Inside Ag Newsletter

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In this Issue

• A Message from the Dean
• College of Ag in the News
• Accomplishments and Highlights
• Publications and Grants

College of Ag in the News

• MSU scientists advance study of greenhouse gas-producing organisms
• MSU doctoral program facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration and development
• Research from Nicole Karwowski shows how wetland restoration can benefit economy
• Michigan State University Forestry Innovation Center explores maple sap through a One Health lens (featuring MCB's Seth Walk!)
• Cultivating agriculture's future: Corvallis blooms at 2025 National FFA Convention (shout-out to WARC student employee Caleb Reynoso, who is featured!)

Accomplishments and Highlights

• Dr. Lisa Rew of the Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences was awarded the Western Society of Weed Science Outstanding Weed Scientist Award in the public sector category. This well-deserved award is in recognition of her significant contributions to the discipline. Congratulations, Dr. Rew!

• Students in LARC 432 Site Design Studio II partnered with the City of Bozeman Parks and Recreation, InContour Landscape Architecture and the new Hyalite View neighborhood to develop Master Plan ideas for Cedarview Park, a 4.5-acre neighborhood park that will be getting a new playground and trail system.

  At a neighborhood meeting in December, associate professor Rebekah VanWieren and eight landscape design majors presented four park concepts and facilitated activities to gather feedback and develop a shared vision for the space. This community-engaged teaching and learning project also resulted in four design posters and a 100+ page report and partnered with MSU's Geospatial Core Facility to use UAV data in the design process.

Announcements

• Reminder: Please continue to submit impact statements for your research projects! These short summaries help to reinforce the importance of agricultural sciences to governmental and funding agencies. Submission takes five minutes, and you can complete it by scanning the QR code or visiting this webpage.
• Did you know the COA is on YouTube? Check out our channel for the latest updates, including a recent series on integrated weed management!

Publications and Funding Opportunities

Recent Grants

• Carrie Ashe (Extension) received an Intermountain Health grant.
• Wilmer Cuervo Vivas (ARS) was awarded an MSU Faculty Excellence Grant.
• Gregory Gilpin and
• Wendy Stock (DAEE) received a grant from Arnold Ventures.
• Michael Giroux (PSPP) and Douglas Holen (PSPP; Foundation Seed Program) were awarded a Montana Wheat and Barley Committee grant.
• Michael Ivie (PSPP) was awarded an MSU Faculty Excellence Grant.
• Matheus Noguera (ARS) was awarded an MSU Faculty Excellence Grant.
• Agnieszka Rynda-Apple (MCB) received NIH funding as part of a collaboration with Integral Molecular Inc.
• Anna Schweiger (LRES), Dr. Seth Walk (MCB), and Dr. Stephan Warnat (Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) were awarded a USDA grant.
• Patrick Secor (MCB) was awarded NIH funding as part of a collaboration with the University of Montana.
• Jerod Skyberg (MCB) received NIH funding as part of a collaboration with the University of Missouri.

Funding Opportunities

• COA/MAES is pleased to announce a multi-use equipment RFP to benefit programs or facilities that support multiple research projects.  Applications are due Tuesday, January 20 at 5 p.m. Funding period: 21 January 2026 - 15 April 2026. To Apply: Please fill out the application on InfoReady and attach equipment quote.
• Western SARE has two grant opportunities open: the Sabbatical Research and Education program and Graduate Student Research and Education program. The deadline for both programs is March 6, 2026. Please check the Western SARE website for full details. If planning to submit a proposal, PIs should notify the OSP Research Administrator for Western SARE, Jennifer Nesbitt. For general inquiries, please email wsare@montana.edu.