October 7, 2013 at 4:39 p.m.
Rhinelander grad conducts research in Germany
Rhinelander grad conducts research in Germany
Somewhere at every stop along her way, a discovery about herself or about her work has determined what comes next.
Now, six years after she left RHS with diploma in hand, her education continues, although these days the subject matter is a little more advanced.
Her first discovery came while in the foreign language department at the high school.
"I studied German," Schmitz said. "After participating in the German-American Partnership Program exchange to the Black Forest one summer during high school, I knew I would return to Germany someday."
When she graduated, she left for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. There, she continued to take German classes, although it wasn't her main emphasis of study.
After her freshman year, she returned to the Northwoods for a summer internship in potato breeding at the Frito-Lay agricultural research station in Starks. That's where her next discovery came to pass.
"Plant breeding has been an interest of mine since my very first summer internship," Schmitz said. "I had such an excellent experience there and the breeders were very encouraging and engaging people."
When she neared the completion of her bachelor's degree in Biology, it was clear to Schmitz that she wanted to learn more about the field of genetics and plant breeding. The next logical step was graduate school, so she turned to the University of Minnesota to continue her studies.
Her training was extensive.
"There are core classes a student of plant breeding will take during the first few semesters," Schmitz said. "For instance, I took chromosomal biology, quantitative genetics, experimental design, plant genomics, plant pathology and statistics. After this base is built, a graduate research assistantship is a really unique experience that is shaped by the source of a student's funding."
This consisted of a research project and thesis. The project she chose was a research initiative called RosBREED funded by the United States Department of Agriculture.
"Our grant brought together scientists from several major U.S. universities. It focused on rosaceous fruits like sweet and tart cherries, strawberries, peaches and apples."
Schmitz specifically worked with apples, and monitored 500 genetically unique apple trees. Her team monitored them for harvest when the apples would be at their peak ripeness.
"A lot of people don't realize that a named apple like we find in the grocery store is clonally propagated," Schmitz said. "This means that all the Braeburn apples we've eaten are genetically identical and the same goes for Granny Smith, McIntosh, Jazz and all the others. When people learn this, they tend to think I"m telling them they've been eating genetically modified organisms, but that's not the case. We're still using traditional breeding techniques to make advances in the apple."
It was an extensive research process that spanned her first two years.
"We visited our research orchard once a week during fall to harvest fruit," Schmitz said. "We were interested in how fruit quality traits differ between apple individuals and how that changes over fruit storage. We evaluated fruit texture and taste at harvest and after storage. This meant tasting a lot of fruit every week. There were some days I would have to bite into 50-100 fruit. A lot of them weren't very tasty, but it's necessary to know which are good and which are not really edible."
All the while, Germany was in the back of her mind. Schmitz was still determined to make it back there at some point.
"While I was wrapping up my thesis research, I heard from a friend about a program called Congress-Bundestag Exchange for Young Professionals," Schmitz said. "I thought it couldn't hurt to apply. After months of waiting, we found out we both got in. I had been fixated on the idea of returning to Germany and really taking the time to learn the language. But then, when I heard I got in, it really hit me. It meant a whole year away and an even longer, long-distance relationship with my boyfriend, who's now my fiance. I was worried it wasn't fair to my loved ones to take off for a year at this point in my life. They were all very supportive though."
She arrived in Germany on Aug. 1 and spent the first two months of her stay in an intensive language course. At the end of September, Schmitz moved to her permanent placement in Gottingen where she'll attend the university for a semester while working on a project at a German-owned family seed company in a nearby town.
Adjusting to life in a foreign country is an ongoing process for Schmitz.
"I haven't quite hit my stride here yet," she said. "I'm still learning my way around the German grocery store. It's delicious, but there are a lot of things to try. Also, most Germans eat their large, warm meal for lunch. The evening meal is usually open-faced sandwiches."
Getting around in Germany is also a lot different than what Schmitz is used to.
"The public transportation here is incredible," she said. "Not owning a car is easier here than in many parts of the United States. It's easy to take long trips by train and you can also access the U-Bahn and S-Bahn."
Now that she has a little more time to immerse herself in the culture, she's made another discovery.
"I act as a citizen ambassador," Schmitz said. "I represent regular, everyday Americans to regular, everyday Germans. I get to learn more about why they think, feel and react the ways I do, which means getting past our superficial understanding of who Germans are to what their drives are and how they interpret their surroundings. Additionally, I learn more about our own culture as I realize that how we do things isn't the only way."
After Schmitz completes her program and returns to the United States, she plans to continue to pursue her doctorate in plant breeding, but for now she's just enjoying the ride.
The girl who found a love for German at RHS, a love for plant breeding at UW-Stevens Point and the University of Minnesota still has much to discover.
She hopes others will follow in her footsteps.
"Congress-Bundestag Exchange has to facets," she said. "In addition to the young professionals version, there is one for high schoolers. I'd like to encourage young Rhinelander residents to apply. The fellowship covers flights, school fees, intercultural training and boarding for an entire year. It's quite incredible."
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
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