Plant Health 2021 Online Preview: A Conversation with Plenary Speaker Professor Liying Sun - American ...
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July 2021 Volume 55 • Number 7
Plant Health 2021 Online Preview: A Conversation with
Plenary Speaker Professor Liying Sun
Jim Bradeen, APS Internal Communications Officer
“In research, these discoveries may prompt us to recon- to pursue graduate research at China Agri-
keep an open sider the traditional host-based concept of cultural University and Okayama Univer-
mind and never plant and fungal viruses.” sity (Japan), focusing on plant and fungal
limit your imagi- Liying will discuss her exciting research virology. She stresses the importance of
nation.” Prof. during a plenary lecture at Plant Health good mentorship and credits her graduate
Liying Sun offers 2021 Online on Tuesday, August 3. Her mentors, Prof. Han Chenggui and Prof.
this advice for talk is titled “Cross-Kingdom Virus Infec- Nobuhiro Suzuki (Okayama University),
students and other tion: Mycoviruses Pave the Way for Spread whose “guidance, great support, and kind
early-career plant into Multiple Fungal Hosts,” and it prom- advice further grew my interest and passion
pathologists. And, ises to change the way we think about for plant pathology.” Today, Liying is herself
when it comes to viruses and virus transmission. (After the a professor of virology at the Northwest
her own research, past 16 months or so, that is saying some- A&F University, China.
she practices what she preaches! Liying is thing!) In an email exchange, I recently asked
an expert on fungal viruses and is driven to Liying grew up in a small village in the Liying her perspective on the Seismic
understand the origin of fungal viruses. Her grasslands area of the Inner Mongolia Au- Shifts in Disease Risks (the theme of Plant
curiosity and creativity have led to some tonomous Region of China. From an early Health 2021 Online) and what pressing
exciting observations. “The origin of fungal age she was fascinated by plants and vowed research needs to be done. She discussed
viruses is still unknown. Indeed, it is one of to one day be a plant doctor. It was as a stu- the important impacts of climate change,
the mysteries of life—Where do the viruses dent at the Agricultural University of Inner pathogen vectors, and disease distribution.
come from? Our studies present novel find- Mongolia that she first became enamored She also spoke of the role of human activity
ings of two-way virus transmissions between with what she calls the “mystery of the virus
plants and fungi. As these cross-kingdom world”—that early fascination would shape
infections may occur frequently in nature, the trajectory of her career. Liying went on Plant Health 2021, continued on page 8
New APS Council Members Elected In This Issue
been elected as incoming vice president and Councilors’ Challenge ������������������������������3
will serve as president for the 2023–2024 APS Message ��������������������������������������������3
term, and Sydney Everhart, University of OPRO ������������������������������������������������������4
Nebraska-Lincoln, who has been elected Donors of Distinction ������������������������������7
and will serve as councilor-at-large for the People ������������������������������������������������������8
2021–2024 term. Both will begin their Classifieds������������������������������������������������10
terms following Plant Health 2021. Thank Graduate Student Spotlight ��������������������11
you to everyone who voted! Research Notebook ��������������������������������16
Complete biographic sketches, as well as
personal statements of leadership, appeared
Niklaus Grünwald Sydney Everhart in the May 2021 issue of Phytopathology
News. Please join us in welcoming these
APS welcomes our newest council mem- new officers to APS Council during Plant
bers: Niklaus J. Grünwald, USDA-ARS- Health 2021 Online. ■
Horticultural Crops Research Unit, who has
Phytopathology News July 2021 1
PLANT PATHOLOGY’S PERPLEXING PAST: THE REST
Editor-in-Chief: Kenny Seebold
OF THE STORY
Editor: Jordana Anker
Design: Jordana Anker
Advertising Sales: Brianna Plank Julius Kühn—Father of Modern
Plant Pathology?
Phytopathology News (ISSN 0278-0267) is published monthly, with the
August/September issue combined, by The American Phytopatholog-
ical Society (APS) at 3352 Sherman Ct, Ste 202, St. Paul, MN 55121,
U.S.A. Phone: +1.651.454.7250, Fax: +1.651.454.0766, E-mail: aps@
scisoc.org, Web: www.apsnet.org. Phytopathology News is distributed to
all APS members. Subscription price to nonmembers is $116.
Robert M. Harveson, University of Nebraska, Panhandle REC, Scottsbluff
Submission Guidelines: Address all editorial correspondence to: Kenny
Seebold, Valent USA, 608 Havana Court, Lexington, KY 40511 U.S.A.
Phone: +1.859.940.5184; E-mail: PhytoNewsEditor@scisoc.org. In or-
Biographical Background
der to ensure timely publication of your news items and announcements,
please send in material six weeks prior to the date of publication. Material
Julius Gotthelf Kühn was born in Pulsnitz, Germany, in 1825.
should be no more than six months old when submitted. Submission of During his life, he had two distinct careers—farm estate manager
materials as electronic files, via e-mail, will speed processing. For informa-
tion on submitting electronic images contact Jordana Anker. Deadline for
and university professor. Between 1848 and 1855, he worked as
submitting items for the October 2021 issue is August 20, 2021. a farm manager for an estate near Bunzlau in Silesia (present day
APS Leadership Poland).
Council Due to a desire to teach agriculture, he attended the Agricul-
President: Mark Gleason
President Elect: Amy Charkowski ture Academy at Bonn-Poppelsdorf from 1855 to 1856, obtained
Vice President: Ron Walcott a degree, and taught for one year. In 1857, he obtained his Ph.D.
Immediate Past President: Lindsey du Toit
Internal Communications Officer: James Bradeen degree, in absentia, based on a dissertation focusing on smuts of
Treasurer: Lawrence Datnoff
Senior Councilor-at-Large: Katherine L. Stevenson
cereals and corn, before returning to farming on an estate near
Councilor-at-Large: David Gent Glogau, Silesia.
Councilor-at-Large: Courtney Gallup
Divisional Councilor: Ashok Chanda As a result of these management positions, he began investiga-
Publications Councilor: Krishna Subbarao tions into various agricultural problems, including plant diseases. Julius Kühn
Executive Vice President: Amy Hope
Editors-in-Chief
In 1858, he published the first plant pathology textbook, Die
APS PRESS: Darin Eastburn Karnkheiten der Kulturgewachse, Ihre Ursachen und Ihre Verhutung (The Diseases of Culti-
MPMI: Jeanne M. Harris
Phytobiomes: Johan Leveau
vated Plants, Their Cause and Their Prevention).
