Breno Moreira Moreno, The State University of Maringá, Brazil Student Intern Interview
Breno Moreira Moreno, a 4th year undergraduate studying Agronomy Engineering at the State University of Maringá, Brazil, is a current student intern at Iowa State University under the guidance of Dr. Sotirios Archontoulis, a professor in agronomy.
How did you learn about this opportunity at Iowa State University?
- I was looking for experience abroad with crop production field research. My brother’s girlfriend had been to Iowa State University last year, and she told me that ISU is an important agriculture school. I then visited the ISU website and started looking for a professor with a program aligned with my interests. On the Agronomy Department website, I found the contact of Dr. Sotirios Archontoulis, and I sent an email indicating my experience and interests. I then started the internship process to become an international student intern.
Can you describe your work/ research at Iowa State University?
- I’m assisting in different experiments in Dr. Archontoulis’ Lab, here at ISU. I work mostly with data collection: corn biomass harvest, leaf collection, soil analysis, lab work, lignin analyses, and data processing. My experiments are located at the AEA Agronomy Farm and and other locations around Ames, Nebraska, and Illinois.
What have you learned while at Iowa State University?
- I have been learning about crop production, crop diseases, pests, plant phenology, lab techniques, data analyses, data processing, plant composition, and differences between hybrid and new farm technologies.
How does Iowa State University or Iowa differ from your home institution or country?
- Iowa is a good place to stay, very different from Brazil. The weather is very different from my home: Summer is warmer, and the Winter is colder. The soil is also distinct. Here, there is a lot of organic matter with a dark color to it, while in Brazil, we have a diversity of soil textures and colors, with the red color being dominant. The length of daylight reaches up to 14 hours here, which benefits crop production. Also, here, people are very polite, and it is very safe. Research developed at ISU is very high level, and many technologies are used to help in the research process.
What is the coolest thing you have experienced while in the US?
- The coolest thing I have experienced is seeing how agriculture is in the US: the technologies, big production, and the huge focus and investments in agricultural research. Also, the opportunity to talk and meet people from different parts of the world is incredible; for example, I have met people from Argentina, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and France.
Do you want to see or do anything before you complete your program?
- I would like to visit other states in the Corn Belt and see how crop production is in different parts of the country. I would also like to see the big agricultural companies. Lastly, I would like to visit some of the beautiful places in the US.
Have you traveled to the US before?
- No, this has been my first time in the US.
Breno will complete his 6-month internship at Iowa State University at the end of January 2024. Upcoming returning to his home country, Breno plans to complete two more years of classes before finishing his undergraduate education in Brazil. After graduation, Breno hopes to continue working with crop production research.