Late summer greetings to friends, alumni, and supporters of KSU Plant Pathology!
Hello everyone,
Labor Day has passed but the high temperatures early this week still feel like summer. So, happy late summer! Fall semester is underway. KSU is holding a primarily face-to-face semester back on campus but with some modifications still in place. Despite the ongoing pandemic challenges our department continues to have many things to celebrate! Thank you to everyone for your continued hard work and community spirit. Please enjoy our spring/summer 2021 news below! Fun early fall news from the past ~6-8 weeks and our new fall employees and students will be shared in our winter newsletter later this year!
Awards and Recognitions
Barbara Valent received the 2021 Iman Outstanding Faculty Award
Barbara Valent, a University Distinguished Professor and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, received the prestigious Iman Award in recognition of her outstanding research. This award is sponsored by the K-State Alumni Association and is made possible through the generosity of Ron and Rae Iman. Dr. Valent has studied the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae) for more than 40 years, and is currently focusing on a pathotype of this fungus that infects wheat. Congratulations, Dr. Valent!
Dr. Eduard Akhunov was promoted to University Distinguished Professor
The title of University Distinguished Professor is the highest honor the university bestows on its faculty members and recognizes their outstanding contributions to teaching, research and service to their professions and communities. Dr. Akhunov’s lab specializes in bread wheat genetics and developing new resources and tools for improving this vital crop. In his research, he uses next-generation sequencing technologies, bioinformatics, high-throughput phenotyping, molecular genetics and genome editing to develop germplasm with improved disease resistance, grain quality and yield potential.
Dr. Alina Akhunova receives the 2021 College of Agriculture Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award
Dr. Akhunova has made significant contributions to graduate training through her workshops and has helped students on their individual research projects as the Director of the K-State Integrated Genomics Facility. Congratulations on your excellent work with students, Dr. Akhunova! We appreciate your dedication to students and to all your clients at KSU and across the globe.
Plant Pathology Department announces undergraduate scholarship recipients for 2021-2022
Jaime Knight, Jered Norris, Sydney Stutz, and Daniel Tran were awarded the Tillman Family Memorial Agriculture Scholarship. This award is given to undergraduate students who show excellent academic record and engagement with plant pathology programs and/or formal undergraduate research in the department. Congratulations to these outstanding students. The Department thanks the donors and acknowledges the selection committee for their efforts in the review process.
Joel Steyer received Graduate Cancer Research Award
This award is given to outstanding graduate students working in a Johnson Cancer Research Center member lab. Joel Steyer is a Ph.D. candidate in the Genetics Program working in Dr. Richard Todd’s lab. Disruptions in cellular metabolism, cell growth, and proper transcription factor function contribute as underlying causes of many cancer diseases, so Joel’s project aims to characterize the roles and functions of transcription factors in the metabolism of the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine to better understand their function in cellular growth.
Congratulations Joel!
Elina Adhikari received 2021 Women in Triticum Award
Elina Adhikari, a former Ph.D. student in Dr. Akhunov’s lab was awarded one of the 2021 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum awards from the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative. This award recognizes talent and dedication from early career women scientists working in triticum and its relatives. Dr. Adhikari is currently working as a Research Associate at University of Wisconsin, Madison. Congratulations on your successes and good luck in the new position, Elina.
Upasana Dhakal won the 2021 K-State International Student Scholarship
Upasana Dhakal, PhD student in Chris Toomajian’s lab, received the competitive 2021 International Student Scholarship. This award is given to those who show exceptional academic abilities and involvement in campus activities. Congratulations, Upasana.
Upasana Dhakal and Nar Ranabhat were recognized for research presentations at K-State GRAD Forum
Upasana Dhakal won second place for her poster titled “Analysis of population structure of Fusarium graminearum isolates”. Nar Ranabhat (Dr. Jessica Rupp’s lab) won first place for his oral presentation titled “A method of accurate viral quantification and viability determination in mechanical inoculations of wheat streak mosaic virus” in the Agricultural Sciences section. The K-GRAD Forum provides graduate students from all disciplines an opportunity to present their research with the K-State community. Congratulations, Upasana and Nar!