PhytoFrontiers: Niklaus Grünwald In 1862, he was appointed as the chair of agriculture at the University of Halle, where
Phytopathology: Nian Wang
Phytopathology News: Kenny Seebold he stayed until his death in 1910. As a result of his experiences as both a farmer and aca-
Plant Disease: Alexander V. Karasev
Plant Disease Management Reports: Kerik Cox
demic scientist, he was uniquely qualified to explain the causes of disease and understand
The Plant Health Instructor: Brantlee Spakes Richter practical disease management strategies, as well as the science behind the life cycle and
Plant Health Progress: Pamela Roberts
control measures for pathogens.
Board and Office Chairs and Directors
2026 Professional Development Forum: Renée Rioux
Academic Unit Leader Forum Chair: Steve Jeffers Accomplishments
APS Foundation Board Chair: David M. Gadoury
Divisional Forum Chair: Walt Mahaffee His accomplishments are legion but often overlooked. Kühn was the first plant pathol-
PPB Chair: Rick Bennett
Publications Board Chair: Krishna V. Subbarao
ogist to employ the concept of Koch’s postulates and provide control recommendations
OE Director: Monica M. Lewandowski for plant diseases based on experimental knowledge of disease etiology and characteristics.
OIP Director: Susan D. Cohen
OPSR Director: Jeffrey Stein It is remarkable that he employed these factors with the stem and bulb nematode in 1857,
OPRO Director: Nicole M. Donofrio demonstrating it to be the cause of disease almost 20 years before the German physician
AMB Director: Paul Esker
Division Officers
Robert Koch published his work on anthrax in cattle. Kühn identified a nematode infect-
Caribbean ing the heads of Fuller’s teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) and further noted a similar nematode
Divisional Forum Rep: Gilberto Olaya
President: Alberto M. Gochez
causing damage in rye. He then reproduced the disease in rye by placing nematode-infest-
Past President: Carolina Cedano-Saavedra ed teasel heads within the rows of the grain, thereby providing proof of pathogenicity in
Vice President: Judith K. Brown
Secretary-Treasurer: Jose Carlos Verle Rodrigues both crops by the same pathogen.
North Central Division Relying on his personal observations and experimentation, as well as knowledge from
Divisional Forum Rep: Loren J. Giesler
President: Loren J. Giesler the literature, he discerned the host–parasite relationships of many other diseases, includ-
Immediate Past President: Daren S. Mueller
Vice President: TBA
ing ergot, smuts, rusts, powdery mildews, leaf spots, tuber and root rots, nematode dis-
Secretary-Treasurer: Febina M. Mathew eases, and plant parasites (broomrape and mistletoe). This work not only foreshadowed
Northeastern Division
Divisional Forum Rep: Beth K. Gugino
Koch’s contributions, it also helped dispute the erroneous concept of spontaneous genera-
President: Ann L. Hazelrigg tion (theory that life begins from nonliving matter), which was widely believed at the time.
Immediate Past President: Kari A. Peter
Vice President: Rosa E. Raudales
Secretary-Treasurer: Nicholas Brazee New Control Methods
Pacific Division
Divisional Forum Rep: Walter F. Mahaffee Kühn’s textbook was the first to focus on plant pathology, and it created guidelines for
President: Jeremiah Dung
Past President: Akif Eskalen
achieving experimental proof of pathogen infections, particularly with cereal seed treat-
President-Elect: Christina Hagerty ments. He determined that the dry powdery dark dust seen on seeds was actually spores of
Secretary-Treasurer: TBA
Potomac Division the smut pathogen and demonstrated the efficacy of seed treatments with copper sulfate
Divisional Forum Rep: Matthew T. Kasson prior to planting.
President: Alyssa Koehler
Immediate Past President: Christopher Clarke He was also one of the first to recognize soilborne root-infecting pathogens, particular-
Vice President: Sudeep A. Mathew
Secretary-Treasurer: Rachel Melnick-Lippart
ly species of Rhizoctonia. He reported the black scurf disease of potatoes and became its
Southern Division authority (R. solani Kühn) and identified violet root rot (caused by R. crocorum (Pers.:Fr.)
Divisional Forum Rep: Nicole A. Gauthier
President: Fulya Baysal-Gurel
DC) in alfalfa, sugar beets, carrots, and other crops.
President-Elect: Lindsey Thiessen
Vice President: Daniel Anco
Past President: Paul Price
Secretary-Treasurer: Rebecca A. Melanson
Perplexing Past, continued on page 4
Phytopathology News July 2021 2
An Apology to Our Members, Authors, and Editors
APS journals are impor- We have been work-
tant to our authors, our ing with our vendor daily
readers, and our mem- to help train composition
bers. The strength of our staff on our journals and
journals program enables help them improve qual-
us to provide many of our ity. We are looking at all
society’s member benefits, options, which includes
such as the APS Education Center, outreach scholarly publishing typesetting occurs. In interviewing other production vendors. We
activities, committee support, student de- addition to the COVID-19–related chal- are hoping our long-time production vendor
velopment initiatives, and new program lenges there, this newly acquired company will be able to make measurable improve-
development. has struggled to deliver to APS standards. ments soon, as onboarding a new produc-
We are aware that publication speed is Figure quality, XML formatting, and work- tion vendor would not be a quick solution.
important to authors and readers. Dur- flow have been severely compromised, slow- In the meantime, we are asking the APS
ing the past six months, our accepted ing the release of the excellent research our research community to continue to publish
manuscript turnaround time after peer authors are publishing. in our journals, as the health of our society
review has slowed. As a result, our “Just depends on our authors.
Published” papers and current issues are What are we doing about it? APS thanks the hundreds of authors im-
significantly behind schedule. We have Our publishing teams at APS and at the pacted by this slowdown for their patience
been alerting corresponding authors over Vermont headquarters of our production and continued support. Be assured that our
the past few months about these publication vendor have been working to address these editorial boards continue to operate with
delays. issues since they were discovered in March. their high-quality peer review to APS stan-
This has slowed the progress of publishing dards. The APS publications team remains
How did we get to this point? individual articles and issues, as APS staff is committed to providing the best publishing
Our journal production vendor of more now doing more rounds of quality control- experience possible as we work on improv-
than 25 years made a significant change sometimes up to four additional verification ing turnaround times. ■
at the end of 2020 by purchasing its own rounds after our authors have approved their
composition company in India, where most proofs.
