Career Exploration Initiative

“The work that was being done [at Oerth Bio] was extremely interesting, everyone was eager to answer questions, and learning about an aspect of plant science I had never really considered before (herbicide development) was very interesting.”

"What I find most valuable are the career panels that some of the companies organize for us. They generally were comprised of several employees in various areas of expertise and career journeys. We were able to ask questions about how to stand out when applying for jobs, differences between working at different types of companies, internship/collaboration opportunities, etc."

I greatly appreciated the opportunity to attend the 2022 TPSC industry tour. The tour exposed me to a broad range of potential career options after my graduate studies in private industry/biotech (Corteva), government (USDA), and academic/public research institutions (Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Delaware Biotechnology Institute). Seeing this variety of careers/work environments was very helpful in forming a better understanding of what areas I would like to go into and how to focus my career development to reach those goals. Having previously only worked in academic and public research institute environments, I found our tours in government and private companies especially informative. As my research focuses on insects with applications in the management of invasive and pest species, I enjoyed seeing and reading about various integrated pest management strategies implemented in a such a diverse assortment of plant contexts across the expansive botanical collections on the grounds.

The industry tour provided by TPSC this year had a great positive impact in my perception over what are the possible paths that us TPSC grad students can follow after graduation. I had the opportunity to learn so much from all the industries, government, and research centers we visited. When it comes to what is next we are always fearful of how we are going to blend in and put what we've learned throughout the years into practice. This tour, provided by our center, provides us with a picture of the huge pool that is out there and points us in the right direction by helping us to connect with great researchers that are welcoming and joyful to share with us all they can. I, as a graduate student and first generation in my family to get a degree in higher education, am super grateful for the opportunity and guidance towards this journey which is sometimes daunting but with the correct support I can see what comes next. So, thank you TPSC for guiding me as I discover what options are available to me and to start building a network that addresses so much exciting and important research.

"This industry tour greatly benefited my understanding of available jobs, improved my networking skills, and improved my confidence in securing a job. I have been undecided about the path I would like to take after graduate school, be it into industry, government, or academia, but I am now more certain about pursuing a government or industry position. Additionally, visiting five different research establishments afforded me a plentiful number of connections, so I felt the trip was successful in helping to advance my career. Our group of ten as a whole also sent personalized thank you cards to each group with which we toured. Attending Longwood Gardens on the final day of our tour was beneficial to our careers as plant scientists because we were able to learn about previously unknown cultivars and how they were bred through the innovation of the DuPont family and Longwood Gardens. We also learned about parasitoid wasps and how they can control invasive pests like brown marmorated stink bugs and emerald ash borers. These pests can devastate our native plants, and as scientists working in natural settings, we need to be aware of these ecological interactions."

I had a great time on the DelMarPa trip and the experiences were beneficial for me as a student currently and for my future career. Although I am just a first year student at the moment and am not necessarily laser focused on a specific career path yet, I am most interested in private industry and working in research for one of the well known companies that do agricultural research. So with this in mind, my favorite visit on the trip was to Corteva in Maryland. The presentation that the representatives gave there was very well made and they did great at answering our questions and directing the presentation in a way that matched with the interests of everyone on the tour. I would love to one day work for a company like Corteva so it was helpful to receive insights into what specific research they do such as the ramping up of future research in agricultural biologicals. I also got the sense that with a job in industry I would be able to diversify the type of research that I would be doing in my career and get experiences with lab work, field work, and even sales work depending on what opportunities present themselves. Thanks to TPSC for providing this opportunity to the graduate students, the industry tours are one of the greatest benefits of the program in my eyes.

TPSC organized a very informative industry tour where we visited different places, including USDA-ARS, Beltsville, Smithsonian Environmental Research Station (SERC): Edgewater, MD, Internet of things for Agriculture, University of Pennsylvania, Corteva at Chesapeake farms, Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the end, Longwood gardens. This tour helped me to understand the working of the industry, academia, and government jobs. Above all, it showed me the research happening in different fields, where everyone is working on different things but with the same aim of solving the problems in agriculture. Industry tours are an incredible opportunity for people trying to get an idea of jobs in their fields. Visiting Longwood gardens was a remarkable experience. Being a plant scientist, looking at such a great diversity of plants was a wonderful experience. One of the interesting facts from Longwood gardens is that they use prescribed fire to improve the biodiversity in the meadow area without affecting the wildlife in the area

The trip was really good for me as a student, because I got an insight into the different aspects of industry and government work. It was also really helpful to develop connections that offered to discuss the whole application process even if we were not necessarily applying to the specific location the company was at. Longwood gardens was also wonderful to see because it gave examples of how the type of research we do in TPSC are used in real world settings

I found this tour very informative, and helpful for making correct decisions about career goals. Especially, Longwood garden. I am surprised and speechless seeing the collection and invention of floriculture. Thousands of different colorful flowers and trees. All are done by plant scientists. These motivated me to research more to decorate the world like heaven. Besides, different universities' research helped me generate some new ideas related to my research. Tour at Corteva helped me to learn which things I need to take care of to get a position in any company job. Furthermore, now I know how I should continue my research.