UW-River Falls Student Places Third in Nation at SASES Conference

December 3, 2014 -- University of Wisconsin-River Falls student Jacob Zwiefelhofer of Bloomer placed third in the nation in the research poster competition with his poster, "Working to Achieve Drift Control for Emerging Dicamba Technologies" during the Students of Agronomy, Soils, and Environmental Sciences (SASES) conference in Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 1-3. More than 350 undergraduate students from universities around the nation attended the conference including 16 members of the UW-River Falls Crops and Soils Club. 

The conference program included tours, business meetings, social events, keynote speakers, a research symposium and contests. The SASES conference is held in conjunction with the annual joint meeting of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) that draws more than 5,000 professionals to the various sessions.

Each of the UWRF students who attended the conference participated in one or more contests. Danielle Dykes, Almond, represented UWRF in the President's Trophy competition, where SASES chapters compete to be named Best Club of the Year. There were two opportunities for students to present the results of their research. Logan Ahlers, Bigelow, Minn.; Nicolette Broeske, Dorchester; Ronaldo Gomes, Chapadinha, Brazil; Austin Haag, Deerfield; and Amanda French, Watertown; and Zwiefelhofer participated in the research poster competition. Gomes and Kari Wolf, Hudson, presented research in the oral competition.    

Clemen de Oliveira, Caldas Novas, Brazil; Renee Reid, Whitewater; and Felipe Barreto da Silva, Sumaré, Brazil, participated in the visual presentation contest where they tested their ability to educate an audience on a technical topic in the agronomic, soils or environmental science field. The UWRF representative in the speech contest was Lee Boles of Prescott.  With their poster, "Educating Toddlers about Garden Harvest," Dykes and Megan Steffel, Champlin, Minn. showcased one of the UWRF Crops and Soils Club activities as part of the Club Poster contest. Nathan Hankes, Beaver Dam; and Nikki Stehr, Zumbrota, Minn., participated in the Metcalfe manuscript contest that gives students a chance to research, organize and write an article for publication.    

Associate Professor of Geology and Soil Science Holly Dolliver accompanied the students to the conference and participated in the professional meeting. Her presentation, "Long-Term Effects of Agriculture on Soil Organic Carbon in Western Wisconsin," was featured in one of the sessions of the Soil Science Society of America Division. Dolliver's research was a collaborative project with Jabez Meulemans, a 2013 graduate of UWRF currently in graduate school at the University of Hawaii.