Councilors’ Challenge: Developing a Mentoring Toolkit
for Professionals in Phytopathology
Courtney Gallup, David H. Gent, and Katherine Stevenson, APS Councilors-at-Large
Background and Goal common career challenges within the discipline. We encourage
Mentoring is critical to the professional and participation by and for individuals at all career stages. Submissions
personal success of individuals in the public will include the topic and brief description of the proposed content.
and private sectors. Mentoring can have a Be sure to first review content that is already available through the
positive impact on mentees, mentors, and our Professional Development Center.
entire society. Mentees experience opportuni- APS members have expressed a desire for mentorship programs
ties for growth and learning, improved access for all career stages across academia, government, and industry. To
to resources, and increased confidence in their enable successful mentoring activities, the 2022 Councilors’ Chal-
work. Mentors experience personal satisfaction lenge is centered on enhancing available content specific to our
in knowing that they have given back to our discipline. APS committees will compete in developing ideas for
organization in a way that adds value to the scientist and society. mentorship resources for APS members. All committees are encour-
Mentoring also improves productivity, socialization, and member aged to submit one or more toolkit assets. Entries will be evaluated
retention. and ranked by 1) number and quality of submissions; 2) appropri-
The goal of the Councilors’ Challenge is to promote awareness ateness to meet the articulated mentoring need(s); and 3) potential
of the importance of intentional mentoring, to develop resources for broad impact. Submissions will be reviewed by a taskforce led by
for structured mentoring, and to increase the mentoring activities the councilors-at-large, and the winning committees will produce
of plant pathology professionals and students across the society. To the resources. After peer review, the winning resources will be
meet these goals, a mentorship toolkit will be built that will enable a promoted through APS and made available to the APS Leadership
robust mentorship program across APS. Institute and APS members.
Learn more and submit your idea by October 13, 2021.
Challenge Do you have other ideas and needs for mentorship resources? We
Winning committees will develop content for a mentorship tool- want to hear from you and partner with you to provide APS mem-
kit that will facilitate successful mentor–mentee relationships within bers the resources and support they need. Please contact any of the
plant pathology or provide subject-specific content for addressing APS councilors-at-large with questions. We are here to serve you. ■
Phytopathology News July 2021 3
Perplexing Past, continued from page 2 and practical method for controlling the cyst nematode in locations
where years of continuous sugar beet production had introduced the
Perhaps Kühn’s most important contribution was his work with disease. Many nematodes (such as the cyst nematode) have limited
the sugar beet cyst nematode. It was ravaging crops throughout the crop host ranges, and thus, when deprived of hosts for 3–4 years,
beet-growing areas of Europe. Continuous cropping of beets was their populations tend to decrease to a point where crop productiv-
the norm, and by the mid-1870s, this disease had almost exclusively ity can be maintained.
collapsed the entire agricultural economy of Germany. Its presence
was a dire threat and served as a catalyst for the development of new
Kühn’s Plant Pathology Legacy
disease control techniques, including fumigation, utilization of trap Kühn’s practical background in agriculture, as both a farmer and
crops, and crop rotation, with Kühn leading the way. university professor, enabled him to understand the economic need
Due to the previous success of fumigation for controlling phyl- to control plant diseases. At the same time, his scientific expertise
loxera in French vineyards, Kühn conducted the first fumigation enabled him to design and test strategies for managing numerous
experiments, employing carbon disulfide for cyst nematode control diseases, additionally establishing him as the first proponent and
in 1871, but it proved to be costly and too difficult to handle. practitioner of disease management. His legacy and genius as an
Kühn also developed and tested the use of trap crops specifically applied plant pathologist are still on display in the disease manage-
for managing the cyst nematode. The theory behind this method ment techniques of fumigation and crop rotation he developed that
assumes that after infecting these crops, the young nematodes are are still in use today, more than 150 years later. Now you know the
killed when the infected “trap” crop is destroyed, thus helping to rest of the story.
reduce overall numbers of eggs prior to planting with sugar beets.
In addition to the Chenopods, Kühn discovered that mustard family REFERENCES
members were capable of stimulating egg hatch, with subsequent Christie, J. R. 1959. Plant Nematodes: Their Bionomics and Con-
infection by juvenile nematodes. Therefore, canola, radishes, mus- trol. H. & W. B. Drew Company, Jacksonville, FL.
tards, or other rapidly growing cruciferous crops could also be em- Harveson, R. M. 2015. The Bacterium of Many Colors. American
ployed. Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN.
Rotation of different crops was introduced to improve agronomic Wilhelm, S., and Tietz, H. 1978. Julius Kuehn—His concept of
conditions for growing sugar beets. Ultimately, the practice of rota- plant pathology. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 16:343-358. ■
tion for disease management was shown to be the most effective
Office of Public Relations and Outreach
OPRO Meets Becky Sideman
Becky Sideman is an extension professor Type of event and intended audience: 8 min) video describing the research with
and specialist in sustainable horticulture in Short extension articles with corresponding visuals and words. My goals were to 1) com-
the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition video/audio versions. municate cool and relevant research results
& Food Systems at the University of New from outside the region; 2) increase the
Description of the activity: To increase
Hampshire and researcher with the NH audience’s exposure to the research process;
the accessibility of some cool research done
Agricultural Experiment Station. 3) give myself an excuse to make time to go
by others, in each episode I selected a recent
Science outreach activity: Spotlight on through the literature carefully with an eye
study that I found interesting and potential-
Research profiles. toward finding applicable results and inter-
ly relevant to horticultural crop production
esting research questions. Lastly, I wanted
in our region. I summarized the research in
to experiment with creating simple recorded
a very short article
video/audio presentations to increase acces-
(700–1,100 words)
that was coupled
with a short (roughly OPRO Meets, continued on page 5
Each Spotlight on Research summary video is posted on our Extension Veg-
etable & Fruit Videos page, with special attention paid to make sure closed Kaltura Capture is used to make a short and simple voiced over PowerPoint
captioning is accurate. video—it’s easy to add webcam video or not.
Phytopathology News July 2021 4
OPRO Meets, continued from page 4 In addition to posting
online, a list of the latest
sibility for those who do not learn best by blog posts is emailed
reading written articles. monthly to around 2,200
active subscribers.
Materials needed for this activity:
Pretty much all that is needed is the time How many times has
to comb through relevant literature and this activity been host-
library access to a range of applied research ed? We produced three
journals. For the video version of each Spot-lights on Research
summary, I used PowerPoint and Kaltura in 2020.
