the best in her new position. d

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Terps Team Delivers San Diego

By Glori Hyman When the turf gets tough, Terps get tougher as the turf wars continue. It was only a matter of time until perennial power Iowa State toppled in the Annual Turf Bowl competition. And that time came this year in San Diego, CA on February 7.

Encouraged by IAA Alumnus Scott Furlong’s pep talk the Maryland team set out to win. Furlong, superintendent of Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, didn’t mince words as he good naturedly egged the team to put an end to Iowa’s bragging.

The Maryland team didn’t disappoint. Students from the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) and the Plant Science and Landscape Architecture Department (PSLA) set a school record by placing three teams in top spots (3rd, 4th, and 11th ) at the 19th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl. Iowa State placed 5th. Two-hundred forty-seven students divided into 68 teams took part in the competition.

The 3rd place team consisted of veterans Bryan Shepherd (IAA), Josh Malnik (IAA), R.J. Crow (IAA) and first year student Ryan Higgins (PSLA). The 4th place team had two new members, Brian Hogan (IAA) and Brent Waite (IAA), and was anchored by veterans

Justin Patenaude (IAA) and Scott Hosier (IAA). The 11th place team--just shy of 10th by 2 points--was led by Brian Dearstine (IAA) and Matt Park (IAA) working with first year competitors Steve Brew (IAA) and Trey Profili (PSLA). The Maryland Teams, coached by IAA Advisor Kevin Mathias and UMD Sports Technician Alex Steinman, earned $1,800 in prize money.

University of MassachusettsAmherst took first, followed by University of Arkansas. The official blog of GCSAA's Golf Course Management magazine noted, “The outright joy of the UMass students and faculty was matched by the two University of Maryland teams who placed third and fourth. The initial announcement of the fourth-place winners was greeted with whoops of joy, but when it was

announced that Maryland had also taken third place, the students almost seemed too stunned to respond.”

The Collegiate Turf Bowl covers an array of different subject areas and a case study. Students identify turfgrasses, insects, diseases, weeds and different types of soil. Students are also tested on personnel and business management related topics, IPM programs relating to pest control strategies, basic concepts of turfgrass growth, and cultural practices related to golf turf management.

The Turf Bowl competition comes just one month after the Terps took first place in the Sports Turf Managers Competition in Daytona Beach, FL. Despite the winter weather, the turf has been thriving at Maryland. d

Students take >me to visit the Trade Show at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego, CA. From leR to right: Steve Brew, Brent Waite, Brian Hogan, Trey Profili, Ryan Higgins, and Alex Steinman (coach)

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Winter/Spring 2013

INAG

Soils . . . Seriously?

By Nina LaTassa Recent IAA graduate Michael Walsh is serious about soils. In fact, the landscape management major read Professor Ray Weil’s scholarly articles about improving soils with cover crops just for personal use. When he took a written communication course taught by IAA director Glori Hyman last spring, Walsh seized the chance to show his love for the land.

to work on a soil plot of native herbaceous plant matter located on Campus Drive.

releases toxins that naturally kill the nematode population.”

“We’ve been working on that plot for three years,” said Petroff. “We tried to introduce the concept of plant material naturally occurring in PG County, like spotted mountain mint, and black-eyed Susans. The first year it did well, and then the second year it declined.”

Together with IAA peers Mike Burriss and Steve Jones (as well as his favorite instructor, Ken Ingram), Walsh prepared the plots, did after care, and conveyed instructions on what will be a multi-year treatment.

“One of our assignments was to write a proposal for something you’d hopefully do for your career,” said Walsh. “Most guys picked stuff related to improving golf courses, but I chose to work with soils.”

Petroff and her crew decided to test the soil plot and found that rather than having a nutrient deficiency, the soil had a multitude of nematodes that jeopardized the health of the plants.

