By:
Tom Nordlie (352) 392-0400Source:
Lori Unruh Snyder lusnyder@ifas.ufl.edu, (352) 392-1811 ext. 214
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the first time, a University of Florida team has won the National Student Quiz Bowl competition at the Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences annual meeting.
The Quiz Bowl victory was one of several honors UF Agronomy – Soils Club members earned at the SASES meeting, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 6-10.
UF’s winning team, nicknamed The Swamp, includes Nicholas Larsen of Orange City, Fla., who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in plant science; Andrew Walmsley of Daytona Beach, Fla., an agricultural operations management senior; Christie Williams of Orlando, Fla., a soil and water science senior; and Leanna Woods of Stuart, Fla., a soil and water science senior.
Twenty teams representing 14 universities participated in the Quiz Bowl, said Lori Unruh Snyder, club advisor and lecturer with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Teams compete two at a time, with members answering questions on topics such as crop science, entomology, plant pathology, soils and weed science.
“Preparing for the competition really sharpens your agricultural knowledge,” Unruh Snyder said. “So there’s a long- term benefit for all the competitiors, no matter how their team finishes.”
UF teams have made good showings in past Quiz Bowls, but never won first place, she said. The competition began in the 1960s and the UF club, founded in 1953 CHECK, has participated for decades.
This year a second UF Quiz Bowl team, nicknamed Chomp, competed but did not advance to the finals. Its members are Jessica Behrems, Julie Driscoll, Brianne Schobert and Aja Stoppe.
The UF club brought home three other awards:
Brianne Schobert took second place in the Visual Presentation Competition for creating a PowerPoint presentation on citrus canker.
Brianne Schobert and Christie Williams received third place in the National Club Poster Contest for their presentation on soil studies conducted at the UF president’s residence.
Jessica Behrems received fifth place in the National Speech Contest for her presentation, “Where Do We Stand on Sustainable Agriculture?”
Club members submitted several other projects at the meeting:
Julie Driscoll made an oral presentation describing the effects of two pest- management products on a small aquatic animal, the water flea.
Kari Reno presented a poster on a new method for measuring nitrogen fertilizer loss from vegetable fields.
Aja Stoppe presented a poster on research measuring nitrogen and phosphorus found in soils associated with various types of land use.
Leanna Woods created a PowerPoint presentation on ground- penetrating radar used to analyze soil conditions around sinkholes.
SASES is an undergraduate student organization of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. The organization helps students prepare for careers in agronomy, crops, soils and environmental sciences.
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