The Northeastern, North Central and Southern affiliates of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) tested more than 250 students on their weed science expertise this summer. Thirteen North-central universities tested 112 graduate and undergraduate students on 29 teams in four categories: sprayer calibration; herbicide symptom identification; weed and seed identification; and “farmer problems” for which students had to identify and provide solutions to weed-control issues that farmers and other weed management practitioners might encounter in the field. In addition, undergraduate and graduate students from five Northeastern and 15 Southern Universities tested 155 students and 39 teams in similar weed-science category assessments.
“These competitions are designed to test both individuals and teams on their weed science acumen,” says Hilary Sandler, Ph.D., and WSSA president. “We applaud both the knowledge and problem-solving skills that the students demonstrated and the dedication from the volunteers, sponsors and university weed scientists who collaborated to make the contests possible.”
Below are the winners from Wisconsin:
North Central Weed Science Society
Graduate Student Winner, Individual, Written Calibration
- First Place: Danny Zhu, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergraduate Student Winners, Team, Overall
- First Place: University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Rianne Wagner Sabeel Abuhakmeh, Gage Anderson, Brandon Boyd
- Second Place: University of Wisconsin-Madison, with Ella Kohler-Washatko, Livia Venturi, Alice Lazzari
Undergraduate Student Winners, Individual, Overall
- First Place: Rianne Wagner, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Second Place: Brandon Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Third Place: Sabeel Abuhakmeh, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Undergraduate Student Winner, Individual, Herbicide Symptomology ID
- First Place: Brandon Boyd, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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