WSU Extension > Mount Vernon NWREC > Former Graduate Students

Former Graduate Students

YearNameDegreeThesis/Dissertation
2026Evan DomsicPhD*Relationships between soil health & quinoa nutritional quality.
2025Alex CornwallPhDIntegrative Approaches to Understanding and Identifying Lactuca Species: Phylogenetics, Morphology, and Machine Learning Applications at a Genebank Level
2025Madeline DesjardinsPhDEvaluating the Short- and Long-Term Effects of Biosolids on Soil Functions, Carbon Sequestration, and System Diversification in Semi-Arid Dryland Cropping Systems
2025Evan DomsicPhDUnlocking quinoa’s (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) budding potential: Overcoming barriers to its adoption as a rotational crop in Western Washington and Beyond
2025Diego MartinezMS in Ag*Identifying tools to improve powdery mildew management in strawberry grown under high tunnels.
2025Marilen NampijjaPhDEpidemiology and management of bacterial leaf spot, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata, in table beet and Swiss chard seed production in western Washington
2025Zephyr Papin-TilleryMS in AgA History and Overview of Agricultural Pesticide Regulation in the U.S.
2025Molly SaylesPhDSocial, cultural, and chemical avenues for pear psylla management
2025Sahil ThapaMSCombating Onion Bacterial Diseases through Nitrogen and Irrigation Management
2025Ben WeissMSMulch2O: A sprayable, biobased, biodegradable mulch technology for certified organic small fruit production
2025Aidan WilliamsMS in Ag*Biobased mulch and outreach for organic small fruit systems
2025Annah YoungPhD Cropping system diversification and management strategies to improve soil health in Western Washington
2024Roshani BaralMSMonitoring Botrytis fungicide resistance on blueberries in Washington and Oregon
2024Seth BrawnerMSMechanization in the cider apple orchard to reduce labor time
2024Laura FlandermeyerMSSampling and management of X-Disease phytoplasma and vectors
2024Robin MorganPhDAre plant breeders willing to change food systems?
2024Louis PragerMSFor whom do I breed barley?
2024Purnima PuriMSApproaches for management of silver scurf of potato
2024Laura ValliPhDThe meaning of rye
2024Claire YostMS*Reduced irrigation and regulated deficit irrigation for cider apple production.
2023Kayla BrouwerMS*Pollination of highbush blueberries
2023Stephanie CraneMS in Ag*Management of Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata in table beet and Swiss chard.
*Departed 2023Alexandre Dias da Silva*Visiting non-WSU PhD student*Understanding the timing of calcium accumulation in raspberries to better inform calcium fertilizer programs
2023Ann KowenstrotMS in Ag*Rhubarb Research in Alaska and Recommended Varieties for Commercial Production.
2023Merri (Metcalfe) ManningPhDWheat for community food systems and equitable nutrient availability
2023Kayla SpawtonPhD*The ecology and management of Stemphylium leaf spot of spinach.
2023Harmony VarnerMSIrrigation scheduling for high-value annual specialty crops in the face of climate change: Two research approaches.
2022Alex BatsonPhDThe genetic basis of pathogenicity to spinach of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae.
2022Tessa BeloMS
2022Alec BlumeMS in AgImpact of soil fumigants on potato microbial communities
2022Sam ChronertPhD
2022Aidan KendallMS*Developing resource-efficient cider apple production systems.
2022Qianwen LuPhDAdvancing Floricane Raspberry Nutrient Management in the Pacific Northwest.
2022Brenda MadridMS
2022Molly McIlquhamMSCalibrating Soil Health Metrics for Washington State’s Primary Wine Grape Growing Region.
2022Xuechun “May” WangMSSoil-biodegradable mulch in a double cropped strawberry and lettuce system and implications on splash dispersal of Botrytis cinerea.
2021Pinki DeviPhD*Propagation methods to increase the grafting success of watermelon and rootstock resistance to Verticillium dahliae.
2021Cheyenne SloanMSNitrogen Supply from Soil Organic Matter: Predictors and Implications for Nutrient Management in Northern Highbush Blueberry
2021Toby UnaMSWinter Cover Crop Suitability for Improved Soil Health in Northwestern Washington
2020Amit BhasinMSEvaluating and optimizing fertilizer sources/rates in Organic Blueberry production in central Washington.
2020Yixin CaiMSMachine harvesting comparison and optimization of machine harvest intervals in fresh market blueberry.
2020Ryan SolemslieMSCold season tolerance and prevalence of seedling blights in sweet corn in the Columbia Basin of Washington.
2020Huan ZhangPhDStudying the application of biodegradable mulches in tissue culture red raspberry.
2019Abigail AttavarMSTesting the field germination of Green Leaf and Cos lettuce seeds in cold conditions, in four locations across the U.S.
