Dr. Esther McGinnis Joins Plant Sciences Faculty
Esther McGinnis
Dr. Esther McGinnis has joined NDSU Plant Sciences as assistant professor and Extension horticulturist.
One might say her path to a horticulture career was a little circuitous. She received a B.A. from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, and a J.D. from the University of MN Law School, and then practiced law in St. Paul for nine years.
After realizing that horticulture was her passion, McGinnis enrolled in the Applied Plant Sciences program at the University of Minnesota, where she earned her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Her Ph.D. research focused on the environmental manipulation of flowering in the native sedge Carex pensylvanica.
In her role at NDSU, McGinnis advises county Extension agents and coordinates horticultural programs in the eastern half of North Dakota. She also oversees the North Dakota Master Gardener program. In addition, she hopes to continue her research studying the propagation and use of natives in the horticultural landscape.
