Kaminsky receives College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Dissertation Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Laura Kaminsky, a doctoral student in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology, has been selected as a recipient of the 2021 College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Dissertation Award.

The $1,000 award showcases student achievements in scholarship and professional accomplishments. In addition to this award, Kaminsky is one of four top nominations in the College of Agricultural Sciences for The Graduate School’s Alumni Association Dissertation Award. Recipients for the Alumni Association Dissertation Award will be announced next year.

Kaminsky’s research centers on the ecology of soil microorganisms in agricultural systems. Specifically, her thesis explores the factors affecting the introduction of beneficial microbial inoculants to farm soils and whether we can improve their establishment by pre-adapting microbes to specific soil environments.

Kaminsky is advised by Dr. Terrence Bell, assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology. 

“Laura has been a model student,” said Bell. “She collaborates easily, integrating outside ideas with her own innovation. She works incredibly hard but also makes lots of space for her own life and interests. One thing I’ve been most impressed with is her ability to see her data and take them for what they are. When her results are unexpected, she simply finds opportunities to explore new directions. She stays out of her own way and lets her creativity shine.”