Capture to record each version, and we In total, how many
hosted the videos in our university’s media participants have been
space. in attendance? One of
Information regarding this event: The the spotlights has had
three Spotlight on Research articles pub- 590 unique page views
lished in 2020 were each published as part in the year since it was
of my grower newsletter, the NH Vegetable published; the other two Each Spotlight on Research is published as a short article on our extension
have had 254 unique blog for vegetable and fruit growers, NH Vegetable & Fruit News.
& Fruit News blog:
page views combined. In
• Spotlight on Research: Wollastonite, addition to those who watched the videos, measured the number of people who have
Silicon, Pumpkins, & Powdery Mildew read each blog post or viewed each video.
collectively the three spotlights have had a
• Spotlight on Research: The Root Mi- total of 940 views or reads.
crobiome and the “Soil-borne Legacy” To have your science outreach activity
• Spotlight on Research: Can Hand- How was the impact of this outreach or event featured in the “OPRO meets…”
Picking Japanese Beetle Really Help? activity evaluated? Using web analytics, we article series, please complete this survey. ■
Meeting
Annual Meeting of the Georgia Association of Plant
Pathologists and the 2021 E. S. Luttrell Lecture
The 71st Annual Meeting of the Georgia Eleven graduate students from the Department of Plant Pathol-
Association of Plant Pathologists (GAPP) ogy at the University of Georgia participated in a student paper
was held jointly with the 2021 E. S. Luttrell competition. First, second, and third place winners were, respec-
Lecture on May 12 and 13, both in a virtual tively, Alan Peper, Kendall Johnson, and Caroline Burks. Usha
format. More than 90 attendees participated Bhatta received an honorable mention for her presentation.
in the meetings, including faculty, students, Two students were recognized for excellence in graduate studies
staff, extension agents, industry representa- with awards established in honor of distinguished professors from
tives, and other plant pathology research- the University of Georgia. The 2021 Kenneth E. Papa Outstand-
ers from across the Southeast. Following ing Graduate Student Award (Ph.D.) was presented to Shaun Stice
welcoming remarks by President C. Mike (advisors Brian Kvitko and Bhabesh Dutta), and the 2021 Cedric
Deom (University of Georgia), the GAPP Kuhn Outstanding Graduate Student Award (M.S.) was presented
Caroline Burks
program commenced with an invited pre- to Caroline Burks (advisor Marin Brewer).
sentation by Jinlong Han, a Ph.D. candi- The 2021 GAPP meeting concluded with incoming GAPP Presi-
date from the Department of Entomology dent Brian Kvitko presenting C. Mike Deom with a plaque recog-
and Plant Pathology at North Carolina nizing his excellent service as GAPP president during the previous
State University. Mr. Han’s presentation year.
was titled “Identification and Functional Named in honor of E. S. Luttrell, world-renowned mycologist,
Analysis of Frankliniella occidentalis Genes plant pathologist, and administrator at the University of Georgia for
Associated with Larval Gut Response to more than 40 years, the Luttrell Lecture is the Department of Plant
Infection by Tomato spotted wilt virus.” The Pathology’s signature event each year. The 2021 lecture was present-
second day began with an introduction by ed by Rodrigo Almeida, professor of emerging infectious disease
GAPP Vice President Brian Kvitko (Uni- ecology and Hildebrand-Laumeister Chair in Plant Pathology at the
versity of Georgia) of our keynote speaker, University of California-Berkeley. His presentation was titled “Plant
Shaun Stice Neena Mitter, director of the Centre for Disease Epidemics as Opportunities to Reevaluate What You Know,
Horticultural Science, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and What You Should Know, and What May Matter.” The lecture was
Food Innovation, the University of Queensland. Dr. Mitter gave a followed by virtual meetings of Department of Plant Pathology
presentation titled “RNAi-Based Biopesticides for Sustainable Crop students and faculty with Dr. Almeida. ■
Protection.”
Phytopathology News July 2021 5
August 2–6, 2021
Seismic Shifts in Disease Risk
Live and On Demand
Registration Now Open!
Join plant pathologists from around the world to explore major changes
in bacterial, viral, nematode, and fungal pathosystems
that help us anticipate and deflect future shifts in disease risk.
Register today at planthealth2021.org/attend
APS Members receive a discount on registration! | planthealth2021.org
APS Foundation
Donors of Distinction
Meet some of the amazing people who support APS Foundation.
Learn more about who they are and why they give their time and
resources to support others.
Clarissa Balbalian Serge Savary
My graduate advisor emphasized the Attending your very first formal con-
importance of being involved in our ference is both a daunting and an exciting
professional society, and the concept of experience. One expects so much. One
paying forward the benefits that I receive also fears so much—of being out-of-
from APS. He covered the costs of APS place, of not speaking properly, of one’s
membership, journals, meeting registra- science results being below standards.
tion, and travel for his graduate students. For an international and new partici-
We were expected to attend and present pant, English is an additional, massive,
at our APS division meeting and the APS challenge to face. And so, a little money
Annual Meeting (terrifying professional for the organizing institution helps. Of
development!) and to take advantage of everything the annual meet- course it helps financially, but it also helps on a totally different
ing had to offer: from field trips to sessions and networking oppor- level: it helps psychologically. It means “you’re welcome” and “we
tunities (fun professional development!). What a gift! APS provides don’t know you yet, but want to.” For us, with a job, a position,
essential opportunities for members to grow, learn, and lead, and etc., it’s a little money. For the recipient, it is much, much more. It’s
APS thrives on our participation. I give to APS because I benefitted worth doing. We need young people urgently.
from student travel awards. I want to perpetuate the society, and I
want to help ensure others have the opportunity to benefit from all Serge Savary is a plant pathologist and epidemiologist with Institut
APS has to offer. One travel award that I support is named for my National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) at Toulouse, France. ■
academic grandfather. When I donate to that, I feel like I am honor-
ing my academic family (past, present, and future) for all we do and
have done to support one another, as well as supporting my bigger
APS family.
Clarissa Balbalian is a plant pathologist and diagnostic lab man-
ager at Mississippi State University.