Armed with a shovel—and a burning desire to dig deeply into the dirt, Walsh presented a formal proposal to Karen Petroff, Manager of Operations, Landscape Services, and Facilities Management at UMD. Petroff realized that Walsh would be the perfect candidate

“Nematodes are tiny little worms that burrow into the root and feed on it,” said Petroff, who was faced with either using pesticide to kill the pesky critters or to abandon the project altogether. “But when I found out that Mike had experience using kale that created a wonderful opportunity for us, because kale

“I’m excited to see what results we’ll see in the spring,” he said.

But in the meantime, Petroff is pleased that other students, particularly those in soils classes, can learn from the seed Walsh has sown.

“I’m incredibly excited,” Petroff said. “Projects like this give us the chance to showcase the real-world applicability of research they’re doing in the classroom.

We can wait for slow results as long as it provides an education for students in the meantime.”

After graduating from the IAA in December, Walsh accepted the job of Horticulturist with Chevy Chase Golf Club.

He really enjoys his new job, but says that sometime in the future, he would like to own his own business. He adds, “It’s always something I wanted to do in my life.” d

Friendly Reminder: All alumni please be sure to send updated information about you and your whereabouts!

Visit iaa.umd.edu/alumni and fill out the form with the who’s, what’s, and where’s about you!

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Alumni Spotlight For 2008 IAA Alumnus Chris Turner, Terrapin blood runs through his veins and a passion for golf courses runs deep in his soul. So the IAA was a natural fit for him.

As University of Maryland students in the 70s, Turner’s parents met as members of the Mighty Sound of Maryland, the school’s marching band. Growing up in Bel Air in a house decorated with an assortment of turtles, Turner was well acquainted with the Terps.

Turner started on the usual career path, taking a job as the assistant superintendent at Beechtree Golf Club in Harford County. But, Beechtree surprisingly closed only 10 years after opening and one year after hosting the Maryland Open. Turner had deep feelings for the property. “I worked for a landscaper across the street when the course began construction,” Chris remembers. “It was beautiful. I loved seeing the course take shape.”

Chris moved along to an assistants’ role at Hunt Valley Golf Club; then he made an interesting career change.

Today, Turner is Foreman and Project Manager for McDonald & Sons, one of the most respected golf course builders in the country.

Golf course construction is a very specialized field involving both art and science. The IAA developed a Golf Course Design and Construction course a few years ago to expose students to this specialization.

Equipment operators, called shapers, spend hours molding earth into golf course features. Greens and tees are graded by laser driven machines to fractions of an inch tolerance.

McDonald & Sons in Jessup, MD, has a reputation of being one of the most meticulous golf course builders. They have remodeled 16 of the top 100 golf courses in the country and 9 out of the last 10 US Open golf courses. It is truly a family business. Started by John “Chip” McDonald, the company today includes his wife, and two sons John and Eric. Eric is an IAA graduate. It seems as if Turner is becoming part of the family as well.

Turner started with McDonald & Sons when the company acquired a

new, specialized bunker lining technique called Sportcrete.

Traveling from Texas to Massachusetts installing Sportcrete, Turner has become one of the few people in the world qualified to install the product. Today his responsibilities have expanded to include construction of all golf course features. In addition, Turner has inherited the responsibility of “tracking” expenses for time and materials on projects.

“Paperwork and spreadsheets are not my favorite part of the job,” Turner admits, but confesses that he enjoys the tradeoff of getting to work on some of the country’s best golf courses. He actually worked on 3 of the top 10 US courses in one month this fall. These courses, however, are on opposite sides of the country, creating lots of travel for Turner, who says his nomadic lifestyle has “advantages and disadvantages.” Last summer Turner spent a couple of months in Los Angeles renovating the driving range and a few greens at the Riviera Club, where IAA Alumnus Matt Morton (1998) is the Superintendent.

