{"id":973,"date":"2024-11-20T11:20:28","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T16:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/?p=973"},"modified":"2024-11-20T13:03:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T18:03:06","slug":"rachel-hefton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utia.tennessee.edu\/spotlights\/rachel-hefton\/","title":{"rendered":"Rachel Hefton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plant sciences<\/a> student’s experience in undergraduate research fosters growth in specialty crop production<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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

I am from Nashville, Tennessee, and I became interested in attending UT after the campus tour I took while I was in high school. I fell in love with the city of Knoxville and its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains. After I decided my heart was set on attending UT, I started looking into the different departments offered to see which aligned with my passions. The departments within the Herbert College of Agriculture intrigued me because I felt there were many opportunities available that I could pick a major that made me happy to study and build a career towards.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What is your major and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My major is plant sciences with a concentration in horticulture science and production. I originally was undecided in my concentration, but after taking a few plant science courses I felt studying horticulture science and production would help bring me closer to my career goals and passions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What has been your favorite class and who is your favorite professor? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite professor definitely has to be Dr. Jerome Grant<\/a>. I\u2019ve taken many of his classes, and he always does a wonderful job creating a fun and welcoming environment to learn about insects. My favorite class is the first entomology course I took, it was introduction to entomology (EPP321) taught by Dr. Grant. I had never paid much attention to insects, so it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about some very under-appreciated beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has an extensive insect collection, so we were able to see thousands of different insects up close during our lab periods. Our final project was creating our own insect collection where we found and pinned 50 unique insect specimens. This was my favorite part of the class, as it helped me become more observant of the insects around me that I might have previously overlooked. Overall, this course gave me a new perspective and appreciation towards insects and the important roles they play in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Can you tell us about your experience participating in undergraduate research?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n