U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative Request for
Pre-Proposals Now Open for FY22 Funding Cycle
The U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative (USWBSI) is pleased Electronic Pre-Proposal Submission (EPS) System opens on August 3
to announce the opening of its Request for Pre-Proposal (RFP) for all LOI accepted projects and for pre-proposals in Category 3.
process for the FY22 Funding Cycle. Submissions of all pre-proposals are due by September 21, 2021,
The USWBSI FY22 RFP offers funding opportunities in the via the USWBSI EPS System.
following categories: Several new elements have been incorporated into the USWBSI
RFP this year:
• Category 1 – Commodity-Based and VDHR-Uniform Nurs-
ery Coordinated Projects • Extended project term
• Category 2 – FHB Integrated Management Coordinated • Added transformational science category
Project • Changed tracking of estimated numbers of deoxynivalenol
• Category 3 – Research Area Individual Project Pre-Proposals samples
• Category 4 – Transformational Science Project Pre-Proposals • Budget justification worksheet and budget summary template
(New to this RFP!) • Online submission of LOIs and pre-proposals
A letter of intent (LOI) process is required for submissions in
Categories 1, 2, and 4. Access to the LOI submission forms is now
open; submissions will be accepted until July 1, 2021. The USWBSI USWBSI, continued on page 8
Phytopathology News July 2021 7
USWBSI, continued from page 7 Plant Health 2021, continued from page 1
If you are interested in submitting an LOI and/or RFP, please in influencing the emergence or reemergence of infectious diseases.
follow the step-by-step instructions provided for each category on In addition, she advocated for a proactive approach to identifying
the USWBSI FY22 RFP website. The proposed research should be important pathogens before serious disease outbreaks occur. “We
based on the FY22 program descriptions and research priorities need to hunt more infectious pathogens in nature and understand
derived from the goals of the USWBSI’s action plan, which is fo- their spread, as well as their complex relationships with their hosts.
cused on greater collaboration and communication and more rapid This information will provide a solid scientific basis for risk predic-
attainment of the USWBSI’s mission “To enhance food safety and tion and control strategies of agricultural diseases.” Liying ended our
supply by reducing the impact of Fusarium head blight (scab) on exchange on a decidedly optimistic note: while recognizing that
wheat and barley.” viruses can be a major threat to both public health and agriculture,
If you have any questions regarding the application materials or but she also emphasized that viruses also have numerous benefits
the pre-proposal process, please contact the USWBSI NFO by phone and potential in the area of biological control of diseases and as
at +1.517.290.5023 or send an email to nfo@scabusa.org. Note: We biotechnological tools, concluding “indeed, virology has greatly con-
have added responses to a number of Frequently Asked Questions tributed to deciphering the fundamental processes of biology.”
(FAQ) on the website. ■ Don’t miss Prof. Liying Sun’s plenary talk “Cross-Kingdom
Virus Infection: Mycoviruses Pave the Way for Spread into Multiple
Fungal Hosts” on Tuesday, August 3, as part of Plant Health 2021
Online.
Learn more about Prof. Liying Sun and other Keynote and Ple-
nary presenters. ■
People
Awards Karen Lewis (regional extension specialist, Grant County), Gwen
Katrin Ayer was selected as the Hoheisel (regional extension specialist, South Central), and Jenny
2021 recipient of the Robert Gilmer Bolivar (extension information technology transfer) of WSU and
Graduate Student Award. The award Ashley Thompson (fruit tree extension, Wasco and Hood River
is named in honor of Dr. Robert M. Counties) of OSU. the awards presentation was held online on
Gilmer, a member of Cornell Univer- June 28; each awardee gave a 3–5 min overview of their project.
sity’s Department of Plant Pathology
at the Geneva Experiment Station Degrees
from 1950 to 1975. Dr. Gilmer is Lauren Elizabeth Braley recently completed all requirements
remembered as an outstanding plant for her M.S. degree in plant pathology at Washington State Uni-
pathologist, colleague, and mentor versity (WSU). Her thesis was titled “Development of Compre-
who is internationally respected for hensive Molecular Detection of Potato Pathogens.” Her committee
Katrin Ayer and Kerik Cox his contributions to our knowledge was chaired by Kiwamu Tanaka and included Maren Friesen and
of virus diseases of fruit crops. His David Wheeler. Braley received her B.S. degree in ecology and evo-
generous gift created the endowment that bears his name. The award lutionary biology from WSU in May 2019 and started her M.S.
includes a grant to further the recipient’s research and professional program in August 2019. Braley started her professional career in
development. The 2021 award was presented during a virtual cer-
emony featuring a seminar by former Cornell AgriTech student
Dr. Matthew Tancos, USDA-ARS. Ayer received the award in rec-
ognition of excellence in academics, research, teaching, and service
to the Section of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology, to
Cornell AgriTech, and to her profession. She conducted her Ph.D.
research on genetics and management of fungicide resistance in the
apple scab pathogen (Venturia inaequalis) at Cornell AgriTech with
Dr. Kerik Cox.
The Little Cherry Disease Extension Team of Washington State
University (WSU) and Oregon State University (OSU) recently re-
ceived the Western Extension Directors Association Award of Excel-
lence 2021. The awardees of the WSU-OSU Little Cherry Disease
Extension Team include Tianna DuPont (regional extension spe-
cialist), Tobin Northfield (assistant professor of entomology), Scott
Clockwise from top left: Kiwamu Tanaka, David Wheeler, Lauren Braley, and
Harper (assistant professor of plant pathology), Louis Nottingham Maren Friesen during Braley’s defense.
(research assistant professor of entomology), Cody Molnar (infor-
mation technology transfer), Ricardo Naranjo (extension assistant),
Bernardita Sallato (regional extension specialist, south central), People, continued on page 9
Phytopathology News July 2021 8People, continued from page 8 Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute at Horticulture Research
Center, Gazipur, Bangladesh, as a scientific officer in December
plant pathology in 2016, when she worked as a field inspection crew 2009. He was awarded a Borlaug Higher Education for Agricultural
lead for the seed certification program at the Idaho State Department Research and Development (BHEARD) fellowship by the USDA
of Agriculture. In spring 2017, she joined Tanaka’s lab as an under- National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Agency for
graduate lab technician and research assistant, working on diagnos- International Development (USAID) as part of the Feed the Future
tic projects involving loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) Initiative for pursuing his Ph.D. degree in plant pathology at WSU,
and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA). She worked with where he started in January 2016. After completing his Ph.D. degree,
Tobin Peever in developing a qPCR assay for improved identifica- he went back to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute. Cur-
tion and detection of Botrytis cinerea in raspberry fruit during her rently, Rahman is working as a plant pathologist in the institute, con-
undergraduate study. After her B.S. degree, she briefly worked with ducting research on developing resistant sources against viruses in
Dave Crowder, assisting with experimental design of field experi- bean, bitter gourd, cucumber, and tomato. In addition, as a plant
ments and basic insect colony maintenance. During her master’s pathologist, he has conducted research on disease diagnosis and man-
program, she had the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant agement on horticultural crops (vegetables, fruits, and flowers). In
for the undergraduate plant pathology course. Braley will start her the future, he will conduct research on diagnosis of currently exist-
Ph.D. program at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, under the direc- ing and epidemic viruses in Bangladesh in vegetables and legumes,
tion of Koon-Hui Wang in the Department of Plant and Environ- their relationships with vectors, and management through integrated
mental Protection Services in August 2021 to pursue a degree in approaches.
tropical plant pathology.
