SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — A NebraskaPanhandle extension scientist who started his career as a “lab rat” and progressed to becoming a “field mouse” has received one of the potato industry’s top honors.
Potato specialist and crop physiologist Dr. Alexander Pavlista was selected for the Honorary Lifetime Membership by the Potato Association of America.
As a potato specialist with the University of Nebraska since 1988, Pavlista has worked on plant growth regulators and how they can help overcome plant stress and drought.
Pavlista was pleased with the honor, saying all scientists hope to make an impact in their field. “We often hear of the successes, but there are really many more failures,” he said. “And that’s part of the frustration, but the challenge, because when you do find something new, you realize when you’re the first to find it, you’re the only person who knows it.”
Pavlista is only the second University of Nebraska researcher to receive this honor.
Source: KDUH-TV