News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-5051 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE May 11, 2009

DALLAS NATIVE TRAVELS TO CHINA

TIFTON – Nate Carney, a turfgrass and golf course management major from Dallas, Ga., recently travelled to China with seven other students in the turfgrass and golf course management bachelor’s degree program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Dr. Eddie Seagle, professor of Agriculture and Environmental Horticulture, and the students visited various cities in China to teach classes for 32 Chinese golf course managers and 22 students interested in the turfgrass industry. The ABAC students also gained further information about their chosen field of study and toured golf courses. The group visited cities such as Hong Kong and Beijing as well as touring rural parts of the country.

Carney and his fellow students gave a presentation on exponential learning to golf club managers and Chinese students attending Sun Yat-sen’s School of Tourism program.

“We learned a lot from the people we got to meet,” Carney said. “They were fantastic and as friendly as could be.”

While there, Carney and the ABAC turf team had the opportunity to visit a variety of golf courses. His favorite was Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Golf Course in Lijiang of the Yunnan Providence.

“Jade Dragon Snow Mountain was right in the Himalayas,” Carney said. “No matter what hole you were at, the mountains were right there. It was a great experience, but all the courses were gorgeous.”

The 15-day trip wasn’t completely academic in nature. Carney was also able to take in the cultural experiences China had to offer including The Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square.

“There was a bargaining street in Beijing,” Carney said. “I walked around there at 11 p.m. at night. That was really interesting to see.”

One important aspect of China’s culture grabbed Carney’s attention.

“There were big differences between rural and urban China,” Carney said. “Some parts of the country were more westernized and some were totally different, but both were beautiful in their own way.”

While at ABAC, Carney served as the 2008 – 2009 President of the Student Government Association. He also played active roles in the Agricultural Engineering Technology Club, FFA, The ABAC Rowdies, Forestry and Wildlife Club, Turf Club, and participated in intramural sports.

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