Personnel Changes
Alexandra Dominguez joined the Akhunov lab as a Research Assistant. Originally from Sycamore, Illinois, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and her Master’s degree in Agronomy, both from Kansas State University. She was previously an undergrad student and grad student for the department of Agronomy and specialized in wheat breeding and Genetics. Before starting graduate school, she worked at an agricultural contract research company in Larned, KS for two years and managed GMO and efficacy trials. She’s currently working on projects for the NIFA-IWYP breeding hub, which involves trait transfer by marker assisted backcrossing with the goal to increase wheat yields while keeping disease resistance. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, road trips, cats, and anime. Her favorite summer treat is cookies and cream ice cream. She says “Oreos and ice cream together are the best of both worlds.” She and her husband enjoy road tripping to a National Park every summer and hiking, spending time together, and enjoying the sun.
Sathish Raj Rajendran is working under Dr. Dal-Hoe Koo as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He is from Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, India and received his PhD in Biotechnology from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. While completing his PhD, he worked on heat and drought stress in rice and won the best PhD Thesis Award in Rice Physiology in 2017. He was previously a Postdoc in Agronomy. In his current role, he is involved in the molecular characterization of extrachromosomal circular DNA in palmer amaranth using ChIP-seq. Outside of work, he enjoys playing chess and cooking.
Karina Stott is from Walton, Nebraska (Go Big Red!).She completed her BS in Agronomy and BS in Plant Protection Science from the University of Nebraska. After completing her undergraduate degrees, she worked for Monsanto for two years and then two years at New Lead Symbiotics, both in St. Louis Missouri. She then returned to school and completed her MS in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University. She most recently worked for Syngenta in Woodland, CA as an Assistant Plant Pathologist working on cucurbit pathology. In her current role as a Research Associate, she works under Kelsey Andersen Onofre and Erick DeWolf on Fusarium head blight and stripe rust integrated management and epidemiology projects in both the greenhouse and the field. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, baking, board games, and reading sci/fi fantasy books. Her favorite summer activity is kayaking.
Samantha Elledge joined the Akhunova lab as a Research Assistant. From Green, KS, she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas. When she’s not working in the Integrated Genomics Facility, she enjoys working with fiberarts, aquascaping, bothering her pets, and seeing how many houseplants she can kill off. Her favorite holiday is Independence Day, because, “there’s good food, good weather (usually), and the chance to dabble in pyrotechnics. What more could you want?”
Michelle Kejr is the new Website and Digital Communications Specialist for Throckmorton Hall. Originally from Brookville, KS, she graduated with a BS in family studies and human services from K-State and a Bachelor’s in Bible/Leadership from Manhattan Christian College. Her career in web design and social media started more as a side hustle, as she started helping friends, family, and others build and update websites. The rest is history, so they say. She currently updates and maintains the websites for Plant Pathology, Horticulture and Agronomy and manages the social media accounts for all three departments. She will create a structure for updates for both web and social media, develop long term campaigns and goals, and interpret the analytics from web traffic and social media. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, playing video/board games with friends, expanding and reading her library, and controlling the urge to turn her apartment into a greenhouse. Her favorite holiday is Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you). She also enjoys Christmas or Thanksgiving, when she gets to have siblings and family around.
Tej Man Tamang joined the Liu lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He’s from Ramechhap, Nepal. His name may sound familiar because he just finished his PhD in Horticulture and Natural Resources from Kansas State University. During his studies, he was a Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Sunghun Park, right here in Throckmorton. He is interested in understanding the underlying mechanism of corn tissue regeneration and will use tools in bioinformatics and gene editing to validate genes responsible for tissue regeneration. When he’s not at work, he enjoys hiking and watching sports. His favorite holiday is Christmas, because he enjoys looking at the lights.
Ural Yunusbaev joins us all the way from Ufa, Russia. His background is in plant ecology, grass/crop field experiments, genomics, and bioinformatics. He earned his PhD from Bashkir State University in Russia. He has previously worked as a researcher at the University of Tartu, Estonia and most recently was a Research Professor at Incheon National University in South Korea. He’s currently working as a Fellow Post Doc specializing in bioinformatics for the Akhunov lab with a focus on developing computational tools for long reads-based reference-free sequencing of the wheat genome and studying the association between genomic variants and pathogen resistance in wheat. His hobbies include biking, fishing, basketball and traveling. His favorite holiday is Christmas, because he likes Santa and his presents.
Graduate Research Assistants
Sophie Filbert joined the Trick Lab as a new Graduate Research Assistant (MS) in Plant Pathology in December. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and was previously a student worker in Dr. Trick’s lab. Through internships, she has quite a bit of previous experience in small plot field research, and she’s excited to learn more about what research in a lab is like. One of her favorite hobbies is working out; she loves kickboxing at 9Round. She also likes to spend time with friends, do DIY projects, and go kayaking. Her favorite summer treat is fresh sweet corn, and her favorite holiday is Christmas because she gets to spend time with her family, eat a lot of great food, and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Originally from McLoud Oklahoma, Jennifer Abshire is pursuing her PhD in Plant Pathology. As a new Graduate Research Assistant under Kelsey Andersen Onofre, her research interest is focused on Wheat Common bunt. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening and hiking. Her favorite summer treat is birthday cake ice cream. Yum!
