Purdue Agronomy Ambassadors

Hello Everyone!!

Purdue University offers an assortment of benefits for students but one that I have appreciated in the last two semesters is the opportunity to take graduate level classes as an undergrad. Not only is it allowed but it is also encouraging by advisors and faculty mentors. This gives junior and senior students to opportunity to learn in a more in-depth classroom setting and see if grad school is something that they would enjoy.

My favorite class since attending Purdue has been AGRY 525 Crop Physiology and Ecology. This is a graduate level course taught by Professor Jeffrey Volenec. This class covers the study of the physiological basis for growth, yield, and adaption of crop plants. The topics emphasized include carbohydrate assimilation and partitioning, nitrogen metabolism, crop growth and development, water relations, stress tolerance and crop improvement using physiological genetics. Even though this was one of the most challenging classes I have taken since being a Purdue student it was also the most rewarding. I felt like I left this class with a better understanding of plants and a more detailed picture of the field of agriculture. The workload was not easy but since it covered something that I was interested in it made the class fun. I challenge everyone to look into this class along with other classes taught through the agronomy department.

I am still trying to decide if graduate school is something that I would be interested in. But even if it is not these graduate level courses has helped me grow as both a student and person. I encourage and challenge you all to explore all the academic options Purdue University has to offer. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me!!

Julia Fibbe

jfibbe@purdue.edu