Meet Our Team

PI, MDA Specialty Crop Grant

Department of Horticultural Science

University of Minnesota

Professor Smith studies plant reproduction, non-native invasive plants and consumer and grower perceptions of bioengineered specialty crops. He uses insights in these areas to improve specialty crops and manage invasive plants. He is a member of the Plant and Microbial Biological Sciences and the Applied Plant Sciences graduate programs and the Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute. His research areas include: Plant Development; Reproduction; Non-Native Invasive Plants; Propagation; Biotechnology. He teaches HORT 1001 — Plant Propagation,  HORT 4071W — Applications of Biotechnology Plant Improvement, and HORT 6011 — Plant Propagation.

Education

Ph.D., University of Florida, Plant Pathology

M.S., Iowa State University, Microbiology  

B.S., University of Nebraska, Microbiology

Researcher, MDA Specialty Crop Grant

Department of Horticultural Science

Department of Applied Economics

University of Minnesota

Professor Yue is Professor at the Department of Horticultural Science and Department of Applied Economics. Professor Yue holds the Bachman Endowed Chair in Horticultural Marketing. This sector contributes to local and regional economies around the country. In addition, consumer choices about the food they eat – especially about the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables – are recognized to be of great significance for health outcomes. By better understanding consumers’ and other stakeholders’ preferences, Professor Yue’s research provides important guidance and implications for marketing horticultural products in strategic ways, which can greatly increase the products’ success in the marketplace. Professor Yue has conducted numerous studies on consumer horticultural product choice using various experimental methods (e.g. eye-tracking, experimental auctions and choice experiments) and behavioral models (e.g. hyperbolic discounting models and prospect theory).

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

University of Minnesota

Carrie is currently the Arboretum Education Department's Communications Specialist for Conferences and Collaborations. She provides design, development and production support through communications for the Farm at the Arb programs and serves as the liason for the Farm at the Arb Education Advisory Council, which produces the annual Schoolyard Gardens Conference in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education and Statewide Master Gardener Program. After receiving her BA in Theater and MA in Strategic Communications, she worked in corporate and higher education communications, writing and creating marketing strategies. Prior to the Arboretum she was the web and marketing coordinator for the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and has served on the University of Minnesota Alumni Association Marketing Committee and was a member of the Twin Cities Communications Council.

Researcher, MDA Specialty Crop Grant

Department of Horticultural Science

University of Minnesota

Marie is a research scientist in the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Science Department. She has completed a MS in applied plant science and a BS in plant science from the University of Minnesota, as well as a BBA in marketing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her current research focuses on biotechnology acceptance and invasive plants.

Researcher, MDA Specialty Crop Grant

Department of Applied Economics

University of Minnesota