Sanford awarded Arthur William Sampson Fellowship

Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Amanda Sanford

University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate student Amanda Sanford gets ready to release an eBee SQ agricultural drone at the Barta Brothers Ranch near Ainsworth, Nebraska.

Amanda Sanford, an agronomy graduate student, has been awarded the Arthur William Sampson Fellowship in Pasture Management. This fellowship is awarded annually to a University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate student conducting research in range or pasture ecology and management. Awarded from the Center for Grassland Studies, this fellowship includes a 12-month graduate stipend and begins Aug. 1, 2017.

“I am honored to have been awarded the Sampson Fellowship and I am overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunities it will give me to continue my current research projects, to explore new ideas and research topics, and to present the results of my research to those in the ranching and scientific communities,” Sanford said.

Sanford’s research involves studying the effect of grazing strategy on dung distribution and nutrient cycling in pastures. Over the summer months, grazing trials will be conducted at the Barta Brothers Ranch near Ainsworth, Nebraska.

Using a drone to take images of pastures at the ranch, Sanford will use a geographic information system to model the dung distribution spatially and temporally, helping researchers better understand how nutrients are returned to and cycled through the grazing ecosystem.

Sanford is advised by Martha Mamo, John E. Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture, and Jerry Volesky, professor and extension range and forage specialist.

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