Boston Swan

College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences

 

My first memory of growing plants was in kindergarten. I remember watching in fascination as our class bean plants began to grow. My love of plants continued into high school, where I worked at a local greenhouse. While caring for the plants, I became curious, and began experiments to observe the effects of nutrient solutions on plant growth. My tests transformed into a science fair project that I presented at local and international science fairs. This research inspired me to study plant science at USU.

As a first-generation college student, I was breaking new ground for my family. I was offered a position at the Crop Physiology Laboratory (CPL), I could pursue my passion for plants. While at the CPL, I designed my own experiment to test how light intensity and wavelength affect plant growth, for which I was awarded two undergraduate research grants. With the funding, I constructed 16 growth chambers with custom LED arrays.

I could not contain my excitement for the research I was conducting, and presented at every poster session available at USU. It was for this reason that in the spring of 2017, I was honored as the CAAS Undergraduate Researcher of the Year.