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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2003
Contact: Linda McCandless, llm3@cornell.edu, 315-787-2417
Heidi Noordijk receives Perrine Scholarship
by John Zakour
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2003
Contact: Linda McCandless, llm3@cornell.edu, 315-787-2417
Heidi Noordijk receives Perrine Scholarship
by John Zakour
 |
|
Horticultural Sciences department Chariman Alan Lakso Presents the Perrine Scholorship Award to Heidi Noordijk. |
GENEVA, NY: Heidi Noordijk, a master's candidate in horticultural sciences at Cornell University, received the 2002 Perrine Scholarship Award at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, in Geneva, NY, in early February. The award recognizes Noordijk's research in pomology. Horticultural sciences chairman Alan Lakso presented the award to Noordijk on behalf of the Perrine family, along with former chairman Hugh Price.
Noordijk's research focuses on the use of fish oil and lime sulfur to thin apples after they bloom. Mature apple trees can have up to 5,000 flowers, of which only 4 to 10 percent become harvestable fruit. Post bloom thinning causes the weaker fruit to fall off. The advantage of the fish oil and lime sulfur combination is that it can be used by organic growers or to replace the chemical thinner Carbaryl used by conventional growers. The only disadvantage is that the mixture smells really badly. As Price stated when presenting the award: "It is perhaps the smelliest project any winner has ever had!"
The scholarship was established in 1993 by David Perrine (Cornell class of 1922) to support pomology research at Geneva. The $2000 award supports Noordijk's research program and educational expenses.
"Members of the Perrine family-their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren-have been very generous in making annual contributions to the endowment they established in memory of David B. and Fanny F. Perrine," said Price.
Noordijk is the eighth recipient of the award, and the first recipient whose research is based in the Hudson Valley. Jim Schupp is her major professor.
"Heidi has done all the things we expect of Cornell students: getting good grades in her course work, and designing and conducting thesis research," Schupp said. "She had the extra challenge of conducting her spring and fall field research in the Hudson Valley while taking a full course load. It meant a lot of hours and miles crossing the Catskills in her car, but she made it look easy."
Noordijk received her B.S. in horticulture from Michigan State.
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