The first scientific expo at Washington State University’s Prosser research station hailed advances made in central Washington by scholars from around the globe.
“Science at IAREC,” hosted by the Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center on July 1 to showcase its contributions to society, featured more than 30 graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and researchers working at the Prosser station. They shared their projects with visitors and competed for honors in a poster and presentation contest.
“This has really been an eye-opening experience for all of us,” said Gary Grove, IAREC director and plant pathologist. “It amazed me to see such a diversity of people, projects and research results in one place. We have people from all over the world helping to solve global and local agricultural problems.”
Research projects at the expo explored the breadth of irrigated agriculture, from climate and weather effects on crops, to fruit viruses, plant genetics, runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Crops under study included apples, cherries, grapes, tomatoes, alfalfa, hops, switchgrass, poplar trees and quinoa.
WSU researchers and graduate students who presented at the expo hailed from more than a dozen counties, including the United States, China, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Lebanon, Colombia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
