Established in 2020, by Mrs. Sandra Johnston and Dr. Richard Carringer, both alumni of the Plant and Soil Sciences Department, this award is meant to support one or more annual award(s) for graduate student(s) in the Department who demonstrate excellence in academics, as well as professional development in research, extension, or instruction, in Weed Science, Plant Biology, or other scientific areas in which Plant and Soil Sciences faculty are engaged.

“We were both fortunate to have benefited from research assistantships that allowed us to further our education in graduate school that might not have been possible otherwise. The education we received at UK in the classroom, laboratory, and in the field shaped our lives in so many ways, and in large part, has been instrumental in the successes we have achieved in owning and managing an Ag research business. The award fund we have established is simply a way for us to give back to UK to assist current and future graduate students in becoming successful. Hopefully it will provide additional opportunities for them that will further enhance the exceptional education they will receive at UK.”

-Sandra Johnston Carringer, Johnston-Carringer Award Founder