Stockbridge News

Beginning with the Spring 2023 season, Stockbridge School will be a promoted sponsor for "As Schools Match Wits," the televised quiz competition for more than 25 teams of academic achievers from local and regional high schools. Two fifteen-second video spots will air in alternation, announcing our sponsorship at the start of each episode, along with some of the majors we offer.  Previews of the two spots are available in the article.

For 2023 U.S. News & World Report assessed online programs at more than 1,800 colleges and universities and ranked 1,730 online bachelor's and master's degree programs, the most in the survey’s history. Overall, all UMass online bachelor’s degree programs ranked 16th nationally, up from 19th last year, cementing our place in the top one percent. Stockbridge established, and continues to offer, the nation's largest fully online bachelor degree program in sustainable agriculture.  Over 300 students are currently enrolled in Stockbridge courses online.  The degree can be completed online, or student may transfer courses upon admission to our on-campus degree program.

The soil that covers the five million acres of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the foundation for our food, our forests, our drinking water, and the biodiversity of our many unique ecosystems. The quality of our soil is also increasingly important in helping us to adapt to the impacts of climate change. 2023 marks the release of the state's first Healthy Soils Action Plan (HSAP), a comprehensive approach to reducing impact from climate change and restoring our ecosystems. Faculty from Stockbridge, and other parts of the University, contributed their expertise to the development of this novel policy document.

Last year, Stockbridge announced a new "5th Year" Accelerated Masters Degree program in Plant and Soil Sciences.  This year, we are pleased to celebrate the first three students to graduate from the program. The "5th Year" program allows students earning a bachelor degree to get a head start on some of the higher level courses required to earn a Masters degree.  Such acceleration can makes students more competitive in job markets, sooner.  Their research topics continue themes long associated with the Stockbridge School of Agriculture.  

John Stoffolano, affectionately known as the Lord of the Flies, began teaching at UMass in 1969, when the radio played "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly and the Family Stone, "Let the Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension, and "It's Your Thing" by the Isley Brothers. Stoffolano's thing was the physiology and behavior of synanthropic (non-biting) flies. Upon his retirement this year, Stoffolano is expected to receive emeritus status from the University.

The National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) is pleased to announce that the first recipient of the NTEP Distinguished Service Award is Dr. Scott Ebdon, Professor Emeritus of Turfgrass Science, at Stockbridge School of Agriculture. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the turfgrass industry through cooperation with, or support of NTEP. Because of his research on water use and drought tolerance in turfgrasses, Dr. Ebdon is a recognized expert on how grasses utilize water and in understanding drought tolerance mechanisms. 

Plant/agriculture biotechnologist Om Parkash Dhankher was named as a CSSA Fellow, the highest recognition bestowed by the Crop Science Society of America.  To be eligible for recognition as a Fellow, one must have a minimum of 7 years active membership in CSSA, and must have made “outstanding contributions in an area of specialization, whether in research, teaching, extension service, or administration…”   Fewer than 0.3% of the Society’s membership attain this rank. 

Unilock, the landscape architecture and design firm that pioneered the manufacture and use of paving stones in North America, has just announced it's first round of scholarship recipients, who will share $100,000 to assist with their education expenses in the green industries.  2 of the 22 inaugural recipients of Unilock's "Paving the Future" scholarship program, Sean Weber and Drew Wildes, are current students in the Stockbridge School's associate degree program in Landscape Contracting. Weber, who at age 15 was working 40 hours a week doing landscape construction, writes in his application essay that "At a very young age I knew for certain that I would not be working in a cubicle for the rest of my life."

Web analytics firm Clarivate announces, for the 9th consecutive year, that Stockbridge Director and Professor Baoshan Xing is among the Most Highly Cited Researchers for 2022, worldwide.  Highly Cited Researchers have demonstrated significant and broad influence reflected in their publication of multiple highly cited papers over the last decade.  These highly cited papers rank in the top 1% by frequency of citations for a field.  Fewer than 1 in 1000 researchers attain this honor.

Stockbridge alumni know Dr. J. Scott Ebdon as a kind, funny, warm, and knowledgeable mentor.  Today Ebdon is a gentleman and a scholar who has earned a well-deserved retirement, and emeritus status with the University of Massachusetts.  Ebdon has published extensively, his more than 200 articles and book chapters contributing to our ranking as a top agriculture science university in the world, and he has supported the scholarship of others through the peer review process.  As Chief Undergraduate Advisor for the Turfgrass Science & Management program, Ebdon was honored directly by UMass students who awarded him the UMass-Amherst Residential First-Year Experience Student Choice Award.  We thank Dr. Ebdon for his 25 years of service to the University.

The ability of plants to improve soil health is limited by organic pollution.  But this can be overcome, using biochar and microbial integration.  Such is the conclusion of "Integrating Biochar, Bacteria, and Plants for Sustainable Remediation of Soil Contaminated with Organic Pollutants," just published as the cover page article in the prestigious research journal Environmental Science & Technology (EST).  Phytoremediation, the use of plants to neutralize and remove pollution in soils, is a major research thrust across multiple faculty at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture.  The article is the result of an international collaboration between Dr. Xing and top scientists from China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Albania, Australia, Korea, Germany, and the U.S.

The leading role played by Stockbridge School of Agriculture in modern professional research organizations, is demonstrated by the recent election of Masoud Hashemi, Extension Professor of Sustainable Farming and Agronomy Management to lead three cooperating organizations.  Hashemi has been name President-Elect of the Northeastern regional branches of the Agronomy Society of America (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA).  He will lead the triumvirate for two years.