New Position
Jonathan D. Eagle recently completed Chakradhar Mattupalli joined the De-
all requirements for his M.S. degree in plant partment of Plant Pathology of Washington
pathology at Washington State University State University (WSU) in February 2021 as
(WSU). His thesis was titled “Genotyping by a tenure-track assistant professor. Mattupalli
Multiplexed Sequencing in Barley and Stripe will be leading the Berry and Potato Pathology
Rust Resistance in Wheat.” His committee Program at the WSU Northwestern Washing-
was chaired by Deven See and included ton Research and Extension Center in Mount
Xianming Chen, Scot Hulbert, Tim Murray, Vernon. Mattupalli received his Ph.D. degree
and Mickael Pumphrey. Eagle received his in plant pathology from the University of Wis-
B.S. degree in biology from Henderson State consin-Madison, where he studied the biology
University in 2015. He was a quality engineer at Spectra Tech- and management of Helminthosporium solani, which causes silver
nologies LLC before he joined WSU in July 2016. He received a scurf on potatoes. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Noble Research
WSU Agriculture Research Center fellowship and H. E. Gold- Institute, LLC, he integrated pathogen biology and pathogen detec-
sworthy Scholarship. He has started his senior specialist position tion methods with geographic information systems and remote sens-
in Scott’s Miracle-Gro working on hemp breeding and genetics, ing technologies to study a root rot disease affecting alfalfa. Prior to
May 2021. joining WSU, he worked as a research professor and extension spe-
cialist at Colorado State University focusing on the management of
Samodya Jayasinghe recently graduated potato foliar and soilborne diseases in the San Luis Valley. His re-
from Washington State University (WSU) with search at WSU will focus on fungal pathogens causing potato sur-
an M.S. degree in plant pathology and was se- face blemishes and gray mold in blueberries. The goal of his research
lected to receive the Ann Chittenden Holland program is to develop efficient disease monitoring and management
Master’s Thesis Award for Graduate Student systems for minimizing disease outbreaks and disseminating research-
Excellence for 2021–2022. Jayasinghe’s thesis based knowledge to growers and stakeholders.
was titled “Impact of Paper Mill Fly Ash and
Biochar on Soil Health and Productivity of Obituary
Wheat.” Her thesis committee was led by Tim Pingsheng Ji, professor of plant pathology
Murray and included Maren Friesen, Tim at the University of Georgia Tifton campus,
Paulitz, and Haiying Tao. The WSU Graduate School gives only died unexpectedly in May 2021 at the age of
one Ann Chittenden Holland Master’s Thesis Award for Graduate 56. He earned his master’s degree at Beijing
Student Excellence each year with $1,000. Agricultural University (1988) and his doc-
torate in plant pathology at Auburn Univer-
Mohammad Rahman recently completed sity (1999). Dr. Ji started his position as a
all requirements for his Ph.D. degree in plant vegetable pathologist with the University
pathology at Washington State University of Georgia in 2007, focusing his efforts on
(WSU). His dissertation was titled “Char- disease management needs, with an emphasis
acterization of Viruses in Country Bean and on mitigating the impact of soilborne fungal and oomycete diseases.
Identification of Genetic Resistance to Aphids While pursuing this overall goal, he has made significant contribu-
in Pea Germplasm.” His thesis committee was tions in a number of areas, including pathogen biology, ecology and
led by Naidu Rayapati and Lyndon Porter epidemiology, etiology, population genetics, and the integration of
and included Achour Amiri and Gary Grove. these approaches to improve disease management and reduce crop
Rahman completed his B.S. degree in agricul- losses.
ture from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh,
in 2005 and M.S. degree in plant pathology from the same univer-
sity in 2007. After completing his M.S. degree, Rahman joined the People, continued on page 10
Phytopathology News July 2021 9People, continued from page 9 ity. His contributions have and continue to advance plant pathology
with international significance and impact, and he leaves a large void
Dr. Ji extensively studied the biology, detection, and manage- in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia
ment of Phytophthora blight caused by Phytophthora capsici, one of and among all who knew him.
