A Mississippi State University doctoral student recently received the inaugural Future Leaders in Science Award.

Kyle Briscoe of Liberty, Mo., is one of 12 graduate students in the nation to receive the award from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America. He is studying agronomy at MSU.

Briscoe will travel to Washington, D.C., March 18 and 19 to participate in the 2013 Congressional Visits Day. Award recipients will meet with their states’ senators and representatives to discuss how agricultural policies are made and how those policies affect agriculture research in their states.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to meet with government officials to discuss agricultural policy and how important research is to the policy-making process,” Briscoe said. “I hope that we can impress on our lawmakers how important fundingis to agricultural research.”

Briscoe was chosen from a pool of approximately 100 applicants.

“Kyle possesses outstanding critical thinking and logic skills in the area of agronomic science, and this is an outstanding opportunity for him to further develop his leadership skills,” said Jac Varco, Briscoe’s dissertation director, professor in MSU’s Plant and Soil SciencesDepartment and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural, Forestry and Research Station. “It is an honor and privilege to work with excellent graduate students such as Kyle, who represent the future in higher education and professional organizations such as ASA-CSSA-SSSA.

Briscoe received his bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He received his master’s degree in crop science from North Carolina State University.