2019Weixin GanMSThe growth conditions and cultivation management of tissue culture seedings of crabapple.
2019Billie Juan EspejoMS in AgThe development of bioassays to test antifungal activity of bacterial strains against Pythium aphanidermatum on cucumber
2019Yao MuMS in AgTesting new crops for production potential in Northwest Washington.
2018Travis AlexanderPhDThe postharvest quality implications of mechanically harvesting cider apples for growers and hard cider makers.
2018Fairuz BuajailaPhDComparing poultry manure to commercial mineral fertilizers for nutrition and fruit quality of grafted and non-grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L) in high tunnels.
2018Shuresh GhimirePhDEfficacy of different biodegradable mulches on pumpkin yield and quality, and mulch biodegradability in Northwest Washington.
2018Wiharti PurbaPhD
2017Matthew ArringtonPhDOptimization of pollination and fruit set in blueberry: Flower morphology, alternative pollinators, and nutrient supplementation
2017Shannon CarmodyMSManagement of the seedborne phase of light leaf spot (Cylindrosporium concentricum) and white leaf spot (Pseudocercosporella capsellae) in brassica crops.
2017Sahar DabirianMSOptimizing watermelon grafting to control Verticillium wilt in Washington.
2017Rachel RudolphPhDManagement strategies for Phytophthora rubi and Pratylenchus penetrans in floricane red raspberry in the Pacific Northwest
2017John WeberMSManagement of white mold in sunflower seed crops in the semi-arid Columbia Basin of central Washington.
2016Abby BeissingerMSProactive Approaches for Managing Potato virus Y in Western Washington.
2016Robin TaylorMSQuantification of Food Policy Groups within the Puget Sound Region.
2015Kelly Ann AtterberryMSNutrition Education and School Garden Projects with K–12 Students to Promote Consumption of Dry Beans.
2015Brook BrouwerPhDPlant breeding for regional food systems: investigating craft malt, disease resistance and production potential of barley and dry beans in western Washington.
2015Louisa Brouwer (neé Winkler)PhDBuilding the genetic, agronomic and economic foundations for expansion of oat cultivation in western Washington.
2015Charlene GrahnMSDirect market production of baby-leaf salad greens during spring and fall seasons in Western Washington.
2015Alexandra Valeria SwidergalMS in AgTechniques for Evaluating Verticillium Wilt Resistance in Rootstocks Potentially Useful for Tomato Grafting
2015Jesse WimerMSGrafting Watermelons to Manage Verticillium Wilt in Washington State.
2014Eric ChristiansonMSScreening carrot germplasm for resistance to Xanthomonas hortorum pv. carotae.
2014Jeremy CowanPhDImpacts of High Tunnels and Bio-Degradable Mulch Systems on Tomato Yield and Quality.
2014Ziduan (Paul) HanMSAssessing the damage potential of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans on raspberry varieties.
2014Caitlin Price YoungquistPhDAgricultural use and community acceptance of biosolids compost produced at a rural waste water treatment plant.
2013Charles CoslorMSEffects of Neonicotinoids on Adult and Immature Drosophila suzukii in the Laboratory and in an Experimental Blueberry Field.
2013Jeffery EndelmanPhDAdvances in Barley Genomics: Association analysis, Breeding values, and Consensus mapping.
2013Emily GatchPhDIncreasing the Capacity for Spinach Seed Production in the United States by Promoting Soil Suppression of Fusarium Wilt.
2013Karen HillsPhDImprovement of Small Grains Grown in Western Washington.
2013Amy SalamoneMSEffects of Temporary Flooding Rotations on Rhizoctonia solani AG-3 and on Soil Bacterial Communities in Western Washington
2013Ana Vida AlcalaPhDManagement of Damping-off in Organic Vegetable Production in the Pacific Northwest.
2012Yushan (Sherry) DuanMSBenefits of Cane Burning to Red Raspberry in the Pacific Northwest.
2012Sacha JohnsonMSGrafting Vegetables for Resistance to Verticillium dahliae.
2012Lucas PatzekPhDRoot Disease and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Cereal/Vegetable Production Systems in Washington.
2012Marianne PowellMSBiodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers.
2011Callie BoltonMSOrganic Weed Control in a Newly Established Vineyard.
2011Jessica GigotPhDRoot Health Management in Raspberries
2011Jennifer NiemMSEffects of flooding on survival of Sclerotinia and Verticillium in potato field soils of western Washington.
2007Jamie CummingsMSEvaluation of organic seed treatments for control of seedling blight/damping-off pathogens of spinach.
2006Jessica GigotMSTransmission of Phytophthora infestans on Volunteer Potato Tubers
2005Pablo Hernandez-PerezMSManagement of seedborne Stemphylium botryosum and Cladosporium variabile causing leaf spot of spinach seed crops in western Washington.

*Indicates research focus rather than thesis or dissertation title.