Nancy Gift

2000/01 CEIRP Fellow

Field Crop Science/Soil Management

Hometown: Lexington, KY

AB, Biology, Harvard University

MS, Crop Science, University of Kentucky

CEIRP Curriculum Projects: The Importance of Peer Review: the National Geographic Fossil Fiasco; Inventory of Insects on Common Reed Grass

2000 - 2001 CEIRP Fellow Statement

As an undergraduate biology concentrator at Harvard, I did a senior thesis on plant systematics in which I examined the genus Kalmia (mountain laurel) and its close relatives. I did my master’s degree in Crop Science at the University of Kentucky on ecological relationships between soybean, eastern black nightshade, and common cocklebur. Now, I am completing a Ph.D. in Crop Science - my dissertation topic is basically "How to control weeds when growing a cover crop in field corn." However, I am interested in most anything related to plants and ecology or agriculture. Also, I have taken courses in GPS (Global Positioning Systems), IPM (Integrated Pest Management), and statistics. I've worked at Cornell’s Arnot Forest, the Cornell Orchards, the Vet School (doing statistics), and in agricultural extension (talking to farmers about weed control). I also like hunting for fossils.