Winter 2022 News Stories

Student Club: Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science (MANRRS)

by Kourtney Lehman

The College of Agricultural Sciences is home to countless clubs and organizations that seek to aid students in their continued academic, professional and personal growth. Amongst those clubs is MANRRS-Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences.
 
OSU MANRRS presents a structure for academic, professional and social development for students to grow and prepare for the future ahead. The OSU chapter primarily serves underrepresented students in the fields of agriculture and natural resources. However, all majors are welcome to join. The group provides its members opportunities in the areas of leadership, community service, and networking.
 
This year, OSU MANRRS will be heading to The MANRRS National Conference. Here, OSU chapter members are able to connect with faculty, professionals and fellow students with similar interests across the United States. Through this experience, scholars will be developing skills in partnership for student success.
 
OSU MANRRS will also bevisitng Puerto Rico this summer giving members the opportunity to invest in new life experiences while assisting in other communities.

 

Some members of the OSU MANRRS officer team shared what they like about being a part of the organization:

 

Diana Solano Lopez-Community Representative: "Being the Community representative for MANRRS has allowed me to experience numerous moments. Some of those moments include networking with professional members and traveling to National Conferences. I appreciate the MANRRS family for helping me share my passion as a first generation and Latina student."

Gio Soto President: -"As this year's OSU president I look forward to striving in making our MANRRS family grow and getting out the great opportunities MANRRS offers to the OSU community."

Dennet Flores Parliamentarian:"MANRRS has provided me with opportunities to travel for regional and National Conferences."

Kevin Sanchez Vice President: "MANRRS is a great way to immense opportunities to develop yourself as a professional and as a student."

Jessica Xu Treasurer: "MANRRS has been a great place for me to make connections and gain professional development experience. Being surrounded by individuals who are so motivated in school and their future careers has also made me much more motivated and engaged as well."

Charlotte Epps: "I joined MANRRS because I wanted to make valuable connections both on and off campus and in my fields of study. Having a sense of belonging and a community to support you is essential to academic success and I'm grateful for the MANRRS family for giving me both."

Diana Esparza-Historian/Webmaster: "I have enjoyed being a part of a community such as MANRRS where I'm surrounded by people who support me and want to see me grow as a student and scholar. It's important to surround yourself with people that want to see you thrive."

Diana Galicia Community Representative: "I enjoy being part of the MANRRS community because they offer many opportunities for minorities and it's a way to get involved in the OSU community"

Jonathan Bates and Kirk Davies were selected for major awards from the Society for Range Management

Although COVID travel restrictions did not allow travel to the ongoing SRM Annual Meeting in New Mexico, they were both honored there at the awards ceremony.

Jon received the SRM Sustained Lifetime Achievement Award for “long-term contributions to the art and science of rangeland management.”  This is a very prestigious award and the past recipients read like a who’s who in the field of Rangeland Ecology and Management.  Over the past 30 years Jon has made lasting science contributions through his research in the areas of juniper ecology and management, fire impacts (and management of those impacts) on sagebrush plant communities, grazing management, sage-grouse habitat ecology and management, and plant community classification and potential in Wyoming and low sagebrush-steppe.  Jon’s body of work has resulted in over 100 journal and technical publications and can be found as cited references in a litany of federal land management agency management planning documents; a testament to Jon’s impact.  Kirk received the SRM Fellow Award for “…exceptional service to the Society and its programs in advancing the science and art of range-related resource management.” Kirk’s broad-based research and outreach program includes work on seed enhancement technologies, managing fire risk and severity with cattle grazing, management of exotic annual grass communities, shrub restoration, sagebrush plant community potentials, and feral horse impacts on sagebrush and riparian plant communities.  This work has generated over 200 journal and extension articles, frequent requests for invited presentations from management, science, and producer groups, and garnered information requests from 19 countries spread across 6 continents.

These honor awards are open to anyone around the globe, so these awards are truly international recognition of a job well done.

Please join usin congratulating Kirk and Jon!

The College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University is Oregon's principal source of knowledge relating to agricultural and food systems, and a major source of knowledge regarding environmental quality, natural resources, life sciences, and rural economies and communities worldwide. The College provides undergraduate and graduate education leading to baccalaureate and graduate degrees, and extended education programs throughout Oregon and beyond. Its research programs create knowledge to solve problems and to build a knowledge base for the future. It is a source of information and expertise in integrating and applying knowledge with benefits that are felt in domestic and international settings.

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