No doubt there are thousands of golf fanatics around the world that are envious of Turner and the McDonalds. d

Editor’s Note: This column focuses on an IAA alumnus career. If you would like to be featured or would like to nominate someone, please contact Glori Hyman at gdhyman@umd.edu.

Chris Turner during his days as Assistant Superintendent at Beechtree.

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Winter/Spring 2013

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IAA Alumni

News & Notes Deborah Dramby, SUSAG ’12, is Farmer, Market Manager and Education Coordinator at Willowsford Farm in Ashburn, VA. The farm is adding chickens and goats this year. In addition, she’s working with Director of Farm Operations on a workshop series on organic gardening, sustainable landscaping, and planting for pollinators.

Josh Weaver, GOLF ’12, is Assistant Superintendent at Trump National Golf Course in DC. Justin Bishop, GOLF ’11, is now the Assistant Superintendent at Dessert Highlands Golf Course in Arizona.

Matthew Cooper, GOLF ’05, is Assistant Superintendent at Hampshire Greens.

Matt Voluse, GOLF ’01, is Assistant Superintendent of Golf Grounds at The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort in St. James, Jamaica

The 2013 UMD Turf Alumni Breakfast Over 60 alumni and faculty attended the 2013 Alumni Breakfast on January 8 in the Student Union.

Faculty members Dr. Mark Carroll, Dr. Kevin Mathias, and IAA Director Glori Hyman updated the alumni on student accomplishments, new opportunities for student recruitment, and challenges facing both our 2 and

4 year programs. Alumni networked, recognized Dr. Dernoeden for his support and contributions to Maryland’s turfgrass industry, and were introduced to students participating in the STMA Student Challenge and the Collegiate Turf Bowl competitions. d

Randy Chamblin, LAND ’93, is Plant Health Care Manager at Heritage Landscape Services in Sterling, VA. He lives in Sterling, VA, with his wife, 2 daughters and an assortment of pets.

Pamela (Koch) Kray, HORT ’87, received her AA degree in nursing in May 2012 and has been a licensed nurse since June 2012. She is pursuing her BSN. Walter Montross, GOLF ’75, reports that retirement is a blast.

“Although I miss the people, I don't miss trying to grow grass in these weather extremes.” d

Help Support the IAA Support the IAA with online ease. Your contributions help fund student scholarships, travel to competitions, and program development. Any amount you donate is greatly appreciated and enables the IAA to continue improving. Your gift makes a difference. Go to iaa.umd.edu/about/giving.

Edward M. Bowman Family Scholarship Fund The Edward M. Bowman Family Scholarship Fund provides annual scholarships for one or more students enrolled in the IAA who possess strong leadership skills and have demonstrated enthusiasm for experiential learning.

Maryland Turfgrass Alumni Association Fund The Maryland Turfgrass Alumni Association Fund provides annual support for turfgrass and golf course management education in the IAA in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

IAA Program Development Fund This fund was created to support and promote all educational programs at the IAA.

Director Glori Hyman talks with students and alumni at the 2013 Alumni Breakfast.

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Winter/Spring 2013

THANK YOU!

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Around the ’ tute

Alum Meet With Streett Retired IAA Instructor Ted Street (left) met up with IAA alumni Eileen Beard, EQUI ’07, and Eddie Franceschi, LAND ’92, at a meeting held at Maryland Environmental Services

Headquarters for Equine Nutrient Management and Farm Stewardship. The Equine Industry is looking into composting horse manure to reduce nutrients entering the Bay.

Celebuski Coordinates Scholars Life Sciences Event Under the guidance of IAA faculty, students and alumni, 50 College Park Scholars Life Sciences students volunteered in the teaching and public health garden.

As part of their service day, students filled raised beds with soil, made signs and salad boxes, removed spent summer crops, prepared pots for planting, and repaired the compost bin. IAA alumnus Carin Celebuski coordinated the event.

New Scholarships Benefit IAA Students Three new scholarships were established in 2012 that will benefit IAA students.