the most destructive vegetable diseases worldwide. He developed an
improved isolation method and genetic markers for characterizing P. Seminar
capsici from irrigation water sources and plants. He conducted stud- Robert A. Blanchette, professor at the
ies to screen and identify germplasm of peppers and cucurbits with Department of Plant Pathology, University
resistance to P. capsici, developed effective fungicide programs and of Minnesota, St. Paul, was invited to pres-
cultural practices for managing Phytophthora blight, and devised ap- ent a seminar to the Department of Plant
proaches to analyze fungicide translocation in plants. He also partici- Pathology, Washington State University
pated in the development of techniques for early detection of P. cap- (WSU) on April 12, 2021. Blanchette re-
sici infection through analysis of unique volatile organic compounds. ceived his doctoral degree in plant pathology
These studies provided valuable information about the ecological from WSU, followed by a 2-year postdoc-
and physiological nature of P. capsici and facilitated the development toral research and teaching position in the
of resistant cultivars and more effective management strategies. Department of Plant Pathology. This experience, which included
Another major area of emphasis in Ji’s program was Fusarium wilt teaching a general plant pathology course and a course in forest pa-
of watermelon incited by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum , which thology while Jack Rogers was on a sabbatical, provided key ex-
has caused increasing damage in the United States in recent years. perience for him to obtain a position at the University of Minne-
His lab identified infection courts in watermelon plants leading to sota, where he has been teaching classes and carrying out research
seed infestation by the pathogen, determined races of F. oxysporum f. on the biology and ecology of fungi that grow on and attack trees
sp. niveum isolates, developed markers to understand the population and wood. His research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms of
structure of the pathogen in the Southeast, and identified isolates with wood decay and interdisciplinary studies of microorganisms degrad-
resistance to thiophanate-methyl and the mutations associated with ing archaeological, historic, and modern woods. He also has been
resistance to the fungicide. He conducted experiments annually to involved with ethnomycologial investigations to better understand
evaluate chemical fungicides, biocontrol agents, planting dates, and how indigenous people from different parts of the world used forest
resistant cultivars to develop integrated disease management pro- fungi. Current projects also include studies of fungi associated with
grams. His studies helped to better understand the pathogenicity, the emerald ash borer, wood decay fungi from the Amazon rainfor-
epidemiology, and diversity of this recalcitrant pathogen. ests, and studies of the extraordinary fungi in extreme environments
Dr. Ji was committed to the service and governance of profession- of the High Arctic, dry deserts of Egypt, and underground Soudan
al societies and organizations. In addition to local and university ser- iron ore mine in Minnesota. He has been recognized for his work
vice, he was active on a number of APS subject matter committees, with several awards, including Fellow of the AAAS, Fellow of The
including as chair of the Integrated Plant Disease Management Com- American Phytopathological Society, and Fellow of the Internation-
mittee. He served as an associate editor and senior editor for Plant al Academy of Wood Science, as well as other distinguished service
Disease, as the president and vice president of the Georgia Associa- awards. Delivered online, his seminar titled “Wood Decay Fungi:
tion of Plant Pathologists, and as a panelist on a number of grant Ethnomycology and New Insights on Decomposition” was well
panels for USDA-NIFA and USDA-ARS. He was a co-organizer of attended by graduate students, post-doctoral associates, and faculty
the International Soilborne Oomycete Conferences and a member of the Plant Pathology Department and other departments. Hanu
of the scientific committees of its predecessor, the International Pappu, professor in the WSU Department of Plant Pathology,
Phytophthora capsici Conferences. coordinated the seminar. ■
Dr. Ji is survived by his wife, Hua Kang, and a daughter living
in Massachusetts. He had a quiet, unassuming, and kind personal-
Classifieds
Associate/Full Professor—Director, biome Sciences and Director for the Penn and 3 institutes. We are seeking a new Penn
Microbiome Center State Microbiome Center, located on the State Microbiome Center Director to lead
Penn State (University Park, Pennsylvania) University Park campus. the center through its next phase of growth
The Penn State Microbiome Center is one and development and to fulfill its vision of
Current Employees or Students: of the largest and most active microbiome becoming an international leader in micro-
If you are a current employee (faculty, research and education centers in the U.S. biome research and education.
staff, technical service, or student) at Penn The center was established in 2017 to foster The Director is expected to have an estab-
State, please login to Workday to complete transformative, cross-college interdisciplin- lished track record of successful extramural
the internal application process. If you are ary research and to provide infrastructure funding, publishing results from multidis-
a current student at Penn State and seeking and resources needed for increasing diversity ciplinary research projects, and evidence
employment with Penn State, please login to and breadth of interdisciplinary microbiome of leadership of multidisciplinary scientific
Workday to complete the student applica- research at Penn State. The center is part teams. The Director appointment will be a
tion process. of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, 50/50 split between center leadership and
which exists to strengthen interdisciplinary research. The department and college tenure
Job Description and Position Require- life science research and graduate education home is open for negotiation based on re-
ments: campus wide. Faculty, students, and staff search interests and could be in one or more
The Pennsylvania State University is seek- associated with the Penn State Microbiome
ing a Full or Associate Professor of Micro- Center come from 9 colleges, 16 campuses, Classifieds, continued on page 11
Phytopathology News July 2021 10Classifieds, continued from page 10 create programs and research directions at ment of collaborative, interdisciplinary
disciplinary boundaries, capturing diverse research teams; support the training of the
of the following colleges: College of Agricul- perspectives and ensuring the benefits of next generation of microbiome researchers
tural Sciences, College of Earth and Mineral microbiome research across all aspects of via classroom and experiential learning op-
Sciences, College of Engineering, College of society. Penn State consistently ranks among portunities; obtain philanthropic and grant
Health and Human Development, College the nation’s top 25 public research universi- funding to ensure financial sustainability of
of Information Sciences and Technology, ties, with fiscal year 2020 research expendi- the Penn State Microbiome Center; lead the
College of Liberal Arts, College of Medi- tures exceeding $1 billion. Microbiome Center Executive Committee
cine, College of Nursing, and the Eberly In addition to establishing a rigorous to develop and execute a strategic vision
College of Science. There is an expectation externally funded research program in any and approaches for the center; ensure that
that the candidate be appointed to one or aspect of microbiomes at Penn State, duties faculty at all campuses have access to the
more Interdomain Graduate Programs. The also include the following: resources of the center; engage current Penn
Microbiome Center Director will report to Promote a culture of excellence in micro- State faculty, postdoctoral fellow, and stu-
the Director of the Huck Institutes for the biome intersectional research, teaching, and dent members of the Microbiome Center to
Life Sciences. This structure will provide the outreach across the university; establish Penn shape its future; actively engage in mentor-
Director with administrative and staff sup- State as a global leader in interdisciplinary ship of early-career faculty hired in associa-
port, and allow the Director to have visibil- microbiome research; continue the growth tion with the center; and foster and increase
ity at the highest levels within the university. of the Penn State Microbiome Center
It also provides a unique opportunity to through strategic initiatives and develop- Classifieds, continued on page 12
Graduate Student Spotlight: Nichole Barber
What type of degree ings to help collect donations and to assist What are some of your interests outside
program are you with activities for the children of meeting of science?
enrolled in? attendees. Gardening and outdoor activities such as
Masters of plant hiking, kayaking, and camping.
pathology, University Please provide a brief description of
of Florida. your research. What is your hometown?
I am investigating a treatment for three dif- Las Vegas, NV, USA.
What year are you in ferent bacterial phytopathogens that cause
graduate school? disease on economically important crops: What is your favorite pathogen/plant
I am in my second Clavibacter michiganensis, Xylella fastidiosa, disease?
year, with an expected graduation date of and Liberibacter asiaticus. Clavibacter michiganensis and C. nebrasken-
December 2021. sis (tomato wilt and Goss’s wilt), as well as
What’s something interesting most Xylella fastidiosa.
