Jennifer Halterman

2017 | Fran Ward Women in Arboriculture Scholarship

Education: Pennsylvania State University

Pursued Degree: Plant Science, Horticulture Option; Entomology minor

Expected to graduate: May 2018

I am from Dillsburg, Pennsylvania and am currently a senior at Penn State majoring in Plant Science, Horticulture and minoring in Entomology. Throughout my two years at Penn State Mont Alto, I have taken advantage of the opportunities given to me such as competing in the Tree Care Industry Association’s Exposition in Pittsburgh, a study abroad trip to India, participating in Arbor Day at Penn State Mont Alto, various internships, and making connections with amazing professors. My freshman year, I was a groundskeeping intern at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library and sophomore year I was a horticulture intern at The Arboretum at Penn State. Transferring up to University Park my junior year, I knew I wanted to gain some research experience, so I started working under Dr. Sampurna Sattar in Thompson Labs studying RNAi techniques involving aphids and honeydew melon. This summer, I am conducting my own research in molecular biology as well as assisting Dr. Sattar in her projects at Thompson Lab and working in Merkle Lab assisting entomologists, both graduate students and postdocs. I hope to combine my experience from both labs and incorporate those techniques with my love for trees. I am particularly interested in wood boring insects, such as emerald ash borer, and intend to go to graduate school to study forest entomology, where I hope to gain valuable life experience while trying to preserve our trees.