Twelve students across nine campuses to champion the state’s agbioscience story through the Field Atlas career exploration platform and experiential learning programs
AgriNovus Indiana, an initiative focused on growing the agbioscience economy, announced today that 12 students from colleges and universities across Indiana will serve as Field Atlas Ambassadors for the 2026-2027 academic year, helping connect their peers to professional development, career exploration and opportunities in agbioscience.
Field Atlas Ambassadors are selected college students who serve as the on-campus champion for the state’s agbioscience sector. From exploring career paths and fields of study online to engaging with students on the impact of innovation across the sector, Ambassadors connect students to Field Atlas and its experiential programs, including Company Tours, the Agbioscience Mentorship Program and other hands-on opportunities that bring them closer to the sector.
“Field Atlas Ambassadors play a critical role in helping students discover the breadth of opportunities in agbioscience,” said Christy Wright, president and CEO of AgriNovus. “From marketing and finance to biology, environmental science and beyond, Ambassadors are the peer engine that provides insights and real-time opportunities in an industry making meaningful impact on people and the planet.”
For the 2026-27 academic year, AgriNovus has selected these students to represent Field Atlas:
Chloe Borders – Environmental Management, Indiana University
Bhuvikaa Ghai – Management and Human Organization, Indiana University
Cora Gibson – Civil Engineering and Environmental Geoscience, DePauw University
Kady Graves – Agribusiness Communications and Public Policy, Huntington University
Bridget Hollingsworth – Engineering Design, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Caleb Kauffman – Finance, Ball State University
Chintu Mane – Biology, Purdue University
Navnoor Mutti – Biomedical Health Sciences, Purdue University
Olivia Parmer – Biology, Marian University
Jasleen Randhawa – Biology, Indiana University Indianapolis
Evan Trent – Agricultural Business Management, Purdue University
Camille Zoe – Psychology, Butler University
Since its inception in 2020, Field Atlas has served as a foundational digital resource for career exploration in agbioscience, helping students understand the value chain and its components as well as the local and global impact of the sector. Supplemented by its experiential learning opportunities, Field Altas programming supports a holistic overview of the agbiosciences, addressing knowledge gaps that often go unrecognized by students interested in one facet of the ecosystem.
Field Atlas Ambassadors are led by AgriNovus’ Career Success Manager Karis Witte. More information about the program, including how to connect with Witte, is available here.
This article was originally published by Field Atlas. Click here to read the original article.
AgriNovus Indiana launched its second year of the Field Atlas Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP) in February – and the desire students have to make a difference in the world through careers in agbioscience, mixed with the dedication industry leaders have to supporting our next generation workforce through this program, has been invaluable.
AMP is a guided yearlong mentorship program that connects late college students and early professionals to industry leaders excelling in the agbioscience field. This year, 16 students were paired with industry leaders who serve as their mentors for the duration of the program. Current mentees include juniors in college to PhD students from universities such as Purdue, Ball State, Indiana University, Butler and more. These students come from various backgrounds and areas of study, all with the hopes of developing their professional skills and ultimately learning how they can utilize those skills to create a meaningful impact in agbioscience.
The selected 2026 cohort includes students pursuing degrees in Animal Science, Biology, Chemistry, Biological Engineering, Environmental Management, and more. Many of the students in this cohort do not come from an agricultural background but have recognized the importance of agriculture and its effects on our food system through AMP and other Field Atlas programs. Through the guidance of their mentors, they have become inspired to seek new opportunities and gain insight into how their specific background and skills align with career paths in this space.
Every month, each mentor and mentee pair meet to discuss various professional development topics and how mentees can best prepare to enter the workforce. The conversations had in the first few months of the program showcase just how valuable mentorship can be (see below):
“The most helpful aspect of this session was the discussion on interpersonal communication and how it is shaped by cultural context. My mentor emphasized the importance of active listening, understanding what is considered appropriate and professional in interactions, and adapting communication styles in different professional environments… A key takeaway for me was that while many factors are external, the most important element I can control is how I communicate and present myself.” — AMP mentee
“This month I was able to understand that sometimes weaknesses are not totally weaknesses, especially if they help you actually strategically and tactically achieve goals.” — AMP Mentee
“I got more exposure to the industry, developed plans for researching the industry and got experience with imagining how my major could apply to companies.” — AMP Mentee
“The most helpful part of this session was discussing my professional goals and how my diverse background from crop science and agricultural field experience to my current PhD research in functional genomics and bioinformatics positions me as a unique candidate for roles in the agbioscience industry. My mentor provided valuable insight into how this combination of academic, field, and research experience can be an advantage in the industry. He also offered to help connect me with professionals in the field and create networking opportunities that could further support my career development.” — AMP Mentee
“I found it especially helpful that my mentor shared a wide range of resources to support my research project. Learning more about current trends and the available sources he can offer has been very valuable.” — AMP Mentee
AMP would not be possible without industry leaders dedicated to serving and guiding our next generation workforce. It is inspiring for young professionals to have an established leader to look up to and learn from. We are thankful for every single mentor who has contributed their time and knowledge to the mentees and the Agbioscience Mentorship Program. It is evident how much of an impact they are creating for these students as they embark on their professional journeys.
