Van der Laan and Di Salvo Named 2023 Outstanding Graduate Students
The Agronomy Graduate Student Club would like to recognize Liza Van der Laan and Juan I. Di Salvo for being awarded the 2023 Outstanding Graduate Student Award. This award recognizes one PhD and one MSc student within the department for their academic achievements, research progress, and leadership. Liza and Juan are examples of driven students who are very deserving of this award. Congratulations!
Liza is nearing the completion of her PhD in Plant Breeding. Her PhD project aims to leverage genomic and phenomic approaches to improve the climate resiliency to heat stress and seed composition traits in soybeans. With her PhD results, she has helped develop heat-tolerant soybean varieties. She is co-author of a book chapter and a review paper and is working as the lead author to complete two of her first PhD project papers this spring. Liza is enrolled in the Preparing Future Faculty Program and has extensively presented her research at national and international conferences. For the past two years, Liza has been the teaching assistant and later the co-instructor in a graduate-level plant-breeding course. She has served as the treasurer and vice president of the Agronomy Graduate Student Club and as Speaker Chair and co-chair of the committee organizing the R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium.
Juan will complete his master’s degree in Plant Breeding this year. His research project focuses on characterizing Finger and Proso millets and the adaptation of these crops to Iowa growing conditions. Furthermore, he has led several activities for the soybean breeding program in 2022 and 2023. Juan is a co-author of a paper and has presented his results in several venues. Outside of his research projects and breeding program, Juan has served as secretary of the AGSC and was part of the committee organizing the 2023 R.F. Baker Plant Breeding Symposium.
In above photo: At left, Liza Van der Laan and at right, Juan Di Salvo, recipients of the 2023 Outstanding Agronomy Graduate Student Award.
