Graduate Student Directory
Entomology
Dr. Beverly Gerdeman, Entomology Department
Alec Blume – M.S. student
Research Focus: Life history and development of Dalotia coriaria (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), fed a diet of Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale (Hemiptera: Aphididae).
Start Date: Summer 2020
Small Fruit Horticulture
Dr. Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Horticulture Department
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 harvest efficiency.
Start Date: Spring 2019
Qianwen Lu – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Improving nutrient management in red raspberry.
Start Date: Fall 2018
Brenda Madrid – M.S. student
Research Focus: Application of biodegradable plastic mulches and alternative plasticulture practices for June-bearing strawberry in western Washington.
Start Date: Fall 2020
Xuechun “May” Wang – M.S. student
Research Focus: Novel production systems for improved production and disease management in strawberry.
Start Date: Fall 2020
Soil Health
Dr. Deirdre Griffin LaHue, Crop and Soil Sciences Department
Molly McIlquham – M.S. student
Research Focus: Evaluating soil health indicators and improved soil management in wine grape systems.
Start Date: Fall 2020
Kwabena Sarpong – Ph.D. student
Reseach Focus: Assessing soil health and the relevancy of soil health indicators across major specialty crops in Washington state.
Start Date: Spring 2020
Toby Una – M.S. student
Research Focus: Investigating the benefits and trade-offs of winter cover crops in western Washington’s potato and vegetable seed systems.
Start Date: Fall 2019
Soils & Water
Dr. Gabriel LaHue, Crop and Soil Sciences Department
Tessa Belo – M.S. student (co-advisor Dr. Lindsey du Toit, Plant Pathology)
Research Focus: Impacts of irrigation and fertilization practices on bacterial diseases in onion bulb crops.
Start Date: July 2020
Cheyenne Sloan – M.S. student (co-advisor Dr. Lisa DeVetter, Small Fruit Horticulture)
Reseach Focus: Quantifying nitrogen mineralization in soils with varying amounts of organic matter.
Start Date: Fall 2019
Vegetable Horticulture
Dr. Carol Miles, Horticulture Department
Alex Cornwall – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Identifying Lactuca sp. with genetic barcoding and taxonomy and gene exploration of wild relatives of Lactuca sativa.
Start Date: Fall 2020
Pinki Devi – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Propagation methods to increase the grafting success of watermelon and rootstock resistance to Verticillium dahliae.
Start Date: Spring 2017
Aidan Kendall – M.S. student (Co-advisor Dr. Gabriel LaHue)
Research Focus: Developing resource-efficient cider apple production systems.
Start Date: Fall 2020
Srijana Shrestha – M.S. student
Research Focus: Development of educational materials for biodegradable plastic mulch.
Start Date: Spring 2020
Vegetable Seed Pathology
Dr. Lindsey du Toit, Plant Pathology Department
Alex Batson – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: The genetic basis of pathogenicity to spinach of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae.
Start Date: Fall 2019 (M.S. completed Summer 2019)
Stephanie Crane – M.S. student
Research Focus: Management of Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata in table beet and Swiss chard.
Start Date: Spring 2020
Marilen Nampijja – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Management of Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata in table beet and Swiss chard seed production.
Start Date: Spring 2020
Ryan Solemslie – M.S. student
Research Focus: Cold season emergence, vigor, and seedling blight resistance screening in sweet corn.
Start Date: Spring 2018
Kayla Spawton – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: The ecology and management of Stemphylium leaf spot of spinach.
Start Date: Fall 2018
The Bread Lab
Dr. Stephen Jones, Crop and Soil Sciences
Merri Metcalfe – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Accessibility, quality, and affordability of grain-based products from Western Washington with an emphasis on making nutritional food more available within our communities.
Start Date: Fall 2018
Robin Morgan – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Exploring the intersections between breeding and baking.
Start Date: Fall 2018
Louie Prager – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: Breeding colored barley for malting, with a focus on varieties for organic agriculture.
Start Date: Summer 2020
Laura Valli – Ph.D. student
Research Focus: The agronomic and social aspects of rye in western Washington.
Start Date: Spring 2019
Completed Students
Ana Vida Alcala – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Management of Damping-off in Organic Vegetable Production in the Pacific Northwest.
Graduated: 2013
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
Amit Bhasin – M.S. student
Thesis Title: Evaluating and optimizing fertilizer sources/rates in Organic Blueberry production in central Washington.
Graduated: 2020
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: 2017
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
Billie Juan Espejo – MS student
Thesis Title: The development of bioassays to test antifungal activity of bacterial strains against Pythium aphanidermatum on cucumber
Graduated: 2019
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: 2013
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
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
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: 2011
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 – M.S. 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: 2016
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: 2017
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
Huan Zhang – Ph.D. student
Thesis Title: Studying the application of biodegradable mulches in tissue culture red raspberry.
Graduated: June 2020