TPS student Irene Gentzel has just begun a communications internship with the Ohio Soybean Council (OSC) of Worthington, Ohio.  FLM Harvest, an agriculturally-based strategic marketing firm, acts as an agency of record for OSC to guide their communications efforts in keeping Ohio farmers updated on research funded by the sale of their annual soybean crop.   As such, Irene will also work closely with FLM Harvest for additional training and guidance.  Since Irene’s career goal is to be a science writer who focuses on plants and agriculture, this internship is a perfect fit and will give her real-world experience to develop her writing skills for general audiences.

The main projects that Irene will focus on are OSC’s annual research report and monthly newsletters.  OSC partners with many faculty at The Ohio State University on a variety of projects, including: improving planting techniques for better yields, dealing with stinkbug infestations, keeping an eye out for Palmer amaranth and other weed problems, and finding genetic factors responsible for soybean resistance to disease, to name a few.  Ultimately, the annual report will summarize this research activity to highlight options that farmers can use to increase crop yield or better manage common pest/disease issues.  The monthly newsletter aims to bring exciting tidbits of information related to OSC’s new Field Leader program (formerly known as Soybean Rewards).  This program further emphasizes the need for soybean research and how the knowledge gained from these efforts positively impacts Ohio’s farmers. 

Irene is currently a fifth-year student within the TPS program and is advised by Drs. Dave Mackey and Ana Alonso.  Her dissertation project examines the interaction between maize and the bacterial pathogen Pantoea stewartii, with an emphasis on the identity and quantity of metabolites that accumulate in infected leaves.