Graduate students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources presented the results of their research to the University community during the college's first Graduate Research Forum on November 20.

Kirklyn Kerr, dean of the college, said the forum was an opportunity to showcase the research of graduate students in the areas of animal science, pathobiology, natural resources management and engineering, nutritional sciences, plant science, and agricultural and resource economics.

"Research and graduate education are linked inextricably," he said.

The students presented their research projects in W.B. Young 100, one of the newly renovated high-tech classrooms. Many of them made use of the classroom's computer technology, using PowerPoint and computer-generated interactive diagrams to present their work.

Topics ranged from measuring the deterioration of stored freeze-dried meat, presented by Qun Sun, a doctoral student in animal science, to the economics of deforestation in Nepal, presented by Tirtha Dhar, a doctoral student in agricultural and resource economics.

Sara Scatasta, a doctoral student in agricultural and resource economics whose research entails Italian manufacturers' non-tariff barriers such as safety regulations on imports, said she was very excited to be a part of the research forum. "This is a great chance for students to share advancements in their field with faculty and students in related disciplines," said Scatasta.

Emilio Pagoulatos, Scatasta's adviser and head of the agricultural and resource economics department, said research completes graduate students' scholarly preparation. He added that the research forum illustrated how the graduate students have honed their skills by working with faculty to "discover new scientific perspectives and create new knowledge."

Jennifer Ridder