Digging into Turfgrass: My Young Scholars Research Experience
Hello again It’s been a very busy few weeks. I spent most of May and June participating in the Young Scholars Program, a college-level research initiative hosted by the University of Georgia. The program gives high school students the chance to dive into real research across UGA’s campuses. I was based at the Griffin campus, working under the mentorship of Dr. Jesperson in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. My research focused on turfgrass plant physiology, specifically how ethylene, a plant hormone, affects turfgrass greenness during flooding stress. This is a growing issue in Georgia, where frequent storms (not necessarily bigger ones, just more of them) are putting increased pressure on the turf used in places like parks and stadiums. When turfgrass floods repeatedly, it turns yellow, which isn’t great if you’re trying to maintain a professional football field. So, I spent my summer trying to understand why turf yellows under flood stress and how to stop it. The Science Behin...