YOUR INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY CONNECTION A HIGHLIGHT FOR SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT Words by Emma Boase : HortNZ people capability manager “There’s something meaningful about being able to contribute to a core part of the New Zealand story – sustainable food and fibre production.” Reuben completed his Bachelor’s degree in Plant Science at Massey University in 2020. He enjoyed being part of the Massey Hort Society and travelling to South Korea on a Prime Minister’s Scholarship programme focused on horticulture opportunities for trade and knowledge exchange between the two countries.
Reuben Dods
Reuben Dods is a first-year Master of Horticultural Science student at Massey University. He is researching the application of ultraviolet light recipes on plant gene expression with Agri-tech company BioLumic. Reuben is the 2021 recipient of the HortNZ Postgraduate Scholarship, receiving $10,000 and professional development opportunities. Reuben first got excited about horticulture as a career while at Palmerston North Boys’ High School. He was shopping around the subjects offered and fell into horticulture. Reuben is now an advocate for others getting into the industry.
There’s a wealth of opportunity including options to travel and lots of exciting problems to explore “There’s a wealth of opportunity including options to travel and lots of exciting problems to explore,” says Reuben.
18 NZGROWER : NOVEMBER 2021
There’s something meaningful about being able to contribute to a core part of the New Zealand story – sustainable food and fibre production The step into research for Reuben was natural. “I always enjoyed the nitty-gritty of doing science projects. Postgrad was never a definite but once I got involved with BioLumic and loved the team there, I agreed to take on this exciting project.”
