Graduate Student Directory
The Bread Lab
Dr. Stephen Jones, Crop and Soil Sciences
Merri Metcalfe – Ph.D. student
Research topic: Accessibility, quality, and affordability of grain-based products from Western Washington with an emphasis on making nutritional food more available within our communities.
Started: 2018
Bio
Robin Morgan – Ph.D. student
Research topic: The intersections between breeding and baking.
Started: 2018
Bio
Laura Valli – Ph.D. student
Research topic: The agronomy, breeding and cultural context of rye, the meaning of baking and power relations in the bakery.
Started: 2018
Bio
Entomology
Dr. Beverly Gerdeman, Entomology Department
Vegetable Horticulture
Dr. Carol Miles, Horticulture Department
Pinki Devi – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Investigating propagation methods to increase the grafting success of watermelon, which will include screening potential rootstock for watermelon grafting.
Started: 2017
Bio
Vegetable Seed Pathology
Dr. Lindsey du Toit, Plant Pathology Department
Alex Batson – PhD student
Dissertation Title: The genetic basis of pathogenicity to spinach of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae.
Started: PhD Fall 2019, MS (Fall 2017 – Summer 2019)
Bio
Billie Juan Espejo – MS student
Thesis Title: The development of bioassays to test antifungal activity of bacterial strains against Pythium aphanidermatum on cucumber
Started: 2017
Bio
Ryan Solemslie – MS student
Thesis Title: Cold season emergence, vigor, and seedling blight resistance screening in sweet corn.
Started: 2018
Bio
Kayla Spawton – Ph.D. student
Dissertation Title: The ecology and management of Stemphylium leaf spot of spinach.
Started: 2018
Bio
Small Fruit Horticulture
Dr. Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Horticulture Department
Amit Bhasin – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Evaluating and optimizing fertilizer sources/rates in Organic Blueberry production in central Washington.
Started: 2018
Bio
Yixin Cai – M.S. student
Research Focus: Technologies and practices that allow for the mechanical harvest of fresh market blueberry with high fruit quality and high harvest efficiency.
Started: Spring 2019
Bio
Qianwen Lu – M.S. student
Research topic: Blended and pelleted manure fertilizer in raspberry.
Started: 2018
Bio
Huan Zhang – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Studying the application of biodegradable mulches in tissue culture red raspberry.
Started: 2017
Bio
Soil Science
Dr. Deirdre Griffin LaHue, Crop and Soil Sciences Department
Toby Una – M.S. student
Reseach topic: The intersection between agricultural systems and environmental protection from the perspective of soils.
Started: 2019
Toby is earning a M.S. in Soil Science with Dr. Deirdre Griffin LaHue. She grew up outside Enumclaw, WA and graduated with a B.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in 2018. During the past summers, she has worked at WSU Puyallup in the Plant Pathology and Organic Farming Systems programs and the King County Wastewater Treatment Division Biosolids Program. Her primary interest is the intersection between agricultural systems and environmental protection from the perspective of soils. She is passionate about recycling and repurposing, whether it is biosolids application or fabric scraps. When not working, she can be found playing with her dogs, reforesting her family’s forest, or cooking.
Dr. Gabriel LaHue, Crop and Soil Sciences Department
Shiwani Sapkota – M.S. student
Reseach topic: Dynamics of soil fertility, nutrient management and soil microbiology.
Started: 2019
Shiwani Sapkota was born and raised in Nepal’s Chitwan district. She grew up among farming families, which impacted her to make agriculture her major focus. She completed her BS in Agriculture from Agriculture and Forestry University in December 2017. She did her internship in the Himalayan region of Nepal, staying in the vicinity of rural farmers for six months. After her BS, she worked as a teacher for six months at an agricultural college in Nepal. She most recently worked as a field technician in the Agrosecurity Lab at the University of Hawaii at Manao. Her work included ELISA tests for the detection of viruses on potato plants brought from different US states and rearing Coconut rhinoceros beetles.
Shiwani is starting as an M.S. student in Soil Science under the supervision of Dr. Gabriel LaHue. She is eager to learn about the dynamics of soil fertility, nutrient management and soil microbiology. She loves traveling to diverse historical and cultural places.
Cheyenne Sloan – M.S. student
Reseach topic: Quantifying the mineralization of nitrogen in soils with varying amounts of organic matter.
Started: 2019
Completed Students
Ana Vida Alcala – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Management of Damping-off in Organic Vegetable Production in the Pacific Northwest.
Graduated: 2014
Travis Alexander – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: The postharvest quality implications of mechanically harvesting cider apples for growers and hard cider makers.