Are you interested in joining the 2027 Agbioscience Mentorship Program as a mentor or mentee? Reach out to Career Success Manager, Karis Witte ([email protected]).
We’ve all heard those stories about engineers who started out as little junior engineers. When they were kids, they were always building things with Legos or tinkering with machines.
Braxton Bragg says that wasn’t him.
The future Product Innovation Engineer with Evansville’s Berry Global was more into sports.
As he got older, though, the foundation for a career in engineering took shape. At New Albany High School, along with participating in athletics, Braxton found that chemistry, physics and math interested him, and that he wasn’t half bad at those subjects. His junior and senior years, he took a job working on a farm and discovered that the mechanics of the tractors and other equipment fascinated him. As these factors pulled together, he recognized where his path was leading. When he headed off to college at the University of Southern Indiana, he majored in engineering.
And when an opportunity for an internship at Berry Global came up during his sophomore year, Braxton jumped on it. He was familiar with the plastic container and product company, but didn’t know much about its operations. What he learned hooked him in a hurry.
“I was blown away by how much goes into making a plastic drinking cup or plastic lid or the container that holds your products in the grocery,” Braxton says. “The kind of technical crew it takes to pull off efficient production of something like that, it took me for a shock.”
Hired on as a full-time employee in 2019 and promoted to his current position in 2020, Braxton says he enjoys being a part of the company’s global headquarters because that gives him a front-row seat to everything from product ideation to seeing items he worked on come off the production line. He currently has five or six projects on which he serves as project manager, he says, all in different stages. He enjoys the variety of the work and the fact that every day can be a little different.
He also enjoys the constant drive to make better products more efficiently. “Coming up with a better way to make a better widget that nobody else can make, that’s always the process,” Braxton says. “Innovation as a whole is consistent on the product and process side.”
And he’s delighted to have landed a job with all those features just a short drive from his hometown. Married to his high school sweetheart, Braxton enjoys staying in touch with friends and family and taking advantage of Southern Indiana’s hunting and fishing options. And while engineering ultimately took up a larger part of his life than the sports that he focused on as a kid, he hasn’t given up athletics completely. He’s taken up running, and he’s preparing to run his second marathon.
This article was originally published by Field Atlas. Click here to read the original article.
Mallika Swaminathan, an IU Indianapolis student pursuing her master’s degree in analytical chemistry, has been taking full advantage of student opportunities and experiences in agbioscience as she rounds out the last semester of her MS program.
Until her experience at the Field Atlas Agbioscience Company Tours in May of 2025, Mallika hadn’t been exposed to the agbioscience industry or the role that chemistry plays in this field. After meeting with industry leaders during the networking portion of the program and then visiting Beck’s Hybrids and Eurofins, Mallika had a whole new understanding of agbioscience and a peaked interest in pursuing a career in the industry.
With an interest and motivation to learn more about the role chemistry plays in agriculture, Mallika continued seeking opportunities to learn more about the field and meet with professionals in the space. This ultimately led her to attending Grow Your Future Day at Corteva Agriscience – a dynamic, full-day experience designed to inspire and connect the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Mallika recently shared more about her experience at Corteva’s Grow Your Future Day:
“I learned so much about Corteva and the incredible role agricultural industries play today. The way they explained the company’s mission really stood out — with the population increasing day by day and land space reducing, it’s so important for AgBioScience companies like Corteva to address these global challenges effectively. And they’re definitely doing so, moving forward strongly by fostering new talent through events like Grow Your Future Day.
The event itself was exceptional — from the personalized resume and mock interview rounds to the opportunity to practice in a real corporate setting. No matter how much we prepare for interviews, the actual environment often brings a different kind of nervousness, so getting to experience that firsthand was invaluable.
I also had the chance to connect with professionals from my area of interest — the analytical labs — and realized how crucial networking truly is. I learned about various contract-based opportunities that are perfect for fresh graduates transitioning from school to industry, and which are not always listed publicly. Hearing this directly from an analytical scientist was a great insight and something that definitely motivates me further.
Overall, the hospitality, warm welcome, and inspiring closing remarks made the day memorable. The scale and diversity of the labs — from biotechnology and chemistry to plant pathology — were truly beyond imagination. It was amazing to see how professionals from so many disciplines come together to drive the agbiosciences industry forward.”
We love seeing students and young professionals take advantage of opportunities to engage with and learn more about the agbioscience industry. Join the Field Atlas mailing list to learn more about professional development opportunities for students interested in this industry!
Field Atlas Company Tours are a great way to explore the leading agbioscience companies throughout our state. If you are a college student interested in attending an upcoming company tour, click here to learn more and apply!
