Oct 17, 2019

SNA Launches Student Research Travel Grant Program

The Southern Nursery Association (SNA) has announced a new program designed to offer financial aid through travel reimbursements to students presenting in the Bryson L. James Student Research Competition at the 2020 SNA Research Conference.

The SNA Research Conference will be held concurrently with The SNA Conference on Jan. 6-7, 2020, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland, two days before the opening of MANTS, which takes place January 8-10. This location also allows students exposure to one of the largest horticultural trade shows in the country.

The student competition offers a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to present their latest research results, hone their communication skills and compete for cash awards. These students historically demonstrate strong academic and research ability and move forward in the industry to make outstanding contributions.

The competition is named for Bryson L. James, Ph.D., who not only served as director of Horticultural Research for the Southern Nursery Association and coordinator of the conference and editor of the Annual Proceedings for 37 years but was active in the SNA Research Conference for nearly 50 years.

The student competition is funded by Bennett’s Creek Nursery and Lancaster Farms. The travel grant program is sponsored by AgiStarts, Saunders Brothers, the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), and the Sidney B. Meadows Scholarship Endowment Fund. Students will be reimbursed $300 toward costs related to traveling to and participating in this competition (e.g. airfare, mileage, hotel, meals), based upon available funds.

The SNA Research Conference, which began in 1956, is the country’s longest running woody ornamental research conference and has become world-renowned for quality research. Participants are the top horticultural research and educational leaders from across the country. Topics are divided into thirteen categories and shared in presentations that run approximately seven minutes each. These categories include:  Container Grown Plant Production, Economics and Marketing.

“Research is vital to our industry, and the SNA Research Conference has provided a forum for horticultural researchers to communicate relevant and recent research findings to the industry for the past 64 years,” said Karen Summers, SNA executive vice president.  “Going forward, this cutting-edge and critically important research will be even more important to provide sustainable solutions, job opportunities, improve human health, and protect our environment. Our future depends on our students – and our students depend on us to help them get started in this incredible industry. I am happy that SNA can offer additional support to these young men and women through the generous support of our sponsors,” she added.