MANNRS Students Star on Flight
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Eleven Huntley College of Agriculture students flew to the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANNRS) Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. at the end of March.
In addition to networking, learning about careers, they also showed that they were ready and prepared to talk about agriculture wherever they go. On the flight back, they all wore green T-shirts that said, “Ask Me How to Save Our Citrus.”
The shirts referred to the work the college is involved in trying to prevent the Asian citrus psyllid insect from spreading the deadly plant disease, Huanglongbing, which has devastated the Florida citrus industry and threatens California citrus. Researchers are exploring ways to stop the psyllid using the Tamarixia radiata wasp, a parasite of the psyllid.
One of the flight attendants asked what the shirt was about, and the students explained it to her. She then used the PA system to tell the other passengers what they had taught her. “Let’s thank our Cal Poly Pomona students,” she concluded, and the passengers gave them a round of applause.
The announcement led our students’ seatmates to ask more questions. It was a great opportunity to educate the public about a little-known issue.