Plant metabolism and
quality have been the focus of my research at UCO and University of
Arkansas. At both universities, I enjoyed a combination of field and
laboratory work. The first big project I worked on was with pigeon peas in
the Biology Department at UCO. Most of the research was conducted on the
roof of the science building with Dr. Bidlack. It was alot of fun. Everyone worked on that project, and Dr. Bidlack required
that we also pursue our own project for UCO's Master of Science Degree in
Biology. So, that's what I did. My research at UCO was on yield and
metabolism of sweet basil. It was a pretty cool project and prepared me
for a PhD Program at the University of Arkansas.One of Dr. Bidlack's buddies, Dr. Oosterhuis, was looking for a good doctoral student to work on cotton production. At that time, I was working at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and ready to move on with my education. So, in a matter of just a few months, I found myself in Fayetteville, Arkansas doing research in the greenhouse and cotton fields. We looked at some growth regulators and how they can be used to manipulate cotton production. I finished my Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas and now work as an Assistant Superintendent for the Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management.