Cornell University
Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Ithaca, NY 14853 

8/2010- present, PhD Student, Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology 

May 2005 BA Biochemistry, New College of Florida  

Graduate Advisor: Christine Smart

Research Focus

Cover crops are important in management of both organic and conventional agriculture. Using a macroarray, a high-throughput diagnostic technique, we are identifying fungal and oomycete pathogens infecting plants grown in a variety of cover crop mixtures. The goal is to determine if certain mixtures of cover crops foster soils suppressive to pathogens.

Recent and Current Projects

Smart Lab: http://web.pppmb.cals.cornell.edu/smart/lab/Index/research.html

Professional Experience

2010   February- July 2010 Laboratory Technician. Gesneriad Research Center. Selby Botanical Gardens. Sarasota, Florida. Systematics. 

2009   May- July 2010 Laboratory Technician. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Florida,            Wimauma, Florida. Detection of gene expression by mRNA extraction and analysis in order to determine presence of induced resistance against pathogens in tomato and Arabidopsis.  

2008   July – February 2009 Chemistry Research Associate. Archer Pharmaceuticals. Sarasota,             Florida. Organic chemistry molecule synthesis and process optimization in the research and             development of potential Alzheimer’s drugs. 

2005 September – November 2007 Peace Corps Volunteer: Agroforestry, El Salvador.             Community and school based work focused on sustainability of environmental             and health education.

Awards and Honors

2011    Alternate NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Professional Societies and Working Groups

2010  August- present Graduate Student Association and Prospective Student Committee Member

Publications

2010    On the origin and diversification of the monophyletic Pacific clade in the genus Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae): Recent insights from sampling along the southeast Asia-Pacific interface. Botany Conference and Gesneriad World Conference poster. CF Summers, E Margenthathaler, JR Clark.  

2010    Initial characterization of a Xanthomonas sp. causing bacterial spot of shrub rose (Rosa spp.). APS poster. GE Vallad, CF Summers, H Adkins, E Margenthaler, and C Schneider.