Plant Science

David Wright, Department Head
Douglas Malo, Assistant Department Head
Brent Turnipseed, Undergraduate Teaching Coordinator
Department of Plant Science
Agricultural Hall 219
605-688-5123 (Department Head, SAG 244)
605-688-4450 (Teaching Office, SNP 247)
e-mail: David.Wright@sdstate.edu
douglas.malo@sdstate.edu
brent.turnipseed@sdstate.edu
http://www.sdstate.edu/ps/

Faculty
Professor David Wright, Head; Distinguished Professor Malo; Distinguished Professor Emeriti Wrage; Professors Ball, Beck, Bleakley, Boe, Burrows, Carlson, Chalmers, D. Clay, S. Clay, Doolittle, Fennell, Fuller, Gelderman, Graper, Hall, Johnson, Kephart, Langham, Maca, Owens,Schaefer, Schleicher, Sutton, Turnipseed, Woodard; Professors Emeriti Collins, Buchenau, Carson, Dybing, Evenson, Gerwing, Gardner, Hall, Kantack, Kenefick, Kohl, Reeves, Peterson, Schumacher, Shank, Shubeck, Smolik, Walstrom; Associate Professors Chase, Glover, Gonzalez, Gu, Moechnig, Nleya, Ren, Sexton, Tilmon; Associate Professors Emeriti Colburn, Pollmann, Stymiest; Assistant Professors Ali, Burger, Grady, Hadi, M. James, Jiang, Li, Rohila, Szczepaniec, Subramanian, Wu; Assistant Professors Emeritus Bonnemann, Kingsley; Instructor K. James; Instructor Emeritus Evers.

Departmental Overview
The primary goal of the Department is to prepare students for success and leadership in business, government, and enterprises related to the Agronomy, Horticulture, and Landscape Architecture programs. In addition, students can prepare for graduate study leading to a career in research, teaching, business, or extension. Graduates with training in plant science are sought by agri-business, horticultural businesses, landscape architecture/design firms, private foundations, and federal and state agencies for employment in domestic and international agriculture.

The Plant Science department is also proud of the strong tradition of research and extension, leading to improved plant varieties, increased agricultural productive, better understanding of plant diseases, and new plant varieties for green roofs. The extension activities have translated these advances into public knowledge on topics as varied as the impacts of tillage on soil carbon levels, the genomic basis of grape quality, and green solutions to landscape design.

Programs

Facilities and Services
The department is housed in six buildings across campus. These buildings provide research and teaching laboratories, greenhouses, seed house facilities and access to the functional genomics core facility. The on-campus facilities also include the SDSU Seed Testing Laboratory, SDSU Plant Diagnostics Clinic, Seed Certification, and Foundation Seed Stocks Division, which operates as services for the public. In addition, the department conduct research at three research farms near campus and four research stations across the state. The Field Specialists are housed in six regional extension offices across the state. The latest addition is the new McCrory Gardens Education and Outreach Center.

Student Engagement Opportunities
Numerous opportunities are available for part-time employment, scholarships, and work-study programs. The Arboriculture Club, Agronomy and Conservation Club, Horticulture Club, Landscape Club, or Turfjack Club offer opportunities for fellowship, leadership, and career planning. The Department has nationally recognized crops, horticulture, and soils judging teams.