From graduate and student achievements to international awards and timely discussions, the PIE Center is quickly establishing itself as a trusted resource for relevant information.
Graduate students who worked for the PIE Center have taken faculty roles at the University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, Ohio State University and the University of Florida, while current students, staff and faculty rack up awards.
“Current students and graduates who have worked on our projects are tremendous ambassadors for the PIE Center,” said director Ricky Telg, who himself received recognition in marketing and leadership, teaching and advising. “As we try to equip students with important skills, we hope they go out in the world and instill the same principles with their students, coworkers and audiences.”
Highlighted awards include more than five outstanding research papers and abstracts, as well as assistant professor Joy Rumble’s journal article of the year in the Journal of Applied Communications. Associate director Alexa Lamm was named one of Vance Publishing’s 40 Under 40 in Agriculture to watch, and media specialist Laura Bernheim won two awards for the PIE Center’s redesigned website. Doctoral student Pei-Wen Huang earned international student of the year honors from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
National research perspectives
A new slate of projects have begun taking PIE Center researchers beyond state lines. Faculty members were awarded grants to measure the preferences and behaviors of consumers in different states when purchasing strawberries, as well as identifying barriers for nursery growers’ use of alternative water resources to help water conservation efforts across the country.
Hot-topic webinars
Quickly arranged webinars related to changes in major federal policies became some of the year’s most popular installments of the Easy as PIE webinar series. Outreach and training coordinator Nicole Dodds coordinated with respected experts to discuss how lifted trade restrictions in Cuba and revised immigration guidelines might affect agriculture and natural resources in Florida.
Public events on campus
The PIE Center collaborated with organizations such as the Bob Graham Center for Public Service and Alpha Tau Alpha to help organize and host events and workshops on the University of Florida campus. The events, open to the public, covered topics such as agricultural issues, biotechnology communication and the fifth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
