b'Ellen Evans ReceivesWHEN TIMES AREtough, theres one important thing to do both in academia and in business: show appreciation and recognition for hard work. Take a moment, look around at your the UC Davis Plantgroup, and highlight successes throughout the day. Thats just what the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) Plant Breeding Academy hopes to do with its students each year Breeding Academythrough the Outstanding Student Award.The Academy, founded in the early 2000s, had one original purpose: to get more plant breeders into the seed sector. It was an easier way to train plant breeders without needing to obtain Outstandinga PhD to do so, during a time when there was high demand for plant breeders and low uptick in PhD plant breeders. It also aims to be a continuous education for plant breeders in the industry, Student Award as technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. We have six sessions, and each session is six days, says Jovan Djordjevic, director of education at the UC Davis Plant Breeding Academy. Its education that allows busy working pro-fessionals aspiring to become plant breeders to feasibly become UC Davis continues to find and createplant breeders one day.plant breeders to give back to theOne of the highlights is at the end of the two-year program prior to the students graduation, one student is recognized with industry.Alex Martin the Outstanding Student Award. While the award doesnt have any monetary value, Djordjevic says the award really showcases the industrys effort to address the need for and value of plant breeders. From left to right, Alex Martin sits with Ellen Evans and Jovan Djordjevic during a recording of a podcast at the ASTA Leadership Summit in Sacramento, Cali.44/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2023'