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Kwantlen researcher is ‘Educator of the Year’

January 5, 2010  By Dave Harrison


Jan. 5, 2010, Vancouver – Dr. Deborah Henderson, director of Kwantlen
Polytechnic University’s Institute of Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) was named
Educator of the Year by British Columbia Landscape and Nursery Association
(BCLNA).



 

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Jan. 5, 2010, Vancouver – Dr. Deborah Henderson, director of Kwantlen
Polytechnic University’s Institute of Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) was named
Educator of the Year by British Columbia Landscape and Nursery Association
(BCLNA).

“I was surprised and delighted to receive the Educator of the Year award
from the BCLNA,” said Dr. Henderson. “For many years I’ve enjoyed working with
growers and the public in both a service capacity and in sharing research
results.”

deborah_henderson_award
Dr. Deborah Henderson, at left, receives BCLNA’s Educator of the Year
Award from Michelle Pain on behalf of award sponsor TerraLink Horticulture.

The award recognized her work in educating the industry and public about
horticulture industry, products and services. She is dedicated to the potential
for integrated efforts in conservation, biological pest control and sustainable
landscaping.

Dr. Henderson, along with Kwantlen’s School of Horticulture and ISH,
established a conservation biocontrol trial garden, or “Bug Garden,” which has
proven to be a valuable resource in providing class materials and a living lab
for students to practice horticulture activities and study plants, pests and
beneficial insects and the relationship between them.

Under her direction, ISH recently established a lab and pre-commercial
scale production incubator for microbial insect pathogens, providing growers
and landscape care providers with biological solutions to pest problems. This
“incubator” facility is a first for Canada and has the potential to put B.C. in
the forefront of development of new microbial biocontrol products.

Dr. Henderson also helped to establish PlantHealthBC, an organization
that provides an accreditation program that assures consumers that their
landscape professionals operate – in accordance with integrated pest management
practices – on an educated and preventative basis to keep gardens pest-free,
and to use pesticides only as the last resort.

Dr. Henderson’s award reaffirms Kwantlen’s leadership in providing
industry-relevant education and innovative research in horticulture.

Kwantlen’s Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH) is a partnership
between academia, B.C.’s horticultural industries and the community to support
British Columbia in meeting demands for a higher level of sustainability and
environmental responsibility from horticulture, agriculture and urban
landscapes.

 

 


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