The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) have selected the 2018 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Future Leaders in Science Award. Mahtaab Bagherzadeh is one of 18 graduate students members who will receive the award in recognition of her interest and engagement in science advocacy. Award winners receive a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Congressional Visits Day on March 8, where they will meet with their members of Congress and advocate for food, agriculture and natural resources research.

Mahtaab Bagherzadeh is a second year M.S. candidate in the Integrated Plant and Soil Science Department at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on plant-microbe genetic diversity in grassland ecosystems under the direction of Dr. Rebecca McCulley. She received her B.S. in Biological Science (2015) from Virginia Tech.