KBS graduate student Rachel Drobnak has received the 2026 MSU Graduate School’s Graduate Award in Science Communication & Outreach for her work in promoting the benefits of prairie strips.
KBS graduate student Rachel Drobnak has received the 2026 Graduate Student Award for Science Communication & Outreach. The award, which is given annually to one graduate student at MSU, is “conferred in recognition of the exemplary translation and communication of scholarly ideas, research findings, and advancements in all academic disciplines to the general public.”
Rachel spent the first two years of her doctoral program gaining expertise relevant to the agricultural industry and leading efforts in science outreach and communication. Her work focuses on prairie strips, a conservation practice where portions of row crop fields are converted into native perennial plants. Given that the practice is relatively new in Michigan, Rachel has worked hard to assess the soil health benefits of prairie strips and promote the use of prairie strips in the agricultural community.
Rachel’s accomplishments focus on four projects that exemplify her commitment to making science accessible:
- She partnered with the MiSTRIPS program in 2024 to develop and publish the MSU Extension Bulletin, “Budgeting for Prairie Strips”, which estimates the costs of prairie strip conversion and includes an online budget calculator. The bulletin and online tools have been viewed and used by hundreds of local farmers and agricultural stakeholders, making them a valuable resource for economic decision-making.
- She partnered with six farmers across Michigan to conduct a large on-farm experiment to determine whether soil health was higher under prairie strips than in adjacent cropland, and to compare on-farm findings with a similar experiment at the LTER Main Cropping System Experiment. This collaboration between local farmers and MSU scientists is a cornerstone of research at KBS, and has strengthened partnerships with community members who are interested in the practical applications of KBS research.
- She presented research at multiple agricultural events, including the 2024 MSU Potato Field Day and the 2024 Blueberry Field Day. These presentations encourage knowledge transfer, network building, and political advocacy among agricultural collaborators, leading to increased adoption of science practices such as prairie strips and increased funding opportunities for KBS researchers.
- She engaged in broad public outreach, such as participating in the 2025 MSU SciFest STEAM Expo and speaking at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy’s monthly Biology on Tap series. Efforts like these are essential in building trust between scientists and farmers, and lessening the cultural divide between rural and metropolitan communities.
“I am honored to receive the 2026 MSU Graduate Award in Science Communication & Outreach. I view this award as a recognition of my activities and a reflection of the incredible community of mentors who provide outreach opportunities for me and empower me. I am one of many graduate students at MSU who integrates science communication and outreach into the foundations of their thesis research; it means a lot that the university recognizes these efforts.” – Rachel Drobnak
Rachel follows on the heels of former KBS graduate student Corinn Rutkowski, who won the same award in 2023 for her communication and outreach work on prairie strips. KBS continues to train future leaders that emphasize its commitment to communication and collaboration with local stakeholders and the surrounding agricultural community.