By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source:
Bob McGovern rjm@ifas.ufl.edu, 352-392-3631 ext. 213
GAINESVILLE, FLA.—Lisa Myers, who recently completed her Doctor of Plant Medicine degree at the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, is the first recipient of the George N. Agrios DPM Student Award for outstanding academic and professional achievements in plant medicine.
The award and $300 check were presented to Myers during December 2003 graduation ceremonies in Gainesville.
Myers, a member of the first group of students to enroll in the plant medicine program, is a native of Kingston, Jamaica. She received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in botany from the University of the West Indies before pursuing her DPM degree at UF.
After completing the DPM degree in 2003, she returned to her position as the chief plant health officer at Jamaica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Mining, Research and Development Division with increased administrative responsibilities.
The DPM Student Award is named in honor of George Agrios, a former chair of UF’s plant pathology department, who helped establish the world’s first doctoral program in plant medicine in 1999. Agrios worked with other department chairs in UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to establish the program, including John Capinera, chairman of the entomology and nematology department, and Jerry Bennett, chair of the agronomy department.
Agrios, the first director of the plant medicine program, and his committee established high standards for admission to the program, admitting the first students in fall of 2000.
Bob McGovern, a professor of plant pathology and current director of the plant medicine program, said it is a challenging multi-disciplinary course of study that encompasses 90 credits of graduate level courses and 30 credits of internships covering all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and management of plant health problems.
Speaking at the award ceremonies, McGovern said the plant medicine curriculum committee decided to formally recognize the performance of a single DPM student from the first group and continue the tradition on an annual basis. He said faculty involved with the plant medicine program believe it is appropriate to name the award in honor of Agrios for his efforts in establishing the program.
“This pioneering group of plant doctors has risen to the challenge and performed admirably in their courses and internships,” McGovern said. “They all are nearly straight-A students and inductees into the Gamma Sigma Delta honor society. And they are effective ambassadors for our fledgling program. We commend them for their dedication to the emerging discipline of plant medicine.”
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