Cynthia Bartel is the ag policy specialist on our project, and yes, she knows policy, but that’s not all she knows about.
Hint… It’s also about the cows and a lot more. Dr. Bartel qualifies as an all-around Ag-Renaissance woman. Learn more about Dr. Bartel in Wisconsin dairy farm embraces robots, health monitoring and intercropping (https://www.farmprogress.com/dairy-cattle/wisconsin-dairy-farm-embraces-robots-health-monitoring-boluses-and-intercropping)
RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Susana Goggi was recently recognized by SeedWorld magazine as one of thirty “high-impact women” in the US seed industry. According to SeedWorld, Dr. Goggi and her distinguished peers have “carved out space in a field long dominated by others, proving that grit, skill, and collaboration are the true markers of excellence. From the lab to the boardroom, from seed physiology to supply chain, they are rewriting what impactful leadership looks like in our industry.”
Having Dr. Goggi on our team, we could not agree more with this assessment! Learn more about Dr. Goggi and the SeedWorld high-impact women’s group at: Nielson, Aimee (2025, September 23). A league of her own: 30 high-impact women. SeedWorld. https://www.seedworld.com/us/2025/09/23/shes-in-a-league-of-her-own-3/
Yes, we are a research project, but we never forget that we are in the business of educating the next generation. In the summer, we mentor prospective STEM Education school teachers [See more at: https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/2023-ret-reu-programs-copy/]. But, all year round, our team mentors a talented group of graduate students in our Graduate Education Community.
Today, we celebrate Memiş Bilgici from our Breeding & Genetics Objective[See more at: https://www.regenpgc.org/objective-2-plant-breeding-and-genetics/], who presented this poster and was awarded a travel grant to Hawai’i: (Bilgici Memiş, Yu-Ru Chen, & Thomas Lübberstedt. (2025, May 19–23). Do we need dedicated maize varieties for perennial groundcover systems? [Poster]. 2025 National Association of Plant Breeders Annual Meeting, Kona, Hawa’i, United States).
Learn more by reading Memiş’ Poster Abstract at https://napbannualmeeting.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/NAPB_2025_Booklet_Digital_VF2.pdf, Poster #50.
RegenPGC graduate student Jack Moran’s master’s thesis, Improving the establishment of Kentucky Bluegrass as a perennial groundcover, is now available to download at https://lnkd.in/gRUhFFDs
Jack’s key research takeaway is: “Strategies such as using Hydroloc™ seed treatment and optimizing seed ratios and rates can significantly improve the establishment of Kentucky bluegrass as a perennial groundcover in corn production.”
Additional topics discussed include:
– Seed treatments for crop establishment
– Impact of irrigation on plant growth
– Economic considerations in agricultural practices
Learn more about Jack and the entire RegenPGC Graduate Education Community at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education-copy/
At RegenPGC, we are building the future of perennial grasses and the teaching profession by introducing existing and prospective science/stem educators to our research portfolio. Every summer, we participate in two crucial Iowa State University initiatives, the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs.
The RegenPGC RET program allows middle and high school teachers to gain research experiences and form ongoing relationships with PGC scientists and graduate students. Our goal is for our RET participants to share their RegenPGC experiences with their students upon their return to the classroom and inspire young persons to learn more about STEM subjects.
The RegenPGC REU program provides opportunities to undergraduate students interested in future careers as STEM teachers to engage in a hands-on research project with a RegenPGC mentor and research team.
Both projects take place during the summer months, and RegenPGC collaborator Maureen Griffin and her team at the Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology lead the project.
Learn more about the essential truths and inspirations that our REU and RET participants were exposed to in 2025 in this overview piece.
It’s easy to get jaded in the age of endless social media, but we never tire of seeing our team recognized for its research, extension, education, and outreach efforts!
Today, our Education Team gets a shoutout from the Iowa State University Marketing and Communications Division and from Axios in the article, “Summer research program for teachers brings ISU science to K-12 classrooms.”
The article features Iowa State’s participation in the national REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates )and RET (Research Experience for Teachers programs. At RegenPGC, our team members provide mentorship for three RETs and 5 REUs. Mentees benefit, mentors benefit. It’s the ultimate educational win-win.
Check out the full article at https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/summer-research-program-teachers-brings-isu-science-k-12-classrooms. Learn more about our REUs and RETs at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/2023-ret-reu-programs-copy/
Meet Audrey Tucker who come to RegenPGC via Wartburg College. Audrey brings something truly unique to the project… she is a trombone player.
My name is Audrey Tucker. I am 19 years old from Mount Vernon, Iowa. I am currently a first-year student at Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa). I am studying biology and education and plan to have an endorsement in All-Science. I enjoy running, wrestling, reading, and hiking. Something unexpected is that I play the trombone at Wartburg.
I applied to the REU program because… it will be a good experience, and an amazing way to spend my summer. Participating in this program will help me use new tools to become a better teacher in the future. It could help me understand concepts, so I’m able to help teach students in the future and help others my age as well.
My expectations from the REU program are… for everyone to put in an equal amount of work, and questions, and not be afraid to make mistakes.
