Aurora Sporealis is the official news magazine of University of Minnesota Department of Plant Pathology, and has been co-written by members of the department since the 1920s.
Read our current issue on this page, or search "Aurora Sporealis" on the UMN Conservancy to access all historical issues.

Aurora Sporealis Fall/Winter 2024
Letter from Ruth Dill-Macky, Interim Department Head
Dear Friends,
Like the resilient crops we study, our century-old department thrives through seasons of change. Each year brings new discoveries, fresh perspectives, and evolving methodologies, yet our core mission remains unchanged. Just as we work to enhance crops through innovative research, our community grows stronger by building on its rich heritage while embracing new ideas, faces, and research approaches.
This fall’s Aurora Sporealis issue celebrates the fresh energy in our graduate program. We are delighted to welcome six new students, including Hunter Kluegel and Ronan Keener who join us in their new roles following their undergraduate experiences in our department. The McCaghey lab takes center stage in this issue’s Lab Spotlight, showcasing how Assistant Professor Megan McCaghey leads groundbreaking research on the soilborne fungi that impact Minnesota’s crops, while fostering a collaborative research community in her lab. A faculty spotlight on Robert Alvarez Quinto traces his career journey from PhD student in our graduate program, to Assistant Professor of Virology in our department. My Plant Path articles share personal reflections from Oadi Matny and Jay Kim, and Pablo Olivera Firpo provides an exciting update of his recent transition to a new role as a Research Scientist at the Cereal Disease Laboratory.
Favorite annual events play a big role in this issue as well. New DAER-Aurora Committee member Jay Kim brings a student’s-eye perspective to reflections on the 2024 Plant Health (APS Annual Meeting), as well as highlights from PPSO camping trips full of delights such as foraging and Northern Lights. Dan Schlatter reflects on Swati Nayak’s impactful Borlaug Memorial Lecture, while Brian Steffenson bridges generations by sharing stories from an alumnus’s daughter exploring her fathers beloved campus while visiting from India.
From the pioneering work of Norman Borlaug and Helen Hart to the cutting edge research of today’s department members, our strength lies in our community - past, present, and future. To you, our valued reader and community member, thank you for being part of our enduring legacy.
Best,
Ruth Dill-Macky
Professor and Interim Department Head, Plant Pathology
New Graduate Students 2024
by Annie Harvieux
Hunter Kluegel (he/him) is joining the McCaghey lab, where he will research the impact of cover crops on disease incidence and severity of S. sclerotiorum and R. solani in dry beans and soybeans. He is eager to be a part of creating positive change in agricultural systems for the future and learn more about where a Master’s in plant pathology could take his career. Hunter enjoys spending his free time caring for his dog, signing, crafting, and being outside.
Ronan Keener (they/them) is joining the Alvarez Quinto lab, and will be researching mycoviruses and their impacts on fungal hosts, particularly rust fungi, and how those interactions may impact fungal pathogenicity and potential biocontrol applications. Ronan hopes to build skills in the research process that will help them lead their own research projects and lab in their future career. Outside of work, Ronan spends time sewing and crafting, hiking, and enjoying music and movies.
Austin Lloyd (he/him) is joining the Schlatter lab, where his research focus will be the bacterial and fungal microbiomes of disease resistant soils, as well as development and application of bioinformatic methods for plant and soil microbial ecology. He plans to use his time in the program gaining valuable insights into the relationships between plants, pathogens, and the soil microbiome, as well as learning from the USDA facilities the department is integrated with. When he’s not working on plant pathology, Austin enjoys DIY projects. His skills range from woodworking to electronic circuitry.
Joana Serrano Salgado (she/her) is joining the Alvarez Quinto lab, where she will work in characterization and epidemiology of new and emerging viral diseases in crops with economic importance to Minnesota, especially management, detection, and alternate hosts of tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). She hopes to expand knowledge of virus detection and characterization in order to create research that connects scientific advancement to real-world applications for farmers. Joana loves sports, especially trail triathlon and horseback riding. She also enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her friends.
Jasper Tao (she/her) is joining the McCaghey lab, where she will be channeling her interest in realistic and accessible pathogen management practices while evaluating Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum sclerotia for potential biocontrol agents, as well as researching the relationship between irrigation rates and cosmetic soilborne diseases of potato. Jasper hopes to use her time at UMN to gain strong skills in disease diagnostics and field work, which she hopes to use someday as an extension agent to increase accessibility of applied plant pathology research. Outside of work, Jasper loves trying new foods, watching movies, traveling, and spending time with dogs.
