Liz Shimotakahara, student of agriculture

This post is part of a series of short introductions of Students of Agriculture. From undergraduates, to PhDs, or those learning out in the world, this series will share snippets of different journeys in agriculture education. Know a student with a neat story? Send Lyndsey a message ([email protected]) to have them recognized as a Student of Agriculture! 

Liz Shimotakahara is a masters student at McGill University studying soil science. Here is some of here journey to where she is today so far:

Her project looks at biostimulants, a product type that is known to work, but the science isn’t clean on why. She is investigating the effects of biostimulants on soybeans. Shimotakahara compares growth of soybeans treated with biostimulants and untreated soybeans to determine the effects biostimulants have on plant growth.

Shimotakahara did her undergraduate degree in environmental biology. Shortly into her studies,  the COVID-19 pandemic started. She says that in a weird way without COVID she may not be studying soil science at all. It wasn’t COVID per se, but the circumstances of moving home and watching the documentary The Biggest Little Farm inspired her to pursue a masters in soil science.

Shimotakahara says her experiences in her undergrad show her that agriculture, like many things in life, is a mixture of many moving parts. In her future career she hopes to bridge agriculture with bio-remediation in a way that benefits humans and the environment we farm in.

Looking back at her younger self, Shimotakahara says to trust your gut. If you truly know you want to do it, go for it and trust the process.

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