Today@Sam Article

Horticulture Club To Compete In Landscape Competition

March 12, 2018
SHSU Media Contact: Emily Binetti

Story by Hannah Haney

Nine Sam Houston State University Horticulture Club students will spend Spring Break demonstrating their talents at the 42nd Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition, presented by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, March 14-17 in Graham, North Carolina.

The National Collegiate Landscape Competition provides students enrolled in horticulture programs the opportunity to hone their skills, connect with professionals from the field and compete with peers.

“This is an excellent venue for students to showcase their knowledge and talent in a competitive setting,” Tim Pannkuk, associate professor for the Department of Agricultural Sciences said.

The three-day event, coined the ‘Olympics of the landscape industry,’ will host over 750 students from approximately 60 schools, who will compete for top honors in 30 team and individual competitions. For the fifteenth year, SHSU students will compete in the plant identification, cost estimation, irrigation design and landscape design competitions.

“I am most excited about Plant Problem Diagnosis competition. This event requires identifying common pests/diseases of flora, listing affected flora, and in some cases, providing a solution to the problem,” club president and senior, Aubrey Ryan said. “Having knowledge to diagnose plant problems is very useful for my field because it will allow me to understand whether the plant is infected or if there is a deeper, underlying issue with the ecology
of the environmental community.”

In addition to a variety of networking and competitive events, SHSU students will be given the opportunity to shape their professional paths. At the career fair, over 100 industry employers will be on site to recruit the best talent across landscape disciplines, including construction, greenhouse/production, design, business development and management.

“My future goal is to receive a position in the Plant Science industry. This event offers multiple opportunities to network myself with a career fair and job search. ​ During this event, we not only learn how to compete, we learn about the industry itself and what it takes to be in a position of that field,” senior Sean Lakhani said. “Last year I was fortunate enough to have my resume picked out for an internship from a big company.”

For more information on SHSU’s Plant & Soil Sciences Program, visit

https://www.shsu.edu/programs/bachelor-of-science-in-plant-and-soil-sciences/index.html.

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