Kat Topham (she/her) is joining the Alvarez Quinto lab, where she will be working on genomic and biological characterization of new and emerging viruses infecting blueberry shrubs, as well as development of diagnostic assays for these viruses. She hopes to expand her laboratory, technological, and administrative skill sets while studying at UMN, as well as developing relationships with other researchers, with the future goal of continuing to work in research after graduating. Kat enjoys knitting and doing other creative projects outside of work, as well as playing Magic: The Gathering.
Research Update: McCaghey Lab
by Megan McCaghey with Yanhong Dong

General Overview
The work of Dr. Megan M. McCaghey’s lab (the Soilborne Fungi and Oomycetes Lab) explores hypotheses in pathogen biology, ecology, and epidemiology to inform management. The lab currently consists of three masters students, a PhD student, three researchers (2, 5, and 6), four undergraduate students, and one MAST student. Field projects in 2024 spanned five research stations, and the lab engaged with growers through field days and grower meetings such as Prairie Grains and the Canola Research Symposium.
Megan describes her group’s research foci as follows:
Applied Ecology and Management of Diseases Caused by Soilborne Fungi
Applied work of the lab aims to optimize chemical control of Phomopsis in sunflower. This is a common disease that limits sunflower production in the region. With collaborators from Nebraska and the Dakotas, we trialed application timings, combinations, and rates of fungicides to assess best chemical management strategies and avoid fungicide resistance.
Much of our work centers on the ecology and management of sclerotia-producing soilborne fungi including Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Rhizoctonia solani. Management of these pathogens is complicated by wide host ranges and persistent survival structures. Graduate student Jasper Tao’s work evaluates the efficacy of biological control for managing Sclerotinia stem rot in canola. Graduate student Hunter Kluegel and researcher Peter Aspholm completed their first field season of a MDA-AGRI project in collaboration with Angie Peltier (NWROC Extension), Ashok Chanda (PLPA), and Anna Cates (SWAC) to investigate the interaction of cover crops with soil health (inclusive of plant pathogens!). In addition to assessing disease incidence of R. solani and S. sclerotiorum, we are evaluating the viability of sclerotia under these systems and identifying microbial communities and potential biological control agents in sclerotia-associated soil.
Soilborne Pathogen Epidemiology and Disease Escape
The lab completed our second field season of a project investigating the relationship between soybean architecture, microenvironmental conditions, and disease and apothecia development in soybean. This work is in collaboration with Dr. Aaron Lorenz and efforts have been led by graduate student Alisha Mildenberger and researcher Dr. Suma Sreekanta. We aim to identify traits that may contribute to disease escape through modification of the soybean microenvironment. These traits could potentially be bred in combination with physiological resistance to avoid infections in the field.
In Minnesota, irrigated acreage is increasing due to less predictable rainfall and dryer summers. We are interested in the interaction of irrigation and disease dynamics and disease development and forecasting in the context of a changing climate. This summer, Jasper Tao led a project in collaboration with Dr. Vasu Sharma (SWAC) to investigate the relationship between varied irrigation rates and diseases caused by soilborne pathogens in potatoes.
Multi-prong Approaches to Enhance Host Defenses
The work of graduate student Hsuan Fu Wang aims to characterize aggressiveness determinants of S. sclerotiorum across crop species. His approach uses multi-crop screenings and transcriptomics to elucidate differential and conserved virulence factors. Findings will provide candidate targets for gene silencing. He has also developed panels of S. sclerotiorum isolates that can be used to screen for resistance across multiple crops.
Planting soybean varieties with resistance genes is an effective management strategy, but these genes must align with the specific Phytophthora sojae pathotypes present in the field. Researcher Dr. Kathleen Markham and undergraduate student Linnea Johnston aim to validate a more efficient molecular method of P. sojae pathotyping and to identify current Minnesota pathotypes using both soil baiting and molecular methods.
The lab conducts translational research that addresses questions developed in the field with both field and laboratory based methods. We ultimately hope to expand the toolbox available for soilborne pathogen management.