Why do you want to become a teacher? I was always frustrated in school because I never understood science. In my sophomore year of high school, my teacher helped me understand the content by drawing diagrams for me. Two years later, I had her as a teacher again. The first thing that she said to me that year was “I remember you learned by diagrams and drawings.” At that point, I realized that I wanted to be able to help students understand science just like my teacher. She made me enjoy science again. I want to be able to do that for others.
Meet high school math teacher Elisa “Ellie” Soosloff, a professional educator who loves a full workload!
Elisa “Ellie” Soosloff, Creston High School, Creston, Iowa
I am a high school math teacher in Creston, Iowa, entering my 5th year of teaching. I grew up in Elgin, Illinois, and moved to Iowa for college, where I attended Drake University, completing a BA in Mathematics and a Spanish Minor alongside my BSE in Secondary Education. This past summer, I also finished my MA in Mathematics through Texas A&M to begin offering Calc 1, College Algebra, and Statistics for community college credit at Creston High School. I also teach Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calc, and Probability & Statistics. It’s a full load, but I love it!
I applied to the RET program because… I have a passion for continuing my learning and being able to show my students not only why the math works how it does, but how it can be applied. I always love telling my students about how math and STEM are constantly growing and changing, and what better way to do that than to go help grow and develop research myself.
My expectations of the RET program are… to develop my knowledge about how research is done this summer. I’m excited to gain experience and make connections with other teachers and researchers to learn everything that I can. I’m especially looking forward to potentially developing something I could take back to my own classroom.
How do you see this experience impacting your classroom? I would love to incorporate more cross-curricular and project-based learning into my classroom and begin to introduce the students to areas of STEM that they don’t get to explore as commonly at the high school level. I believe this experience will be a great way to collaborate with other STEM areas and begin developing those kinds of materials based on the research descriptions involving creating and implementing classroom activities.
Kids need hands-on experiences to maximize their opportunities to learn new concepts. That idea comes through loud and clear from 2025 RegenPGC Research Experience for Teachers participant Jessica Garland. We believe that with the help of her RegenPGC mentors, Dr. Richard Roth and graduate student Alioune Diopp, her summer experiences will serve both her and her students well! Learn more about our two summer programs, the Research Experience for Teachers and the Research Experience for Undergraduates, at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/2023-ret-reu-programs-copy/.
Jessica Garland… I grew up in Johnston, Iowa, and currently live in Ankeny, Iowa, with my husband and three kids. I earned my degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University and later completed my master’s degree at Viterbo University. I’ve been teaching 5th grade for 15 years and love engaging students across all subject areas. In addition to classroom teaching, I also run a science and engineering club that brings hands-on STEM experiences to young learners. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors, and finding creative ways to make learning exciting. Something unexpected about me? I love to garden —it’s my favorite way to relax and reconnect with nature.
I applied to the RET program because… I’m passionate about bringing real-world, hands-on learning opportunities to my students. I’m always looking for ways to deepen my understanding of STEM concepts so I can better engage and inspire young learners. This project is a great opportunity to grow professionally, collaborate with others, and bring fresh, research-based ideas back to my classroom.
My expectations of the RET program are… to gain new insights and practical strategies to make STEM learning more meaningful and engaging for my students. I’m also excited to collaborate with other educators and bring back fresh ideas to enhance my teaching and science club activities.
How do you see this experience impacting your classroom? I see this experience having an impact on my classroom by enriching my teaching with real-world scientific applications and research-based practices. By engaging in hands-on research, I will be able to bring authentic STEM experiences to my students, making science more engaging, relevant, and inquiry-driven. I plan to integrate what I learn into my lessons, incorporating more hands-on experiments, problem-solving activities, and connections to real scientific careers.
All the way from Virginia to Iowa! That’s how far high school teacher Denise Rogers has traveled to join the 2025 RegenPGC Research Experience for Teachers. Learn more about Denise and her extensive educational background.
I am a native of Orange County, California. I earned a BS in biology education (Claflin University). I taught in South Carolina for 5 years. I have also earned an MA in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in environmental science and administration (Virginia Commonwealth University) and an MS in pharmacy with a concentration in forensic science (University of Florida). I have over 30 years of experience teaching middle school science, high school biology, anatomy, forensic science, ecology, and high school summer remediation science classes. I have also served as an instructional specialist for math and science and taught science courses for students in grades 6 –12 in an alternative school setting. I also taught science at ChallengeU, an online graduation recovery program. During the spring of 2019, I earned an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction. Currently, I teach high school biology and AP environmental science for Richmond City Public Schools in Richmond, VA. The love that I have for science and children can be seen as I expose students to new and exciting concepts and share my travels and research experiences with everyone.
I applied to the RET program because… I have always enjoyed incorporating biotechnology into my lessons, and I am always looking for new and innovative approaches to teaching. I want to participate in this RET Program to open the possibilities to expose myself and my students to innovative ways to incorporate hands-on laboratory activities and add excitement to learning and teaching new concepts. In addition, I would like to develop useful curriculum materials based on the new concepts that I learn.
My expectations of the RET program are… to learn new procedures, techniques, and research material/practices while networking with other teachers and mentors.
How do you see this experience impacting your classroom? My students will benefit from having additional resources and ways to explore science topics that break the traditional direct instruction model. Opportunities such as this can help to maintain a student-centered learning environment and expose students to new, cutting-edge experiences and techniques.
