This past month a big move was made to help bolster the Strawberry Center’s team with an experienced researcher.

Sam Simard joined the Strawberry Center team as a research associate in July after serving as a graduate student researcher since August 2022. She will be performing strawberry pathology research. The San Luis Obispo native earned a degree in agriculture with an emphasis on natural resource and range management, along with a minor in biology at Southern Utah University. She previously worked as a field and research assistant at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center. Simard is working to complete her Master of Science in Agriculture and Plant Science.