Pablo Olivera departs PLPA for the Cereal Disease Lab
by Pablo Olivera Firpo

After 22 years of dedicated service, Pablo Olivera is departing from the Department of Plant Pathology. He first joined the department in December 2002, moving from Uruguay to pursue a PhD under the guidance of Professor Brian Steffenson. Upon earning his degree, Pablo became a postdoctoral research associate in Yue Jin’s lab at the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory (CDL), where he focused on wheat stem rust. His significant research and contributions to the department led to his appointment as Research Assistant Professor in 2017 and his promotion to Research Associate Professor in 2023 where he leads a research program on cereal rust pathology.
Pablo’s primary interest has been international agriculture, with a consistent focus on enhancing the well-being of farmers and rural communities in developing countries. Pablo won the APS International Award a few years ago, validating the impact of his service. He has achieved this through fostering international partnerships and conducting applied research. His work has been pivotal in addressing wheat stem rust, a re-emerging disease that poses a significant threat to global wheat production. Pablo has collaborated extensively with scientists at the CDL and various national and international partners to combat the threat of Ug99. He has played a key role in the global surveillance of the stem rust pathogen, monitoring its movements and detecting new variants within the Ug99 race group. His lab has also actively sought new sources of stem rust resistance in cultivated wheat and its wild relatives.
Beyond his research, Pablo has been deeply committed to capacity building, making over 25 trips to East Africa to support local research efforts and train international scientists. In addition to his international contributions, Pablo’s research has a local footprint. His lab has engaged in state-focused projects investigating invasive barberry and buckthorn species in Minnesota. These efforts include developing diagnostic markers for hybrid barberry and studying crown rust fungi associated with buckthorn.
Pablo will continue his scientific career at the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory as a Research Plant Pathologist. In this role, he aims to find solutions to prevent yield losses in wheat and barley due to leaf and stem rust. His research will focus on: 1) identifying and characterizing resistance in wheat and barley to stem rust and leaf rust; 2) incorporating combinations of rust resistance genes into adapted US germplasm for breeding programs; and 3) improving resistance to Ug99 stem rust in US wheat and barley by screening advanced breeding lines both in East Africa and the United States.
In his new position, Pablo will maintain a strong connection with the Department of Plant Pathology. As an Adjunct Faculty member, he looks forward to expanding research collaborations with department faculty and embracing teaching opportunities that arise.
Faculty Spotlight: Robert Alvarez Quinto
Surprise of Virology and Lab Work
by Robert Alvarez Quinto with Jennifer Flynn
I thought when I finished my undergraduate degree at Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) University, I wanted to be in the field in crop production. I remember I was introduced to viruses and molecular diagnosis for pathogens in one of my classes at ESPOL. I was always very active in the class, so one day the professor offered me a position to work in her lab with viruses. I was a little hesitant. I didn’t think I was good at it; I had no bench skills and very little molecular biology background.
At that time, I didn’t think I would like to be in the lab all day, so I didn’t see myself doing that as a career. Then the professor said we have a stipend and gave me insight about the different careers that a scientist can have. Since this position offered a stipend and I was a broke undergrad, I said I’ll do it! That got me started working with viral diseases in cucurbit crops. I remember once, we tried to identify an unknown viral disease in cucurbits, but we did not have much experience as virologists. We used a brute force approach and for two years we tested these plants against every ELISA kit available from Agdia and we failed. We later realized that some of these viruses we were dealing with could not be detected that way because they were new and emergent viruses for which no commercial ELISA test was available. It would be two or three years later, when Dr. Diego Quito, the new virologist, joined the lab at ESPOL, that we could solve this mystery and we finally detected melon yellow spot virus, an emergent thrips-transmitted tospovirus that had not been reported in the Americas before. After graduating from ESPOL I was offered a position to do a research project with viruses in tomato. After that, I thought that I had enough of working in the lab, I had learned enough and I was more interested in crop production. At the same time, I received a scholarship for an internship at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT- Colombia) under the supervision of Dr. Wilmer Cuellar. I figured after that I would be able to decide if I want to keep doing lab work, or if I want to do something else after this internship. The virology research at CIAT was fascinating and cutting-edge, but I remember what got me more interested in research was the broad impact that CIAT was making by supporting and improving the food security of developing countries in the tropics, Africa, Asia and South America. I honestly saw myself contributing to this cause and I started thinking of enrolling into a PhD program.
