Last week was too much fun to be considered work. After hearing from our 7 Extension interns about their summer projects, I had the opportunity to interact with a couple of them later in the week. On Wednesday, I stopped in at the Stanton Gill Symposium and shared a microscope with intern Holly Greenberg where we witnessed predation by a lady beetle eating an aphid. Paula Shrewsbury, Laura Nixon, and Mike Raupp were fantastic instructors for the workshop. I confided that bigger critters are more my speed but there was no question that Holly was inspired by her summer experience! I sat in on a plant diagnostics session led by Dr. Ana Cristina Fulladolsa and team. We tested for diseases in hosta, tomatoes, and potatoes and learned about the importance of a good sample because pathogens are not evenly distributed through plant tissue.
Later that day I met intern Isabelle Hauser who was in the midst of showing her dairy animals (a good example of a bigger critter) at the Garrett County Fair. I had a great time meeting with Jennifer Bentlejewski and team at the Fair, at the State 4-H Camp, and at the Garrett County Extension office. This is a team that knows how to work together and leverage each other’s strengths! In addition, I made stops at Klotz Corn Shack and Harvest House. If you are in the area, be sure to check them out; each has a great story. I am grateful to the Garrett County team and one of our CARET members, Bob Frazee, for hosting me!
It is definitely fair time! This week I will visit the Howard County Fair and attend a lunch to celebrate the agriculture leaders of the county. Next week is the Montgomery County Fair where I will do the same. Then it’s time for the big one – the Maryland State Fair with a few separate trips planned for events during that event.
Between fair events I have a number of partner meetings and committee meetings as well as meeting with team members as part of a standing meeting schedule. I am also starting visits to our departments with several scheduled before the semester begins and others running into the first half of the semester.
Onsite interviews are winding down for the AI cluster hire, and getting started for the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center director, the Hughes Center director, and the Environmental Science & Policy chair positions. The associate dean of academic programs and faculty affairs position has just posted. There are no shortage of meetings on the calendar, making the out-of-office time seem that much more special.
This week brings some HVAC work in the office requiring that those in the 1296 Symons Hall suite, including myself, work remote. As a result, it’s mostly a Zoom week for me. I’m glad I had travels last week to balance things out!