Bumpers College Students Graduating With Honors

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Stuart Estes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Three students in the Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas are graduating with honors at Saturday's 9 a.m. commencement in Barnhill Arena.

The honors graduates are Taylor Coomer of Piggott, Stuart Estes of Harrison and Mary Young of Bella Vista. Coomer is graduating summa cum laude and Estes is graduating magna cum laude.

Coomer is earning her bachelor's degree in crop management from the crop, soil and environmental sciences department. She was a member of the soil judging team, which won first place in regional competition. The title of her honors thesis, under the direction of mentors David Longer and Derrick Oosterhuis, was "Influence of Poultry-Litter Biochar on Early-Season Growth of Cotton." Coomer also completed an internship at Riceland Foods.

Estes is earning his bachelor's degree in agricultural communication from the agricultural education, communication and technology department. He studied abroad at Ghent University in Belgium and interned with the High Plains Journal. His honors thesis, under the mentorship of Leslie Edgar, was "Northwest Arkansas Consumer Perceptions of Poultry Production." His thesis earned a gold ribbon of excellence from the Bumpers College.

Young is earning her bachelor's degree in environmental water science from the crop, soil and environmental sciences department. Her honors thesis, under the direction of Thad Scott, was "Reservoir Mixing Effect on Dinitrogen Gas Distribution within the Metalimnion of a Man-Made Lake."