Spring 2026 Graduate Research Celebration
Join us in-person or online on Friday April 24th for our Spring Graduate Research Celebration!
Memorial Union 13 ( Multipurpose Room ) and via Zoom
12:00PM - 5:00PM
Spring 2026 Graduate Research Celebration
Join us for our Botany and Plant Pathology Graduate Student Research Celebration event on April 24th, 2026 in a hybrid format. Graduate students will present their research in-person to both a live and online audience. Our moderator for the symposium will be Eliza Allen from the Mahaffee Lab.
Please register if you are planning to attend this event. All registrants will be entered into a raffle drawing for various prizes.
Spring Celebration Program
| Time | Presentations |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
12:00 PM |
Joey SpataforaOpening Remarks |
|
12:05 PM |
Eliza AllenIntroduction |
|
12:10 PM |
Emily Braithwaite (PhD)Ecology and Management of Plant-parasitic Nematodes in Turfgrass Systems Advisors: Dr. Hannah Rivedal and Dr. Alec Kowalewski |
| 12:35 PM |
Joseph DeShields (PhD)Cool-Climate Biocontrol of Grapevine Trunk Diseases Using Native Microorganisms Advisors: Dr. Achala KC |
|
1:00 PM |
Pear Intasin (PhD)Assessing the effects of rotation length and fumigant type on Fusarium community associated with potato dry rot Advisors: Dr. Ken Frost |
| 1:25 PM |
Break 1 |
| 1:40 PM |
Dylan Gregory (PhD)Investigating Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Defense against Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation Advisors: Dr. Jeff Anderson |
| 2:05 PM |
Boluwatife Giwa (PhD)Population structure of Botrytis cinerea on grapevine and other hosts in Pacific Northwest Advisors: Dr. Alexandra Weisberg and Dr. Walter Mahaffee |
| 2:30 PM |
Keen Maher (PhD)Composition & Dynamics of the Blueberry Fruit Microbiome Advisors: Dr. Posy Busby & Dr. Virginia Stockwell |
| 2:55 PM |
Birgitta Woods (MS)Disentangling host and environmental effects on foliar fungal communities in Pseudotsuga menziesii Advisors: Dr. Posy Busby |
| 3:20 PM |
Break 2 |
| 3:35 PM |
Josh Dyer (MS)Relationship Between Environmental Morphology & Metabolite Production Maitake (G. frondosa) & Phoenix Oyster (P. pulmonarius) Advisors: Dr. Barry Pryor |
| 4:00 PM |
Haley Sotelo (MS)Physiological Impacts of Drought and Disease on Populus trichocarpa Advisors: Dr. German Vargas-Gutierrez and Dr. Jared LeBoldus |
| 4:25 PM |
Araya Andersen (MS)What Constitutes a Novel Organ? A Case Study in Spirodela polyrhiza (Lemnoideae, Araceae) Advisors: Dr. Aaron Liston and Dr. Chelsea Specht (Cornell) |
| 4:50PM | Closing |
| 5:00 PM |
SocialGSA Awards More information will be added and provided as it becomes available. Please check back often until the final details have been confirmed. Speakers, titles, schedule timing, and other details are subject to change. Reach out to the BPP team for any questions. |