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s an undergraduate student, Zachary Brown studied animal science and played football at Southern University and A&M College. “Sports kept me busy. I didn’t have the time to pursue internships or join club activities like other students did.” With his focus largely on the team, Brown was not involved in other organizations.
When Brown went to Iowa State University for graduate school, he was introduced to Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), a national society that promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities. He explains joining MANRRS totally changed his perspective.
“MANRRS gave me the chance to go on company tours, learn about the agricultural industry and talk with visiting professionals. It helped me understand a lot more about what’s going on in our agricultural world.”
“I was heavily involved in our chapter of MANRRS,” said Brown, who served in various roles, including president. He attended regional conferences and events where he networked with leaders from other universities, including Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue.
“The main reason I chose to pursue my Ph.D. at Purdue was Dr. Levon Esters,” Brown explained. The two met through MANRRS and reconnected at the Mentoring at Purdue (M@P) Summer Scholars Program.
During the visit, Brown had the opportunity to talk with Esters, an associate professor of agricultural sciences education and communication (ASEC), about his research and interests.
“I found Zachary to be full of potential and someone who would make a great addition to my grad group,” said Esters. “I also appreciated Zachary’s spirit of wanting to help others, which is something I try to instill in all of my graduate students. Two years into his doctoral program, Zachary has done an excellent job of preparing himself academically and has pursued leadership opportunities that will prepare him for the rigors of an administrative position which is what he aspires to do. There is no doubt that Zachary is on an upward trajectory and he will continue to take ‘Giant Leaps’ for years to come.”
Brown recently assisted with data collection and analysis on the NSF grant-funded project, Modeling Agri-Life Sciences through STEM Integration (MALTS). The team worked with middle school students, using environmental science and urban agriculture as context for STEM teaching.
Brown has also served as MANRR’s Region V Graduate Student Vice President. For his diligence in the role, the MANRRS National Officer Team awarded Brown the 2020 Foster Spirit of Excellence Award.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some recognition in the past, but this touched me on a different level,” said Brown. “The award was voted on by the other national officers. It means a lot when the people you work with believe in you enough to say that you deserve this kind of award.”
Brown was also selected to be the 2020-2021 MANRRS National Graduate Student President.
“I’m excited to represent Purdue and graduate students across the nation as we work to improve the MANRRS experience for current and future graduate students,” said Brown. “Sometimes you need to step into leadership to make the changes you want to see.”
As an undergraduate student, Zachary Brown studied animal science and played football at Southern University and A&M College. “Sports kept me busy. I didn’t have the time to pursue internships or join club activities like other students did.” With his focus largely on the team, Brown was not involved in other organizations.
When Brown went to Iowa State University for graduate school, he was introduced to Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS), a national society that promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering minorities. He explains joining MANRRS totally changed his perspective.
“MANRRS gave me the chance to go on company tours, learn about the agricultural industry and talk with visiting professionals. It helped me understand a lot more about what’s going on in our agricultural world.”
“I was heavily involved in our chapter of MANRRS,” said Brown, who served in various roles, including president. He attended regional conferences and events where he networked with leaders from other universities, including Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Purdue.
“The main reason I chose to pursue my Ph.D. at Purdue was Dr. Levon Esters,” Brown explained. The two met through MANRRS and reconnected at the Mentoring at Purdue (M@P) Summer Scholars Program.
During the visit, Brown had the opportunity to talk with Esters, an associate professor of agricultural sciences education and communication (ASEC), about his research and interests.
“I found Zachary to be full of potential and someone who would make a great addition to my grad group,” said Esters. “I also appreciated Zachary’s spirit of wanting to help others, which is something I try to instill in all of my graduate students. Two years into his doctoral program, Zachary has done an excellent job of preparing himself academically and has pursued leadership opportunities that will prepare him for the rigors of an administrative position which is what he aspires to do. There is no doubt that Zachary is on an upward trajectory and he will continue to take ‘Giant Leaps’ for years to come.”
Brown recently assisted with data collection and analysis on the NSF grant-funded project, Modeling Agri-Life Sciences through STEM Integration (MALTS). The team worked with middle school students, using environmental science and urban agriculture as context for STEM teaching.
Brown has also served as MANRR’s Region V Graduate Student Vice President. For his diligence in the role, the MANRRS National Officer Team awarded Brown the 2020 Foster Spirit of Excellence Award.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some recognition in the past, but this touched me on a different level,” said Brown. “The award was voted on by the other national officers. It means a lot when the people you work with believe in you enough to say that you deserve this kind of award.”
Brown was also selected to be the 2020-2021 MANRRS National Graduate Student President.
“I’m excited to represent Purdue and graduate students across the nation as we work to improve the MANRRS experience for current and future graduate students,” said Brown. “Sometimes you need to step into leadership to make the changes you want to see.”
Student teaches agriculture to improve children’s lives
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Student teaches agriculture to improve children’s lives
“I had heard about Purdue when I was in Africa; how it requires you to be smart and to work extra hard, but that the university is unique,” said Theoneste Nzaranyimana, “I was inspired that if I get into this university, my dream could come true.”
Read Full Story >>>
Award-winning College of Agriculture mentors follow in others’ footsteps — and leave imprints of their own
The College of Agriculture’s outstanding student mentors and teaching assistant have one thing in common: Each benefited from impactful mentoring along their own paths to academic and personal success.
MS student Liz Alexander and PhD student Samira Fatemi are recipients of the 2020 Pathmaker Awards, sponsored by the Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association to recognize effective mentoring of undergraduate researchers-in-training and fellow graduate students. PhD candidate Jon Knott has been named the College of Agriculture’s 2020 Outstanding Teaching Assistant. Here, each award winner shares insights into the benefits of mentoring, both to their mentees and to themselves.
Read Full Story >>>
Graduate researcher makes the most of fungi
Ethan Hillman likens his arrival at Purdue to speed dating. Hillman, who chose the Purdue Interdisciplinary Life Science (PULSe) program for graduate study, rotated through multiple labs, looking to find the right match for the next five years.
Read Full Story >>>