Graduated: 2018
Matthew Arrington – Ph.D. student
Thesis title: Optimization of pollination and fruit set in blueberry: Flower morphology, alternative pollinators, and nutrient supplementation
Graduated: Fall 2017
Abigail Attavar – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Testing the field germination of Green Leaf and Cos lettuce seeds in cold conditions, in four locations across the US.
Graduated: Spring 2019
Kelly Ann Atterberry – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Nutrition Education and School Garden Projects with K–12 Students to Promote Consumption of Dry Beans.
Graduated: 2015
Abby Beissinger – M.S. Student
Thesis Title:
Graduated: Fall 2016
Callie Bolton – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Organic Weed Control in a Newly Established Vineyard.
Graduated: 2011
Fairuz Buajaila – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Comparing poultry manure to commercial mineral fertilizers for nutrition and fruit quality of grafted and non-grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L) in high tunnels.
Graduated: 2018
Eric Christianson – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Screening carrot germplasm for resistance to Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae.
Graduated: 2014
Shannon Carmody – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Management of the seedborne phase of light leaf spot (Cylindrosporium concentricum) and white leaf spot (Pseudocercosporella capsellae) in brassica crops.
Graduated:
Charles Cosler – M.S. student
Thesis Title:
Graduated: 2012
Jeremy Cowan – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Impacts of High Tunnels and Bio-Degradable Mulch Systems on Tomato Yield and Quality.
Graduated: 2014
Jamie Cummings – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Evaluation of organic seed treatments for control of seedling blight/damping-off pathogens of spinach.
Graduated: 2007
Sahar Dabirian – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Optimizing watermelon grafting to control Verticillium wilt in Washington.
Graduated: Spring 2017
Yushan (Sherry) Duan – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Benefits of Cane Burning to Red Raspberry in the Pacific Northwest.
Graduated: 2012
Jeffery Endelman – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Advances in Barley Genomics: Association analysis, Breeding values, and Consensus mapping.
Graduated: 2013
Weixin Gan – M.S. student
Thesis Title: The growth conditions and cultivation management of tissue culture seedings of crabapple.
Graduated: 2019
Emily Gatch – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Increasing the Capacity for Spinach Seed Production in the United States by Promoting Soil Suppression of Fusarium Wilt.
Graduated: 2012
Shuresh Ghimire – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Efficacy of different biodegradable mulches on pumpkin yield and quality, and mulch biodegradability in Northwest Washington.
Graduated: 2018
Jessica Gigot – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Root Health Management in Raspberries.
Graduated: 2012
Charlene Grahn – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Direct market production of baby-leaf salad greens during spring and fall seasons in Western Washington.
Graduated: 2015
Ziduan (Paul) Han – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Assessing the damage potential of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans on raspberry varieties.
Graduated: 2014
Maxwell Handiseni – Ph.D. student
Title: Management of Rhizoctonia in onion and pea crops in the Columbia Basin of Washington.
Graduated:
Pablo Hernandez-Perez – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Management of seedborne Stemphylium botryosum and Cladosporium variabile causing leaf spot of spinach seed crops in western Washington.
Graduated: 2005
Karen Hills – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Improvement of Small Grains Grown in Western Washington.
Graduated: 2013
Steve Hinton – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Sustaining the Productivity of Native Estuarine Flora and Fauna in the Context of an Agricultural Landscape.
Graduated:
Sacha Johnson – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Grafting Vegetables for Resistance to Verticillium dahliae.
Graduated: 2012
Yao Mu – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Testing new crops for production potential in Northwest Washington.
Graduated: Spring 2019
Jennifer Niem – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Effects of flooding on survival of Sclerotinia and Verticillium in potato field soils of western Washington.
Graduated:
Lucas Patzek – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Root Disease and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal/Vegetable Production Systems in Washington.
Graduated: 2012
Marianne Powell – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers.
Graduated: 2012
Wiharti Purba – Ph.D. student
Thesis title:
Graduated: Fall 2018
Rachel Rudolph – Ph.D. student
Thesis title: Management strategies for Phytophthora rubi andPratylenchus penetrans in floricane red raspberry in the Pacific Northwest
Graduated: Fall 2017
Amy Salamone – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title:
Graduated: 2015
Alexandra Valeria Swidergal – M.S. Student
Thesis Title:
Graduated: Fall 2015
Robin Taylor – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Quantification of Food Policy Groups within the Puget Sound Region.
Graduated:
John Weber – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Management of white mold in sunflower seed crops in the semi-arid Columbia Basin of central Washington.
Graduated:
Jesse Wimer – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Grafting Watermelons to Manage Verticillium Wilt in Washington State.
Graduated: 2015
Caitlin Price Youngquist – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Agricultural use and community acceptance of biosolids compost produced at a rural waste water treatment plant.
Graduated: 2014