Winter canola (Brassica napus L.) production has increased in the United States over the past several decades; however, there is little research in the southeastern United States on its agronomic production and growth characteristics under different nitrogen (N) fertilizer rates. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of N rates on winter mortality, yield, oil and protein content, and seedpod shatter resistance across cultivars. Canola was grown in a randomized split complete block design with four replicates under five different N rates (0, 56, 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha−1) with four different cultivars (Hekip, Inspiration, and Edimax CL or Phoenix CL). Seed yield was very low for the 2017–2018 season, likely due to extreme cold conditions in winter and/or frost at flowering. There was high winter mortality during this period, but Edimax CL had significantly lower mortality (79.7%) than Inspiration (85.7%) and Hekip (83.9%). In the following year, more mild temperatures led to low mortality and greater yields, where rates of 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha−1 had the greatest yields (1,612–1,857 kg ha−1) with no significant differences according to cultivar. In 2018, shatter resistance was greatest for the rates of 112, 168, and 224 kg N ha−1 and was positively related to N rate. Across both years, Inspiration had greater shatter resistance. In 2019, the lowest N rate (0 kg N ha−1) and Phoenix CL had significantly greater oil contents (48.4 and 47.3%, respectively), whereas the highest N rate (224 kg N ha−1) with no particular cultivar had a significantly greater protein content (21.0%).

Core Ideas Biofuels workshops positively affected educators, pre‐college students, and graduate students. Multidisciplinary trainings were implemented to accommodate diverse knowledge levels while each groups’ needs were assessed to facilitate future adaptations. For continued teaching, all educators were provided biodiesel classroom teaching kits. Training materials are available online for continued accessibility to stakeholders. Over a period of 2 years (2014–2015), 23 educators, 62 precollege students, and 14 graduate students were engaged through three kinds of teaching workshops based on formal lectures, hands‐on activities and interactive demonstrations. All participants were given pre‐ and post‐training tests to assess changes in their opinion about alternative energy resources, their knowledge, and confidence in teaching others about biofuels. These evaluations revealed a significant increase in the post‐test scores compared to the pre‐test for all four groups in technical knowledge (df = 56; t = 9.12; p < 0.0001), economic considerations (df = 61; t = 4.42; p < 0.0001), as well as positive attitudes toward biofuel (df = 39; t = 2.68; p = 0.0054). When the gain in the technical knowledge was assessed, significant increases after the workshops were noted for educators (df = 10; t = 5.18; p = 0.0002), graduate students (df = 5; t = 2.76; p = 0.0199), high school youth (df = 19; t = 9.51; p < 0.0001), and middle school students (df = 19; t = 4.28; p = 0.0002). In addition, the educators as well as the college students registered a significant increase in their teaching confidence (df = 18; t = 2.29; p = 0.0172) after the workshop. Since teachers’ pedagogical approach and adoption of curriculum is dependent on the above issues, results presented in this study are adoptable by other educators for designing biofuel trainings at various levels after making their situation specific modifications.

M y name is Jason de Koff, and I am an associate professor at Tennessee State University. I engage in teaching, research, and extension (i.e., a three-way split appointment). I earned my Ph.D. in agronomy from Purdue University in 2008. As ASA's 2015 Early Career Professional Award recipient, I have been asked to provide tips for success based on my experiences in academia. Below are reflections on my early career, which serve as my top points of advice for new faculty members.