Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--A Mississippi State student team once more is ranked among the nation's best in a landscape architecture and contracting competition.
The 32-person university team recently finished eighth overall at the 2010 Student Career Days event organized by the Professional Landcare Network. In 2009, an MSU group finished at a similar tier.
Known by the acronym PLANET, the network is an international association representing lawn care professionals, landscape management contractors, design/building/installation professionals, and interior plantscapers [For more, visit www.landcarenetwork.org/cms/about.html.]
Student Career Days began at MSU in 1977 when representatives from five institutions met to compete in what has become the industry's largest recruiting program and collegiate competition. Held at Chattahoochee Technical College in Atlanta, this year's 25-event challenge drew more than 820 participants from 70 schools.
Senior landscape contracting majors Blake A. Babin of Kiln and Eric McClain of Lincoln, Ala., brought home the team's highest honors with a second-place finish in irrigation assembly. In the category, they were given an irrigation plan to interpret and install, with judging based on functionality, neatness and safety.
Separate from the Georgia competition, Babin and McClain are new selections for a university landscape internship on the Starkville campus. They will be gaining real-world experience similar to that found with independent contracting or ground-management firms.
MSU's academic department in landscape architecture offers two programs leading to a bachelor's degree in either landscape architecture or landscape contracting and management. (A graduate-level program offers a master's degree in landscape architecture.)
Other MSU students finishing among the top five in additional PLANET categories included:
--Senior landscape contracting major Adam Slater of Mendenhall, maintenance cost estimation, and turf and turf pest identification.
--Senior landscape architecture major Matthew R. "Matt" Pea of Ballwin, Mo., exterior landscape design.
--Senior landscape contracting majors Cedric E. "Ric" Bennett of Fairhope, Ala., and Mark S. Pipper of Clinton, wood construction.
Other team members finishing among the top 10 in other categories included:
--Junior landscape contracting majors Colin E. Lacey of Germantown, Tenn., and Christopher D. "Chris" Jones of Wayside, arboriculture techniques.
--Senior landscape contracting major Taylor Kimble of Leakesville, irrigation design and irrigation troubleshooting.
--Senior landscape architecture major Bradford P. "Brad" Allison of Brandon, sales presentation.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.