by Lana Koepke Johnson | Agronomy and Horticulture
Kristina Alas, doctoral student in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture specializing in plant breeding and genetics, received the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture 2023 Graduate Student Teaching Award.
This award recognizes and rewards graduate student members who are involved in classroom instruction for at least a year and who excel as teachers in the agricultural disciplines. NACTA is a professional society that focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning agriculture and related disciplines at the postsecondary level.
Alas has been a teaching assistant for seven classes including: PLAS 230 Technical Reporting for Plant and Landscape Systems; AGRO 131 Plant Science; AGRO 278 Botany; HORT 133: Horticultural Plant Sciences Lab; HORT 261 Floral Design I; HORT 306 Greenhouse Practices and Management; and METR 180 Environment, Energy and Climate Change.
“One thing I love about teaching is how it is coupled with learning; it gives me the chance to learn more about the subjects I teach and learn more about myself,” Alas said.
According to Christine Booth, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources lecturer, Alas is an excellent educator and instructors repeatedly request her as a teaching assistant for their classes.
“She is a kind teacher and provides clear instructions and feedback, but also requires students to maintain a high level of academic excellence,” Booth said. “Her organizational skills, time management and interpersonal skills are also outstanding, and she has a breadth and depth of teaching experience that is unmatched by her peers.”
Alas also mentors undergraduate students interested in plant breeding and genetics by training them in correct laboratory procedures, how to conduct research in the field and assisting them with planning and conducting their own unique research project as appropriate to provide experience with decision-making and critical thinking skills.
“Kristina is among the best for her ability to engage students in the learning process,” said Keenan Amundsen, professor of agronomy and horticulture. “She relates to the students and their needs while conveying information that she adapts as appropriate to serve their learning needs. As seen in her formal student and teacher evaluations, Kristina is a gifted teacher.”
Alas, originally from Omaha, earned her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Nebraska. She became interested in plant breeding while working for Dallas Johnson Greenhouse, a wholesale distributor of ornamental annuals and perennials, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
“When we received a new petunia variety called "Night Sky" that had dark purple petals with a spotted cream-colored pattern, I was mesmerized by its unique beauty,” Alas said. “I wanted to know how breeders developed this pattern and started reading books and articles on plant breeding. The more I read, the more I wanted to pursue a career in plant breeding.”
Alas then went to work for United Seeds, a wholesale turfgrass distributor. One of her responsibilities included meeting with turfgrass breeders to discuss their products.
“While I enjoyed my position at United Seeds, conversing with the breeders strengthened my resolve to become a plant breeder,” Alas said. “I decided to leave United Seeds to pursue a master’s degree in agronomy specializing in plant breeding and genetics.”
In August 2022, Alas completed her master’s degree and begin working on her doctoral degree with Amundsen as her advisor.
Alas’ research focuses on the development of hop cultivars adapted to the Midwest so that regional producers can have consistent yields and beer brewers can have consistency in their ingredients. Her master’s research involved selecting superior parental genotypes that generate progeny with the desired traits of interest and select superior progeny genotypes for advancement and potential release to make the program more efficient. The focus of her doctoral research is to extend our understanding of the genetic basis of downy mildew resistance to enable the development of resistant hop cultivars.
Alas has been a committee member for the Nebraska Plant Breeding Symposium leading a subcommittee responsible for coordinating the event, ordering supplies and creating event flyers. She has also presented her research at the Nebraska Grower and Brewer Conference and Tradeshow resulting in funded grants from the Nebraska State Department of Agriculture and the Nebraska Craft Brewery Board.
Outside of the university, Alas is very active in the local community. She volunteers at a Lincoln Elementary school by tutoring English language learners and has led a summer nature club program on gardening. She has trained her dog, Lucy, to be a certified therapy dog which she takes to Willard Community Center while she tutors students in the after-school program and assists with activities for senior citizens. She is a board member for Lincoln Animal Ambassadors, has volunteered with Willing Workers in South Africa and Willing Workers on Organic Farms in Costa Rica.
