Environmental Dynamics Student Wins Gerald O. Mott Award

Cassandra Thomas

Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith, a Fayetteville native, was awarded the prestigious Gerald O. Mott Award this summer through his research in the Environmental Dynamics Program at the U of A.

The Gerald O. Mott Award is distributed annually through the Crop Science Society of America and recognizes students pursuing advanced degrees in crop science disciplines. The students are selected based on their research and teaching contributions, academic achievements, service activities, leadership accomplishments and personal qualifications.

This award is named for Gerald O. Mott, the first CSSA president, who, during his 45-year career at Purdue University and the University of Florida, trained 75 graduate students, many of whom have become renowned forage scientists in both the United States and Latin America.

"I am honored to receive this award, which recognizes top-notch graduate students in crop science disciplines," Smith said. "As an interdisciplinary researcher, I often collaborate with professionals from various backgrounds and engage with multiple departments at the University of Arkansas. Despite these diverse interactions, my passion has always centered on addressing critical issues in agriculture including climate change, food security and sustainability.

"Receiving this award is a great privilege, and it has further energized me to continue my work, knowing that I have the support and recognition of my department and the broader research community," he added.

Smith has always been interested in the natural world, which led him to realize the importance of sustainability and stewardship of the environment. This grew into a passion for addressing climate change to achieve a sustainable society. Smith decided he would like to pursue further education and conduct his research with the Graduate School and International Education's Environmental Dynamics doctoral program.

In addition to receiving the Gerald O. Mott Award, his time at the U of A has included him being awarded the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which totaled $180,000 for three years. This fellowship helped fund his research project, "Where Can We Grow? Machine Learning to Predict Climate Impacts on U.S. Corn and Soybean Suitability."

Smith earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences from the U of A and a master's degree in environment and sustainability from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on applied geospatial analytics and machine learning to understand and promote sustainability within the agriculture and food production system.