Stuart Sprague, PhD

Biography

I was raised in north central Kansas and grew up in a rural environment spending summers working for farmers and helping grow vegetables in the garden. I came to K-State to pursue a B.S. in Horticultural Science. I continued my education by studying genetic engineering and environmental stress physiology of crops while pursing a Ph.D. After graduate school I worked as an Assistant Professor of Horticulture at Northwest Missouri State University for five years. While my primary responsibilities were teaching, I did also conduct research experiments that involved undergraduates, advised undergraduates, and was the academic advisor of the Horticulture club.

At K-State, I have an appointment of 60% teaching and 40% research. I will co-advise the Horticulture club, and teach courses in plant propagation and plant identification. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my wife and children, running, and reading.

Education

• PhD, Horticulture, Kansas State University, 2018
• BS, Horticultural Science, Kansas State University, 2012

Research

The focus of my research is improvement of abiotic stress tolerance in ornamental and food crops. Ultimately, the goal is cultivar improvement to reduce water use and increase productivity and/or quality when plants are grown in suboptimal conditions.

Teaching

• Plant Propagation
• Landscape Plants I
• Landscape Plants II