Penn College students pass pesticide certification exams
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Fourteen Pennsylvania College of Technology students have passed various sections of the Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification exam, administered by the state Department of Agriculture at the college’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center (shown in this image). The students are in landscape/plant production and forest technology majors.
Fourteen Pennsylvania College of Technology students have passed various sections of the Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator Certification exam. The students are enrolled in Penn College’s landscape/plant production and forest technology majors.
“Students with this certification are what many employers are looking for,” said Carl J. Bower Jr., assistant professor of horticulture.
The exam was administered near the end of the Fall 2024 semester by the state Department of Agriculture in the Plant Insects and Diseases class taught by Bower at Penn College’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center.
The students took the Private Applicator Exam or the Core Exam (for commercial/public applicators). Two other components include the Ornamental and Shade Trees Category Exam and the Lawn and Turf Category Exam.
The students and the categories in which they earned certification are:
Private Applicator Exam: Jared E. Andrews, of Perkasie; Kaydence A. Himmelberger, of Pine Grove; Peyton E. James, of Orwigsburg; Luis E. Rodriguez, of Danville; Catherine Sherbin, of Malvern; and Rori K. Walker, of Richfield.
Core Exam: Gretchen A. Kellar, of Butler; Aidan H. Max, of Pipersville; Morgan R. Max, of Pipersville; Lila A. McKeon, of Montoursville; Luke C. Miller, of Wexford; Lucas E. Nagel, of Delta; Jake A. Seasock, of Lancaster; Steven K. Thompson Jr., of Garnet Valley; and Saudiah Wells, of Williamsport.
Ornamental and Shade Trees Category Exam: Diane Y. Saylor, of Pennsylvania Furnace, and Kellar, Aidan Max, Morgan Max, McKeon, Miller, Seasock and Thompson.
Lawn and Turf Category Exam: Zaia M. Huffman, of Canton, and Kellar, Aidan Max and McKeon.
Thirteen of the students are enrolled in landscape/plant production. Morgan Max is a forest technology major.
“Even if they don’t get into this field specifically, it still gives them the knowledge of another tool in their toolbox, and how to safely apply pesticides if they decide to go in that direction,” Bower added.
For more information on Penn College’s Associate of Applied Science degrees in landscape/plant production technology and forest technology, call the School of Engineering Technologies at 570-327-4520.
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222 for more information.