The Gary Wayne Shaffer Memorial Scholarship Fund was established for the purpose of providing scholarships for students enrolled in Institute of Applied Agriculture.

John Strickland, a leader in the Maryland Turfgrass Industry going back to 1967, when he

founded the successful Egypt farms in Baltimore County, Maryland, established the Strickland Turfgrass Fund, an endowed fund to support scholarships and research in the turfgrass program at the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Strickland was one of the founders of the Maryland Turfgrass Council and served as president from 1979 to 1981.

A Day At The Beach The IAA was well represented at the December Maryland Farm Bureau Convention in Ocean City, MD. Left to right: Ted Streett (retired IAA faculty), Ron Seibel (retired IAA Director), Leon Slaughter (IAA Acting Director 1998-­‐2000), Glori Hyman (current IAA Director).

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Winter/Spring 2013

INAG News

Student Files

IAA Takes Turf to the Next Generation

IAA Students Win Scholarships

By Coryn Alvarez The sixth annual Dr. Ronald J. Seibel Scholarship proved to be competitive this year with 17 individuals applying.

Scott Hosier, a second-year golf course management major, received the Seibel scholarship for 2012. Scott graduated from Pennridge High School in Pennsylvania, and works at Woodmont Country Club. IAA director for 25 years, Dr. Seibel established the endowed scholarship when he retired in 1998.

Each candidate is scored based on financial need, academic record, leadership and community service and agricultural background and career goals.

Zack Decker, a first-year student, is majoring in Agricultural Business Management.

He is from Elkton, MD where he graduated from the Cecil School of Technology and Rising Sun High School.

Collin Plumley, from Mt. Airy, MD, graduated from South Carroll High School in June 2012. He is majoring in Landscape Management.

Nicholas Harmer, a first-year student, is majoring in Landscape Management. He is from After the Seibel scholarship had been Elkton, MD and awarded, the Maryland Agricultural graduated for North East Education Foundation (MAEF) awarded High School in June 2012. additional scholarships. Four IAA students Established in 1989, MAEF is a nonwere among the winners. profit, non-governmental organization Yasmine Baker, a Silver that has been promoting the importance Spring, MD resident, is an of agriculture. One way it promotes Ornamental Horticulture agriculture is by supporting individuals striving to do the same. major at the IAA. She completed her internship at the Smithsonian and now works on campus.

2012 MAAGCS Scholarships Awarded

By Tony Pagnotti When it comes to Turfgrass Management, first-year IAA student Michael Cariello has deep family roots. The 18-year-old Fallston, Maryland, resident hopes to someday follow in his father’s footsteps (Anthony Cariello, IAA GOLF ’85) who owns and operates Pro Grass Incorporated in Timonium, Maryland.

“Someday I hope to have the skills and knowledge to grow the family business which my grandfather started forty years ago,” said Cariello.

When he saw the courses he would be taking his first semester at IAA, Cariello was eager to jump into the turfgrass classes, but not necessarily so with some other classes.

“I was a bit anxious at first when I realized I would have to take a speech class, since getting up and talking in front of people does not come easy to me. But the more I watched my dad effectively lead employee meetings and communicate with customers and sales people; I realized that oral communication might be one of the most important courses I will take in college.”

Cariello says his parents didn’t pressure him to pursue a college path that would lead him into running the family business. But once he made up his mind, he wanted to attend IAA. “The turf management faculty here has a great reputation, especially Dr. Kevin Mathias who also taught my Dad. It’s pretty cool now that I will be taking classes with Dr. Mathias who also serves as my advisor.”

Cariello hopes to transfer into a four-year turf program; then, just like his father and grandfather, he hopes someday to be outstanding in his field. d

Jon Lobens>ne, President of MAAGCS, Sco? Hosier, Brian Hogan, Ma? Park, Brian Kno?, Brent Waite, and immediate past president of MAAGCS, Sco? Wunder.

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