Anusha Dahal is a new Graduate Research Assistant (MS) in Plant Pathology under Jessica Rupp. She comes from Ithahari, Nepal and is interested in Fusarium Head blight of Wheat and Kernza and development of disease resistant varieties. She is interested in fungal diseases and disease management through development of resistant cultivars. Her hobbies include learning new languages and cultures, traveling, interior design, hiking, and cooking. Outside of work, she enjoys camping and gardening. Her favorite holiday is Holi, the Festival of Colors (a playful festival where people throw colored powder among friends and families, eat delicious food, sing, dance, and have a lot of fun).
Pratima Subedi, from Parbat, Nepal, is a new Graduate Research Assistant (PhD) in Plant Pathology under David Cook. Her research interest is focused on understanding the interaction between microbes and plants, both their biological and molecular aspects. When she’s not doing research, she loves photography, exploring new places, watching sunrises and sunsets, reading poetry, and trying new cuisines, hiking, and biking. Her favorite holiday is Christmas because of the decorations, lights, presents, and the ambiance that comes along with it. She says it’s the perfect time to be with family and friends.
Graduations/Transitions
Farewell to Dr. Jesse Poland
Dr. Jesse Poland departed KSU in late summer to start a new faculty position at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Jesse has had an outstanding program at KSU, and the Department hopes there are many strong connections and collaborations in the future. Dr. Poland’s program at KSU focused on genomic selection, high throughput phenotyping, and wheat genetics, all with an ultimate goal of improved food security and farm profitability. He and his team published well over 100 papers including in high profile journals. Jesse and his team have given academic talks and practical trainings all over the world, with high impact to researchers and breeders in many countries. He was promoted to Professor in spring 2021. Congratulations to Dr. Poland on all his achievements – too many to list here! Best wishes to Jesse and his entire family as they take this next exciting professional and personal step to a new adventure.
Congratulations to our Spring 2021 grads!
Paula Silva
Degree: PhD, Genetics
Major Professor: Jesse Poland
Dissertation: Genetic and genomic tools for improving end-use quality in wheat
Emily Delorean
Degree: PhD, Genetics
Major Professor: Jesse Poland
Dissertation: Genetic and genomic tools for improving end-use quality in wheat
Two of our recent graduates have taken positions right here in Throckmorton.
Carla Redila
Degree: MS, Plant Pathology
Major Professor: Shahideh Nouri
Thesis: Evolutionary studies of wheat streak mosaic-associated viruses and characterization of the wheat virome
Carla is currently a USDA Biological Technician under John Fellers, so you’ll still see her around!
Guifang Lin
Degree: PhD, Genetics
Major Professor: Sanzhen Liu
Dissertation: Genetic dissection of maize regeneration and wheat disease resistance
New position:
Upon graduation, Guifang transitioned to a full-time post-doc with the Liu lab. In her new role, she will focus on the research and genetics and genomics of blast fungus and continue work on the genetics of maize regeneration and other traits. Outside of the office, she enjoys playing volleyball and badminton. Her favorite summer treat is ice cream and her favorite holiday is halloween because it’s fun to have the treats with the kids.
Other transitions
Veerendra Sharma transitioned roles. He was previously a postdoc with the Cook lab working on CRISPR-Cas13 technology to develop it as a platform of transcript silencing. He is now working in the Trick lab working with genome editing and tissue culture of wheat and soybean. Veer is originally from a small city called Jhansi in India & received his degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Outside of work, he enjoys listening to music, playing cricket, and fitness training. His favorite holiday is Christmas as he gets a chance to visit with old friends.
Trevor Rife transitioned roles and moved from a post doc to a Research Assistant Professor. Trevor is originally from Torrington, Wyoming. He started his K-State career in 2011 as a graduate student working on wheat genomics and mobile app development for plant breeding. These projects led to a post-doc position with a focus on expanding and developing those apps for a global audience. Now, as a research faculty member, he will continue to build on this solid foundation and work to modernize plant breeding programs around the world by optimizing data collection, management, and analysis. Outside of work, he enjoys video games, cooking, woodworking, and gardening. His favorite holiday is any three day weekend he gets to spend with his family at the cabin in the mountains or at a lake.
