{"id":1676,"date":"2026-02-20T15:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2026-02-20T16:27:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T21:27:43","slug":"jacob-friedrich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/jacob-friedrich\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacob Friedrich"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plant sciences<\/a> graduate student investigates controlled environment solutions to improve global food security<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Where are you from, and why did you choose to attend the Herbert College of Agriculture<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born and raised in Fremont, Nebraska, and completed my undergraduate degree at Iowa State University. I chose to attend the Herbert College of Agriculture to work under the mentorship of Dr. Kellie Walters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What inspired you to study plant sciences, and what interests you most about this field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I grew up working on my grandparents\u2019 farm in Iowa and loved the cultivation of crops; this drove me to study horticulture at Iowa State, where I learned more about global agriculture and food insecurity. The potential to reduce food insecurity through improved agricultural and horticultural practices is what interests me most in plant science.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What is your research focus, and what are you hoping to learn or accomplish through this work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n