Dr. Chris Boomsma Named 2020 Horizon Award Recipient

Dr. Chris Boomsma has been named the 2020 Horizon Award recipient by the Dordt University Alumni Association. Boomsma serves as the Director of Education at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

Boomsma graduated in December 2003, with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and an emphasis in Plant Science. Following his graduation from Dordt, Boomsma took a research position at Argonne National Laboratory before beginning his Ph.D. in plant physiology and agronomy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Boomsma later went on to work for Dow AgroSciences and as a research director at Purdue, before transitioning to his current position at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.

“It has been a diverse, rewarding set of experiences that has allowed me to perform research in biotechnology and precision agriculture; lecture in Africa; educate farmers and in-field advisers across the United States and Canada; coordinate startup activities with scientists and venture capitalists; and explore and experience the ingenuity, complexity, and challenges of agriculture,” says Boomsma.

Boomsma understands how faith and agriculture can be intertwined and can see it in his daily work.

“Agriculture, in my opinion, is a field of work that can deeply challenge and grow a person's faith,” he says. “I routinely see that with farmers who operate their businesses among many unknowns, chief among them being the weather. Despite remarkable scientific advances, cutting-edge technologies, and government support, farming in North America remains a difficult, complex, and often underappreciated profession.”

He recognizes that Dordt not only helped him in developing academic skills and knowledge for graduate school and the workplace, but also improved his communication skills and pushed him toward philosophical and theological growth.

“Dordt prepared me to move forward with conviction, purpose, and faith, and that has had a profound impact on my life. Whatever contributions come from my work, I remember the motto of my alma mater—'soli deo gloria.’”

The Horizon Award recognizes young alumni who are emerging as leaders and innovators, working effectively and creatively toward Christ-centered renewal in every area of their lives and work. This award identifies alumni who are community-minded and entrepreneurial—those who are using their knowledge, gifts, and talents to participate in God’s redemptive work in the world.

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. For four years in a row, Dordt has been named number one in the nation for student engagement by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review. To learn more, visit dordt.edu.