Welcome to the HNR Department
The people of the Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources (HNR) at Kansas State University are dedicated to improving lives through dynamic, diverse education and research programs.
We are delivering the news to you! Find out what the HNR faculty, staff and students are doing and major events that are coming up. If you missed one of our news stories that you would like to review, all news stories can be found on the HNR News Page.
Students & Faculty in the News
Tommy King Receives Prestigous Scholarship
For more than 50 years, the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association has supported the turf industry through scholarships and internship grants. Tommy King, a senior at Kansas State University from Kansas City, Kan., was one of the three scholarship recipients who received the maximum amount of $7,500.
“This scholarship motivates me about my future and the decisions I make as I build a career for myself,” King said. “I am truly thankful for the financial and emotional support this scholarship provides.”King’s passion for turf management began when he was 16 years old. The rising high school junior took a summer job at Shadow Glen Golf Club in Olathe, Kan. At first, raking bunkers and filling divots didn’t move the needle; however, King quickly saw the value in golf course management. “I stuck with it,” King said. “When you work on a golf course you see the fruits of your labor every single day and I really enjoy that.”
King will graduate in May of 2020 and aspires to become an assistant in training at a golf course in Kansas City with the hopes of one day becoming a golf course superintendent. “I’ve been told the challenge is managing people,” King said. “I haven’t really struggled with the education part of turf management. The challenge for me is people management and personal growth. I want a chance at that challenge.” Read more...
Horticulture Club Hosted Rose Sale
The club hosts a variety of other events throughout the year, including some opportunities for students to network.
“It’s just a really good opportunity for different people in the club the meet people that are of different specializations kind of figure out like what opportunities there are,” Barnhart said.
Horticulture specialities include production, science, landscape and golf course and sports turf operations. Barnhart said the club functions on its own, with a little help from professors.
“It’s really student-led,” Barnhart said. “The professors that are involved are really amazing and supportive and give a lot of really good direction, but a lot of it is student-led — we have officer meetings every other every other Tuesday.” Read more...
From Drones to Data at Little Jerusalem
Kristen Sikorsky remembers the first time she saw Little Jerusalem. “It was like looking at a mini-Grand Canyon,” said Sikorsky, a Kansas State University graduate research assistant in the Park Management and Conservation Departments of Horticulture and Natural Resources. A native of Rhode Island, she was used to seeing the ocean. And, although her K-State advisor, Ryan Sharp, had warned her, she was “blown away” by Little Jerusalem’s magnificence. Read more...
Kansas Nursery & Landscape Association Scholarship Awarded
Jordan Robinson (center), a senior undergraduate student majoring in Horticulture Production was recently selected as the Kansas Nursery and Landscape Association Scholarship. Jordan was recognized at the annual Western Nursery and Landscape Association conference and trade show in Kansas City on January 16th. Dr. Cheryl Boyer (left), associate professor in the HNR Department and Scott Howe (right), KNLA Board Member, made the presentation. Congratulations, Jordan!
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park
“Little Jerusalem offers us a unique opportunity for our students to understand visitor impacts on a place that virtually doesn’t have any to start with,” said Ryan Sharp, Associate Professor of Park Management & Conservation at Kansas State University Read more...
Fall 2019 HNR Graduates
   | Congratulations to the graduating seniors from the Horticulture and Natural Resources Department. Fall commencement was held on Saturday, December 14th at Bramlage Coliseum. |
Horticulture Class Constructs a Poinsettia Tree
Stop by the first floor lobby of Throckmorton Plant Science Building to see the beautiful poinsettia tree on display and take a selfie! Jacob Hueste, the Throckmorton greenhouse manager and horticulture student greenhouse workers, Lane Wiens and Haley Burgett, assembled the tree. Poinsettias are one of the most popular floriculture plants grown and marketed for Christmas.
The “tree” is made up of several different poinsettia varieties grown by undergraduate students from fall the Greenhouse Operations Management course (HORT 570), taught by Dr. Kim Williams. The class started the crop from cuttings or small plants and grew them to full color for the holiday season. The class was responsible for managing the growth and development of the plants, including fertilization, watering, and other growing considerations. A couple hundred beautiful plants were produced, that included a variety of colors. Read more...
Faculty Plan, Judge National FFA Floriculture CDE
  | Two HNR faculty, Kim Williams and Irina Sheshukova, participated in the recent National FFA Floriculture Career Development Event in Indianapolis. Williams is on the national Planning Committee and Sheshukova served as a judge for two events. In addition, three current K-State Horticulture students had earned the opportunity to represent their home states in Floriculture at nationals. K-State was well-represented! |
