A new fellowship celebrates the life and legacy of Thomas Wyatt Turner, the first Black American to receive a Ph.D. in Botany and the first Black person to receive a Ph.D. in any study at Cornell University.

The Thomas Wyatt Turner Fellowship aims to increase the number of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds engaging in research in inclusive and sustainable agricultural development and related fields. This includes, but is not limited to, students who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latina/o/x, Southeast Asian, and/or those that identify as first-generation college (FGC) students, LGBTQQ+ identified students, women, veterans, and/or students with disabilities.

Housed in the Department of Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the fellowship from the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement honors Turner’s passion and commitment to science, advocacy, and the advancement of education for all.

TW Turner Fellows must be master’s or doctoral students currently enrolled at a university within the 1890 land-grant system and be pursuing studies broadly related to inclusive and sustainable agricultural development — from plant sciences and nutrition to gender and climate resilience and beyond. Applications are now being accepted online through March 1, 11:59 p.m. EST.

Read more on the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement's website.