University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researcher Lorenzo Rossi and his Ph.D. candidate Lukas Hallman have been invited to join Sigma Xi, an international honor society of scientists and engineers. Rossi is an associate professor at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce.
Photo by Tyler Jones
Sigma Xi lists more than 200 Nobel laureates as members. They include Albert Einstein, Sally Ride and Enrico Fermi. Fermi, whose early work with nuclear science led to the world’s first atomic bomb, graduated from the same Italian University (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa) as Rossi.
IRREC Director Mark Kistler described Rossi and Hallman as “over-achievers who in their early careers have advanced plant root biology for Florida citrus growers.” Kistler said Rossi is a gifted scientific leader who motivates teams to work together to move forward science in plant root biology, which extends to international collaborations. In only six years, Rossi reached tenure and promotion, attracted more than $2 million in research grants and graduated six award-winning Ph.D. and master’s students.
Photo by Lorenzo Rossi
Hallman’s performance as a graduate research assistant continuously exceeds all expectations, Rossi said. Hallman, who completed a master’s in horticultural science under Rossi’s supervision, will graduate with a Ph.D. in horticultural science in December. Rossi called Hallman “a standout among my students with multiple publications in the most important science journals.”
Hallman has previously been honored by the American Society for Horticultural Sciences, the Florida State Horticultural Society and the UF/IFAS College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Earlier this year, UF/IFAS announced that Hallman was about to embark on an internship in Switzerland to investigate the vascular system of trees affected by HLB. Learn more here.
Source: UF/IFAS
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