Great Falls, MT – With Montana State’s men’s basketball team qualifying for The Dance, Monday’s March Madness: Research Review rhymed with a sweet irony of the NCAA berth. Held in Bozeman, the first annual competition between MSU plant sciences students featured 19 competitors, vying for $3900 in scholarships. Brandon Tillett took home first-place honors with his project focused on the effects of climate change on pollination timing in spring wheat. The Montana Wheat & Barley Committee (MWBC) hosted the event.
“MWBC invested $2.3 million in research-related projects in our most recent grant cycle,” said Kent Kupfner, MWBC executive director. “Traditionally in the spring, we ask faculty to brief our board on their project progress. Sam Anderson, our research and market development director, came up with the idea to instead involve the students who are behind the scenes.” The lively competition mimicked Shark Tank with students pitching their projects in less than five minutes. MWBC board members and sponsors made up the judging panel.
Winners of March Madness are as follows:
First: Brandon Tillett $2000 Climate change effects to pollination
Second: Jared Lile $1000 Creating a model to predict end use quality traits
Third: Chloe Hinson $500 Identifying key genes for heat stress protection
Honorable Mentions:
Caleb Hale $100 Effects of TB1 on tillering
Lochlin Ermatinger $100 Satellite imagery to identify exact WSS infestation dates
Akshara Bathini $100 Enhancing stem pith production of solid stem
Jessica Williams $100 Relationships between stay-green and root traits
Kupfner said that the board and staff were pleased with the first year’s attendance, but even more important, it was a good experience for students. “When they hit the ground running in professional life, they will need to be able to communicate their work to others who don’t necessarily understand all of the complicated science. They had the opportunity to strengthen their communication skills while learning more about what producers are looking for.” That link was noted by many – connecting Montana farmers to students doing the lab work is critical to solutions in the field.
March Madness was moderated by Colter Brown of Northern Ag Network, including updates by Dr. Sreekala Bajwa, vice president, dean and director for MSU’s College of Agriculture; Boyd Heilig, president of Montana Grain Growers Association (MGGA); and Terry Angvick, board chairman, MWBC. MGGA and Montana Grains Foundation provided matching dollars for scholarship awards. For more information regarding the event or the 2024 grant cycle, email wbc@mt.gov or call 406-761-7732.
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