Students from the University of Wisconsin–Madison chapter of the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) student organization attended the society’s national training and professional development conference in Chicago on March 21-23. MANRRS is an organization that seeks to provide professional development and networking opportunities for students traditionally underrepresented in fields of agriculture and related fields. 

Afona Irabor and Maxwell Chibuogwu, plant pathology graduate students, clinched top positions in the Graduate Oral Research Contest Div. I.  Irabor, a Ph.D. candidate co-advised by Amanda Gevens and Matt Ruark, was awarded first place for his research talk titled “The effects of winter cover crops on potato soilborne disease in Central Wisconsin.” In second place was Chibuogwu, a Ph.D candidate advised by Damon Smith, for his talk titled “The metabolic fate of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol in ensiled corn (Zea mays): a journey from the farm through the bunker silos.” Afona and Maxwell were officially recognized in front of all conference attendees and received plaques and cash awards.

Also attending the conference were Confidence John, Daniel Hayden and Mridula Madhukumar Menon, all graduate students, as well as undergraduate members London Bates and Joelle Browne. All attendees represented UW–Madison and CALS in exemplary fashion, and the students thank their research advisors as well as UW–Madison MANRRS advisors Tom Browne, senior associate dean, and Matthew F. Warren, research associate in bacteriology. 

The opportunity to network with diverse peers is a main attraction of the conference, with more than 2000 attendees representing more than 85 chapters, including those from Puerto Rico and Ghana. Additionally, students participated in contests and professional development workshops designed to allow them to practice their research and oral communication skills, supported by partners in industry and higher education.

Representatives from organizations such as USDA, John Deere, and Smithfield Beef, among others, lent expertise on seeking opportunities in industry and led a massive career fair to highlight internship and job possibilities for students. The students were also treated to remarks from individuals such as Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and ESPN personality and former NFL player Sam Acho.

MANRRS is an organization open to all students at all levels, and also has a professional membership category.