An Interview with Ward Upham, Extension Associate

Kansas State University

Reprinted with Permission

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askSam:  Ward, how would you describe your organization and your role within it

WARD UPHAM: I work in the Horticulture Division in Extension with Kansas State University.  Major responsibilities include State Coordinator for the Master Gardener Program and directing the Horticulture Response Center.  The Horticulture Response Center functions as a resource for K-State County Agents.  If an agent receives a home horticulture question from a client that he or she can't answer, they can call us for assistance.

askSam: What is your work environment like?  

WARD UPHAM:  Very busy during the growing season!  We will normally receive 15 to 20 calls per day.  Since most of the easier calls are answered by our extension agents, our calls tend to be more obscure and challenging.

askSam: Which of our product(s) do you use and what applications have you found for askSam?

WARD UPHAM: I use askSam Pro 3.0 to keep track of answers to our questions.  I used to do this using 5 x 8 cards but found it difficult to file the question.  Often it could be filed under at least two different key words.  Since askSam searches every word in every document, finding an answer to a question I have been asked in the past is much easier.

askSam: Why did you select askSam over other products?

WARD UPHAM:  I needed to have a free-form database that didn't require specific fields and also would search every word of every document.

askSam: How has askSam saved you time or money?

WARD UPHAM:  askSam has made "instant" information retrieval much more of a reality. Often, I can find an answer for a client while on the phone.  Agents love this quick response.  

askSam: In what ways has askSam helped you in your daily routine?

WARD UPHAM: It has saved me a great deal of time that would have been spent searching for information I knew I had but couldn't locate.

askSam: Can you describe the implementation of our education licensing program within your organization and was pricing a factor in deciding to use our products?

WARD UPHAM:   A number of our agents have purchased askSam and used my database as a foundation on which to build their own databases.  The lower cost was definitely a factor in allowing them to do this. We publish a weekly horticulture newsletter that contains information on current hot topics in horticulture.  We have placed all the articles from this newsletter in an askSam file and distributed it via askSam Electronic Publisher to a number of agents and Master Gardeners.

askSam: What applications do you plan for askSam in the future?

WARD UPHAM: I will continue to develop my horticulture database.

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Ward Upham

Kansas State University

Department of Horticulture

Forestry, and Recreation Resources

2021 Throckmorton Hall

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 66506

Email: wupham@oz.oznet.ksu.edu

URL: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_hfrr/extensn/horticul.htm