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Title: I WISH SOMEHOW I DID KNOW THEN WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW…WHAT I REALLY NEEDED FROM MY FORMAL CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION

Author
item Price, Andrew
item ASKEW, S - VA. POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2006
Publication Date: 1/23/2006
Citation: Price, A.J., Askew, S.D. 2006. I wish somehow I did know then what I didn't know…what I really needed from my formal classroom instruction [abstract]. Proceedings of the Southern Weed Science Sociey. p. 247.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Both a public-state institutional and a federal government employee’s viewpoints on formal classroom instruction received at N.C. State University were discussed. Dr. Askew’s title is Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Weed Science and Extension Turfgrass Weed Specialist. Dr. Askew’s research program includes development of a comprehensive research and extension program relating to the identification and control of weeds in Virginia turfgrass. Dr. Price’s title is Plant Physiologist and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Weed Science. Dr. Price’s research program includes projects addressing the impact of integrated weed management strategies on weed populations/competitiveness in conservation systems as well as the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly weed management systems integrating conservation tillage, crop rotations, cover crops and associated allelopathy, and transgenic crops for the region. Both Dr. Askew and Dr. Price agree that their formal classroom instruction provided them each with the background to be successful in their respective positions. They both also agree that their abilities to effectively communicate, write manuscripts, and manage multiple projects are essential to success; as much as or more so than formal classroom instruction. Dr. Askew, if offered when in graduate school, could have benefited from formal instruction in research methods in ecology of plant/plant interactions. Dr. Price, if offered when in graduate school, could have benefited from formal instruction in cover crop/weed interactions and allelopathy/natural product chemistry. Dr. Askew ranks Statistics in Plant Sciences as his most influential college course due to practical, applied instruction of statistical methods and analysis techniques conveyed in the course that have allowed him to better design and summarize data of numerous experiments. Both authors feel that those classes that demonstrated, discussed, and debated actual research methods and experiments were extremely helpful for their research oriented careers. Dr. Askew feels that his communication skills, which began in high school Agriculture and FFA, have helped him more than any other skill and have had the broadest impact on his success at work. Dr. Price concurs that communication skills are among the most important to master. Both authors agree that predicting their eventual career stations would have been unlikely and that classroom instruction, above all else, offered a breadth of knowledge that allows the authors to react to a diversity of situations and correspond with many people.