What is your academic department/ people don’t know about you?
section called at your institution? I have had to move homes over 30 times. If you know you are pursuing a
Plant Pathology. specific career sector, what is it?
I will be the lab director for a cannabis
Who is your major professor? tissue culture and research lab in Las
Dr. Frank White. Vegas, NV, for The Source Dispensa-
ries.
Are you an APS member?
Yes. How did you become interested in
the field of plant pathology?
How have you been involved in the Plants are the most important organ-
APS organization? isms on this planet, in my opinion,
For the last four years I have been a and I wanted to be a part of protecting
member of APS, attended the annual them.
meetings, including the ICPP confer-
ence in Boston in 2018. I have been a Do you have any social media
member of the Graduate Student Com- handles that you want to share?
mittee for the last two years, as well as E-mail: nbarber@ufl.edu ■
the Art in Phytopathology Committee.
I have volunteered time at annual meet-
Learn more about the APS Graduate Student Committee initiatives and student opportunities. Connect with the committee
on Twitter @plantpathgrads and Facebook.
Phytopathology News July 2021 11Classifieds, continued from page 11 tion, gender identity, national origin, disabil- • Design experiments to identify new
ity, or protected veteran status. If you are un- opportunities in intelligent packaging.
diversity at the student, staff, postdoctoral, able to use our online application process Develop methods and protocols for
and faculty levels. due to an impairment or disability, please postharvest handling and storage that
A Ph.D. degree in any microbiome science- contact 814-865-1473. preserve product quality.
related field is required. The applicant should • Data analysis and reporting of experi-
have an academic track record commensu- mental results. Communication of sci-
rate with the level of Full Professor with ten- entific insights to peers and leadership.
Plant Pathologist
ure, although exceptional applications at the
Bowery Farming (Kearny, New Jersey)
Associate level will be considered. The suc- Who You Are
cessful applicant will join faculty members Bowery Farming, the Modern Farming • Plant pathology, horticultural, or plant
with complementary, interdisciplinary re- Company, was founded in 2015 with the science knowledge.
search interests, and have access to excellent belief that technology and human ingenu- • Understand plant production systems
core facilities. ity can grow better food for a better future. in greenhouses, growth chambers, and
Please submit a cover letter, CV, research Propelled by its proprietary software system, traditional agriculture.
statement, teaching statement, leadership the BoweryOS, Bowery builds smart indoor • Understand the current best practices
philosophy statement, and the names and vertical farms that deliver a wide variety of in food production and handling of
contact information for three references. protected produce—in little time, near cities fresh produce.
Applicants should provide evidence, either they serve, for a truly local approach. Bow- • Be able to work independently in a
woven through their application materials ery’s farms are growing the next generation highly collaborative team environment.
or as a separate diversity statement, of a of vibrant and flavorful produce. They’re • Track record of impact from scientific
commitment to fostering diversity, equity, 100 times more productive on the same research.
inclusive excellence, and belonging and footprint of land than traditional agricul- • Curiosity and innovative use of tech-
of engagement that creates an inclusive ture, and grow traceable pesticide-free pro- nologies in plant science.
environment in their research, classroom, duce—the purest, best expression of what • Experienced in horticulture, plant
department, and the university. For more produce is meant to be—with a fraction of science, plant pathology, controlled
information about the position, please con- the water and land. environment science.
tact Andrew Read, Director of the Huck
Institutes, or Carolee Bull, Director of the About the Role Who We Are
Penn State Microbiome Center. Bowery Farming is looking for a passion- • Bowery is a place where everyone is wel-
Review of applicants will begin on June ate and committed scientist to join the Ag- come, included, and empowered to
21, 2021. Science Team. The scientist will be respon- reach their full potential.
Penn State is committed to and account- sible for applied research to develop best • We live our shared values every day in
able for advancing diversity, equity, and in- practices, methods, and technologies that both big and small ways: opt-in, think
clusion in all its forms, and, by definition, protect and improve the quality of products wildly different, break barriers together,
sustainability cannot be achieved unless it is in the Bowery vertical farms. Bringing ex- and be kind to the core.
achieved for all people. As such, we believe pertise in plant pathology, horticulture, • We are a mission-driven team of uncon-
that equity is a core concept of sustainability and/or plant science, the scientist will de- ventional thinkers, problem-solvers,
and that our work must be inclusive and velop and implement methods to measure optimists, and activators.
embrace diversity. and track product quality from harvest to • We share a passion for giving back more
customer, as well as packing, storage, and to the planet than we take, growing de-
Campus Security Crime Statistics: handling protocols that preserve product liciously abundant food without abun-
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure shelf life and quality. The scientist will also dant harm.
of Campus Security Policy and Campus conduct research to identify preharvest en-
Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania vironmental conditions and cultivation prac- We are excited to hear from you! We cel-
Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a com- tices that impact postharvest quality to aid ebrate unique backgrounds, qualities, and
bined Annual Security and Annual Fire in product development, cultivar selection, cultures that enrich the workplace. Join us
Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes recipe optimization, and breeding. As well, in creating an inclusive work environment
crime statistics and institutional policies the scientist will explore innovations in in- that is free of bias and discrimination,
concerning campus security, such as those telligent packaging to identify new oppor- where everyone can be their authentic self.
concerning alcohol and drug use, crime tunities to improve product quality. As a We strongly encourage people from all walks
prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual member of a cross functional team, the in- of life and underrepresented backgrounds to
assault, and other matters. The ASR is avail- cumbent will work closely with scientists, apply and join the Bowery Farming team.
able for review. growers, engineers and operations to drive We are an equal opportunity employer.
Employment with the university will re- innovation in indoor vertical farming. The largest vertical farming company in
quire successful completion of background the U.S., Bowery’s produce is available in
check(s) in accordance with university poli- What You’ll Do almost 800 grocery stores and via e-com-
cies. • Design and execute experiments in merce platforms serving the Tri-state and
controlled environment, pilot- and Mid-Atlantic region, including Amazon
EEO Is the Law production-scale vertical farms with Fresh, Albertsons, Giant Food, Hungryroot,
Penn State is an equal opportunity, af- leafy and fruiting crops to drive in- Walmart, Weis, Whole Foods Market, and
firmative action employer, and is committed sights into the impacts of genetics, specialty grocers. Based in New York City,
to providing employment opportunities to environmental conditions, cultivation Bowery has raised more than $172.5 million
all qualified applications without regard to practices, and postharvest handling
race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orienta- conditions on shelf life and quality. Classifieds, continued on page 13
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