Jared Crain also transitioned roles from a postdoc to Research Assistant Professor. Jared is originally from Woodward, Oklahoma, and earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in plant and soil science from Oklahoma State University. In 2016, he completed his doctoral degree in genetics here at Kansas State University under Jesse Poland. Since then, Jared has collaborated with The Land Institute in Salina, KS to develop genomic prediction models and implement a yearly selection timeline, cutting the breeding cycle timeline in half for immediate wheatgrass. As Jared moves into a Research Assistant Professor role, he will continue genomic selection efforts in intermediate wheatgrass as well as leading research to implement new genomic and phenomic tools in perennial crop breeding. He will also continue work on perennial crops with collaborators at USDA in Utah, University of Minnesota, and University of Kansas. When he’s not working, he enjoys reading and walking. His favorite summer treat is ice cream and his favorite holiday is Christmas because of all the food and family gatherings.
Bliss Betzen started her USDA-APHIS-PPQ career in 2015 as a part-time Biological Science Technician in the PPDI lab during her undergraduate at Kansas State University. Since then she recently graduated with her M.S. in Genetics from Kansas State University in the Plant Pathology department. Bliss has continued her work in plant pathology working with Craig and has transitioned into her role as the new Plant Pathologist-Domestic Identifier. Working with Craig over the years, Bliss has received training, teaching opportunities, networking experience, and has helped to train other young scientists. She is excited to carry on these traditions and is looking forward to creating new partnerships and maintaining lasting relationships with the Plant Pathology community.
A final important transition to note: Craig Webb has served as the Plant Pathologist-Domestic Identifier (PPDI) for USDA-APHIS-PPQ since 2004. The position was the first of its kind in the U.S. and over the years, strong relationships have been forged with NPDN, Kansas State University, and state partners while planning for and managing plant pathogens of federal regulatory significance. The history of hiring and providing unique molecular diagnostic training to K-State undergrads who go on to work in relevant areas of science is one of the most satisfying parts of his career. Holding adjunct faculty status, Craig has guest lectured in a number of courses and workshops taught by Plant Pathology department. Earlier this year, after 25 years of residing in Manhattan, Craig and his wife Deb packed up and moved to a house on five acres in rural Douglas County, KS near Clinton Reservoir after he accepted the position as the USDA-APHIS-PPQ State Plant Health Director (SPHD) for Kansas and Nebraska. His office is now located in Topeka, KS. You will still be seeing Craig around occasionally during his visits to the laboratory and he is happy to assist with regulatory/permitting issues that may arise.
In memory
The department is saddened to report that Donald Lee Stuteville, professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University, died June 9, 2021, at age 90.
From 1959 to 1961, with the aid of a National Science Fellowship Award, Don earned a master’s degree in agriculture at Kansas State, with research involving alfalfa pathology. Following his thesis seminar, faculty member Dr. Leon Edmunds asked Don his plans and suggested that he attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison to obtain a Ph.D. degree.
In 1964, Don received his Ph.D. degree in plant pathology under the direction of Dr. Earle Hanson. His dissertation was titled “Virus Diseases of Red Clover.” That same year, he accepted an assistant professorship at Kansas State University. He was responsible for teaching and pathology research on turf, fruits, and vegetables. Later, Don was asked to join an alfalfa-improvement team composed of USDA Breeder Edgar Sorensen (Don’s advisor for his master’s research) and entomologists to develop pest- and disease-resistant cultivars and germplasms. Don worked at Kansas State for 39 years, retiring in 2003. During his career, Don authored and co-authored dozens of publications related to his area of specialization, alfalfa downy mildew. He co-authored and co-edited the first edition of the Compendium of Alfalfa Diseases published by APS PRESS. In 1991, he developed the Standard Tests to Characterize Alfalfa Cultivars for Downy Mildew Resistance. He frequently served as a reviewer for Phytopathology, Plant Disease, and Crop Science. In retirement, Don was frequently seen in the department hallways as he continued to screen alfalfa germplasm lines for downy mildew resistance.
Don was a member of The American Phytopathological Society and secretary of the Central Alfalfa Improvement Conference. Other professional memberships included Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Sigma Delta, Alpha Zeta, Sigma Xi, and the Crop Science Society of America.
Thank you to Michelle Kejr for technical assistance and to our website committee (Kelsey Andersen Onofre, Giovana Cruppe, Kelly Staab, Sanzhen Liu) for gathering information and photos.