At CIAT I collaborated on the characterization of previously uncharacterized viral diseases of cassava. This was very high-level research and right away I was introduced to small RNA deep sequencing, autophagy genetic engineering, cloning and transformation of plant viruses. When I got there, they asked me what my experience was. I said, “I know how to do ELISA.” I didn’t even know how to do PCR. On Day 1, Wilmer said we’re going to clone a virus fragment in E. coli. I was a bit scared, but it turned out I liked it a lot. My PI at CIAT was very helpful and I learned quite a bit. I used all the skills I learned in Colombia to go back to work in Ecuador and work with Diego Quito, the new virologist at ESPOL. Using these new skills, we were able to detect a quarantine virus (banana bract mosaic virus) in bananas in Ecuador preventing further dispersal and yield losses to Ecuador’s main crop. We also detected two viruses associated with maize lethal necrosis diseases (MLND) in field corn in Ecuador. We immediately connected with Dr. Ben Lockhart at UMN who was investigating MLND outbreaks in Africa. He shared antiserums and visited our lab in Ecuador. We established a productive collaboration that later allowed me to join the Department of Plant Pathology at UMN as a grad student.
That experience at CIAT in Colombia was the turning point in my career. If that experience hadn’t been so good, I would not be a virologist now. I had an excellent mentor and team. We were all very motivated to help others. When mentoring my students, I always think about my positive experiences as a mentee and strive to offer the best mentorship for them.
In 2017 I came to the US and have been here ever since. I would have gone back to Ecuador, but there were some “twists and turns” and with some assistance from Dr. Jim Bradeen, I graduated from UMN and finished my post doc at Oregon State University where I worked with Dr. Dimitre Mollov, former UMN plant pathology department member, in Oregon.
I have learned something valuable from every mentor. Something special I learned from Dr. Ben Lockhart (my PhD advisor) was to be open-minded when you see something odd or unusual. With other mentors, when some experiments had an odd result, they always thought it was a mistake. I learn from Dr. Lockhart to view anything odd as an opportunity to discover something new. Now, that really motivates me a lot. It’s a good mindset to have… thinking there is always more to discover.
I found it really inspiring, the international impact and dedication of my mentors and how they devoted and passionately helped people around the world by solving viral disease problems. Dr. Lockhart spent a good amount of time traveling around the world solving viral disease problems, and also Wimer Cuellar investigated viral diseases of cassava on site around the tropics in countries like Vietnam and Cambodia. This is inspiring. I want to follow in their footsteps someday. I believe we can make a big impact if we dedicate ourselves and put all our passion into our work.
My Plant Path: Oadi Matny

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am Oadi Matny, a Researcher 5 in the Department of Plant Pathology, at U of M. I was born in the United States and grew up in Iraq, as my parents were Iraqi citizens. I am currently working on the Steffenson project. My primary mission is to identify, characterize, and utilize resistance genes from wild species to enhance and improve wheat and barley against rust diseases. I am also part of a team that is cloning disease resistance genes and validating their function in transgenic wheat and barley.
How did you get involved with plant pathology as a discipline?
I got my undergraduate degree in the Department of Plant Protection (plant pathology & entomology), at the University of Baghdad in Iraq. When I was an undergrad, I was more attracted to plant pathology than entomology because there is, all the time, a mysterious part in plant diseases, you cannot visualize the pathogen with your eye, and you see only its symptoms, not the actual pathogen in most cases.
I decided to join a master’s degree program right after I graduated. My supervisor Dr. Ayad Al-Heeti was the first person who drove me deep into the field of plant pathology research. He was one of the most knowledgeable, creative, and experienced plant pathologists.
Tell me about a specific moment in your life that made you decide to pursue a career in Plant Pathology?
After finishing my PhD degree in the field of plant pathology at the Department of Plant Protection at the University of Baghdad, I was hired as an Assistant Professor in the same department. I was involved in teaching courses related to plant pathology and supervised many graduate student theses in the field of plant pathology.
My main research focus was on root rot diseases of cereal crops and vegetables, postharvest diseases, and secondary metabolites (mycotoxins) from fungi, searching for effective and environmentally sound methods for controlling diseases.
I tell my students all the time that they get knowledge from classes but experience from practicing the knowledge in the field.
What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far and what lead to that moment?
