Institute of Applied Agriculture

New ideas are brewing!🍻 IAA advisors met at Lone Oak Farm Brewing Company to brainstorm some curriculum changes based on student and industry feedback. Additionally, one of the owners, Chris, graciously gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of Fallen Oak Distilling!

The M Turns 50! Did you know? "While other campus flower beds switch up their blooms, the M stays “tried and true” with its flower types, says R. Scott Rupert ’85, associate director of the arboretum and landscape services. A team fills the M with 900 bronze leaf red begonias in late spring, then yellow panolas, a viola-pansy hybrid, in late summer." Learn more below about this iconic M!

📣 Job Opportunity in Higher Ed at the University of Maryland! The Institute of Applied Agriculture is hiring a 9-month Lecturer in Oral Communication.

Are you passionate about helping students build strong communication skills? This role focuses on teaching INAG 110: Oral Communication, a core course that equips undergraduates with essential skills in public speaking, group communication, listening, and effective presentation.

📅 Best Consideration Date: August 1, 2026

This summer, seven University of Maryland students, including two IAA graduates, were immersed in the Villaggio Soldale community in Lurano, Italy, collaborating with residents and staff as part of the Solidarity Landscape Living Lab led by Dr. Deni Ruggeri, Marco Vanoli and IAA Lecturer Mary Christensen, MLA. During the workshop, they implemented and tested landscape designs developed together over years of participatory design, and refined during the Spring 2026 LARC471 Capstone Praxis Studio.

By building prototypes, sharing meals, bonding with the community, learning from local experts, and experiencing the landscape together, students discovered that meaningful participatory design is grounded in relationships, stewardship, and ongoing collaboration. The workshop offered more than hands-on experience, it demonstrated how landscapes can be shaped through solidarity, collective care, and community knowledge.

Consorzio Famiglie e Accoglienza, .vanoli, Renovapark_Pontirolo, Cooperativa Castel Cerreto, Scuola per lavorare nell’Agroalimentare | Castel Cerreto, Institute of Applied Ag, UMD ASLA Student Chapter

Last week we welcomed 5️⃣0️⃣ new Terps to the IAA family! New Student Orientation is always an exciting time. We wish all these incoming students a fun and restful summer before we see them again on the first day of school!

There’s another doctor in the house! Chelsea Mays-Williams, IAA Senior Lecturer of Oral Communication, just graduated with a Ph.D. In Language, Literacy, and Culture from UMBC. Congratulations, DR. Mays-Williams! Chelsea G. Mays-Williams

Awards season was a success at the IAA.🥇Congratulations to all - you make us proud!

👨🏼‍🏫 Senior Lecturer Tom Mazzone won the 2026 Distinguished Lecturer Award!

🚜 IAA alum Chris Weaver won the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award!

🐎 IAA alum Becky Remsberg won the 2026 Early Career Alumni Award!

⛳️ Senior Lecturer Geoff Rinehart won the Dr. William H. Daniel Award from the Sports Field Management Association.

Let’s hear it one more time for our IAA graduates! 🎉 Huge thanks to AGNR photographer Edwin Remsburg for capturing these moments across the day.

We are still beaming from yesterday’s graduation festivities. 51 IAA students earned their Certificate in Applied Agriculture this year, and we couldn’t be prouder of each and every one of them. Being a close-knit program, we host a special brunch celebration before the convocation ceremony, where each graduate is honored individually by their academic advisor. Then they walk the stage and turn their tassels with all the other AGNR graduates! Congratulations to all, and best wishes in your future endeavors. 🎉