Collegiate Plant Initiative
People Who Love Plants
Who We Are
The Collegiate Plant Initiative is a multi-university collaboration based at the University of Florida. CPI's goal is to connect students from all majors to the plant industry as future consumers and employees.
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Questions? Email us at Contact@CollegiatePlantInitiative.org!
The Collegiate Plant Initiative's
Student Success Stories
CPI connects students from all academic backgrounds to internships and careers within the plant industry. Take a look below to read more about the experiences of University of Florida students.
Our Students
Tessa Hochhaus
Research and Development Intern
Proven Winners
"At Pleasant View Gardens I was able to work in the Research and Development Department. With a previous knowledge of breeding, I was now able to see the next step in the process. While working on maintaining stock, watering, planting, and learning to work with machinery for larger scale production, I also worked on an individual project. I was in charge of the Verbena Comparison Study in which I evaluation and compared Proven Winner’s verbena varieties to the competitors’ based on multiple criteria including powdery mildew resistance."
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Samantha Nuzzi
Fragrance and Flavor Chemistry Intern
Ball Horticultural Company
"I worked as the Fragrance and Flavor Chemistry Intern at Ball Horticultural Company during the summer of 2018. While my main research involved volatile compounds in lavender, I also conducted pigment analysis of roses, dahlia, and geraniums. It was a pleasure working with their senior analytical chemist, Dr. Jayaraj Alappat. He is a skilled teacher; I always felt as though I could ask him any questions I had. My favorite part of the internship was the project I conducted on staining lavender trichomes (the tiny hairs on leaves). This was a project in which I was given no specific directions, and I had the freedom to create my own procedures. Having the ability to come up with my own solution to a task has been a vital part in my professional development. I truly appreciated working with Dr. Alappat all the other scientists in Ball Helix and I would recommend this internship to any students interested in chemistry."
Abbie Clark
Public Relations and Social Media Marketing Intern
Ball Horticultural Company
"As an intern in the marketing department at Ball, I had the opportunity to explore a wide range of functions within the company. From photography and videography to blogging and social media management, I was able to expand my skill set while meeting incredible people along the way."
Morgan Moore
Research and Development Intern
Proven Winners
When asked what advice she’d give to younger students, Moore said that becoming involved and gaining experience has helped her significantly with classwork at UF. “I went in at the end of my sophomore year … now going into the majority of my classes towards my major, I know a lot of things, and I can apply them,” she explained, “those skills do carry on.”
