Using Summer Interns to Advance Forage Research and Extension.

Forage researchers find it increasingly difficult to find motivated undergraduate students to conduct summer research. Over the last 10 years, I have developed a program to employ undergraduate science students from a local liberal arts school (Asbury University). Each science student is required to conduct a senior research project of their choosing in order to graduate. These students have majors ranging from pre-med to pre-dentistry to science education. I have found them to be highly motivated and glad to be working on real world research problems which have included the defoliation effect on forage grasses, simple cyanide testing systems, ergovaline detection in tall fescue, and forages for organic dairies. This program has introduced over 20 basic science students to applied agricultural research and their senior projects have produced significant research and extension results that have benefited farmers across Kentucky.