LINCOLN – Sophia Svanda and Mickayla Yard were excellent students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln throughout their time there.
They used their intelligence, ingenuity and writing skills to help create an important document for UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The two Cass County natives were members of a ten-person writing staff for a publication called “Nebraska’s Stress Relief: Solutions for Land, Soil, Water, People and Animals.” The 62-page document is the latest in the annual series of strategic discussions for Nebraska. Each year, students share IANR research projects in the Strategic Discussions for Nebraska books.
Dr. Laura Young is director and editor of the Strategic Discussions for Nebraska series. She said members of this year’s student writing group did a good job of examining how stressors affect land, soil, water, beef, livestock and human health in Nebraska. .
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“The higher capstone course provided a learning experience similar to what students may encounter in the workplace, emphasizing accurate, clear, and objective communication of scientific information,” Young said. “During the course, students learn about the interdisciplinary research and projects carried out at the university and the various sources of funding needed to support the work.”
Students from the Agricultural and Environmental Science Communication Program in UNL’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication wrote all the stories. They interviewed UNL professors and Nebraska Extension educators in many disciplines. They also took photos and came up with ideas for artwork and content.
IANR Media professionals offered their website design experience to help students transfer their stories and photos to a website. Members of the university’s communications team provided graphic design support and IANR representatives provided funding and business support for production expenses.
Svanda wrote an article titled “Bees: A Canary in the Coal Mine”. She explored the many ways bees can help people understand the impacts of pollution on water, soil and human health.
Svanda interviewed Judy Wu-Smart, associate professor in the Department of Entomology at UNL. Wu-Smart said bees are vital for the integrity of ecosystems because they are very sensitive to certain environmental factors. These include exposure to chemicals found in soil and water and on flowers.
Svanda is from Nehawka and graduated from UNL in May 2022. She majored in communication in agricultural and environmental sciences and minored in leadership and communication. She currently works for Frontier Communications as Marketing Communications Manager.
Yard reviewed the accomplishments of UNL’s Soil Health Initiative. The Soil Health Initiative is a collaborative project involving university researchers, Nebraska extension specialists, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
Yard spoke with Andrea Basche, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at UNL, and Laura Thompson, Associate Nebraska Extension Educator with the UNL Nebraska On-Farm Research Network. She also interviewed Elizabeth Oys and Fernanda Souza Krupek, graduate students from UNL’s Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.
Yard has learned how maintaining soil health can impact many natural resources. Besides having larger crop yields, healthy soil can also increase the amount of native plant and wildlife populations.
Yard is from Alvo and graduated from UNL in May 2022. She majored in communication in agricultural and environmental sciences and minored in animal sciences. She is a sales and marketing representative at Stock Seed Farm.
Other students who have worked on the project include Cody native Cade Adamson, Waverly native Bella Chaffin, Atkinson native Dani Laible, Elm Creek native Malina Lindstrom, Phillips native Grace McDonald, Rebel Sjeklocha from Hays Center, Whitney Steckel from Taylor, and Rachel Williss from Papillion.
