Bioresource Research

Ryan Scholz won a national award for superior achievement in natural resources-based research...

While a senior BRR major in the College of Agricultural Sciences, Ryan Scholz was awarded the American Star in Agriscience award by the national FFA organization. The American Star is FFA's highest honor, given each year to recognize superior achievement in natural resources-based research.

Scholz was the top finisher from a field of more than 3,000 entrants. He is the first Oregon FFA member to receive this prestigious national recognition in 20 years. Scholz was one of four national finalists for the award, which included a plaque and $4,000.

Scholz completed a double major in Animal Science and Bioresource Research. His BRR mentors were Howard H. Meyer and Deborah Clark. Following graduation, he entered veterinary school to become a large animal veterinarian.

Scholz's research concerned innovative ways to protect the university-owned McDonald-Dunn forest from a prevalent, noxious non-native weed, the slender false brome. The rapid growth of false brome prevents a native plant, Kincaid's Lupine, from thriving. Kincaid's Lupine is the primary host to the endangered Fender's blue butterfly.

Scholz has used sheep to control the slender false brome. In his study, Scholz extracted the juices from the non-native weed and placed the substance in the milk given to orphaned lambs, to "condition" the lambs to the taste of the weed so that the weed would be a familiar food for lambs to graze as they got older. However, a different method proved to be more successful. Scholz found that when young lambs observed their mothers grazing on the unfamiliar weed, they also began to graze on it, thus inhibiting the rapid growth of the unwanted weed.

This research, along with Scholz's involvement and initiative, contributed to being awarded such a high honor.

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