November 20, 2024

NDSU potato breeder receives recognition at annual banquet

North Dakota State University potato breeder Assunta (Susie) Thompson received recognition for earning an endowed professorship.

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North Dakota State University potato breeder Assunta (Susie) Thompson received special recognition at the 50th Annual NDSU Harvest Bowl Banquet.

Thompson received a medallion commemorating her receipt of NDSU’s new Johansen-Thompson Endowed Professorship. The endowment was named for the past two long-time heads of the NDSU potato breeding program: Thompson and Bob Johansen.

Assunta (Susie) Thompson received a medallion commemorating her receipt of North Dakota State University’s new Johansen-Thompson Endowed Professorship. Photo courtesy of Northland Potato Growers Association.

Thompson holds a doctorate in plant, soil and entomological sciences from the University of Idaho and a master’s in horticulture and forestry from NDSU.

She has chaired the Potato Association of America’s site selection committee since 1986 and has been a member of the North Dakota Horticultural Society since 2004.

She received service awards from the National Potato Council and the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in 2012.