In 2015 I got an opportunity to take a sabbatical leave for one year at UMN Plant Pathology. I got an invitation from Brian Steffenson to join his lab and spend one year on his team. I was interested in studying the chemotypes of Fusarium culmorum that causes crown rot in wheat and its geographic distribution in Iraq. That work was done in collaboration with Scott Bate’s lab in the department at that time.
During my sabbatical, I became more interested in foliar diseases, especially rust diseases on wheat and barley, because they threaten global food security.
From that moment I decided to change my career trajectory and start a new position as a Research Scientist and join the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota.
What do you enjoy most about the department of plant pathology?
A friendly environment with knowledgeable, intelligent people surrounding you all the time. I also enjoy having conversations with other scientists who are willing to help and give guidance on various research projects.
Can you describe how being part of this department has helped your mission as a scientist?
My mission as a plant pathologist is the same as a physician taking care of people and a veterinarian taking care of animals. I diagnose diseases and work on strategies to ameliorate them. Plant pathologists are the guards against disease epidemics and for ensuring food security.
During my time in the department, I have worked on the rust diseases of wheat and barley. One of my main goals is to discover new resistance genes in wild and domesticated wheat and barley accessions as part of an overall strategy to develop disease resistant crops. With our wide network of scientific collaborators, we discovered many effective rust resistance genes that can be used to develop resistant wheat and barley varieties.
Can you tell us about your plans for the future?
For the near future, I am planning to continue working on identifying disease resistance genes in wheat and barley. Eventually, I would like to go back to a faculty position so I can teach again and work on various approaches to controlling important plant diseases.
My Plant Path: Jay Kim

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jay, and I am from South Korea. I did my undergraduate program at the U majoring in Plant Science, and graduated in 2019. After that I worked at the University of Minnesota Genomics Center for three years, mainly working on isolating nucleic acid from various biological samples, and processing Covid Testing PCR reactions.
How did you get involved with plant pathology as a discipline?
My main duty at UMGC was to process samples from various researchers, and I got interested in joining the actual research lab. Plant pathology was the field that I most liked during my undergraduate program, and this is how I got into the Plant Pathology program.
Tell me about a specific moment in your life that made you decide to pursue a career in Plant Pathology?
My first work experience was actually at the Citrus Research Institute in South Korea in 2016. I had my first field work and molecular work there, and got interested in working in the lab. I also learned how plant pests and pathogens can threaten the growers by making crops simply ugly, leading to loss of market value and causing economical damage to the growers. I felt it is a waste to lose food crops only because they are ugly, and wanted to contribute more to saving those crops.
What has been the most rewarding moment of your career so far and what lead to that moment?
The most rewarding moment was when I won third place in a poster competition at North Central APS in 2023. It was almost my first experience where my academic work got acknowledged and the feeling of accomplishment was great. I recall I bugged my adviser three to four times to review and revise my poster draft, so the poster itself already had a lot of work to be in good shape. Also, the work I’ve done so far and the effort I put in to make the story out of my experiments when I was presenting the poster at the meeting might have lead to the rewarding moment of getting the prize.
What do you enjoy most about the department of plant pathology?
I enjoy the friendliness of the department the most. Being a small and mighty community, everyone knows each other and are very willing to help and support each other. From an academic perspective I could get help from labs and people who are experts. Socially,PPSO hosts many events such as happy hours, camping trips, and other plant pathology related events. Such a culture in the department got me engaged beyond my degree-seeking, and into socializing within the department, building friendships and academic connections.
Can you describe how being part of this department has helped your mission as a scientist?
Since undergraduate I wanted to be a molecular biologist, staying on the bench conducting experiments. This has been my life for the whole Master’s program by joining the molecular plant pathology lab.
Can you tell us about your plans for the future?
My future plan is still a mystery, but I will apply for the PhD program within the department to continue with my current research. Meanwhile I might apply to other departments or institutes for PhD program or positions, especially in opportunities using cutting edge molecular biology and techniques.
Borlaug Memorial Lecture 2024
by Dan Schlatter
“We must prioritize the needs of small farmers who feed the majority of the world” – Norman Borlaug
This quotation from UMN-PLPA alumnus Norman Borlaug was used by Dr. Swati Nayak in her keynote speech at the 2024 Borlaug Memorial Lecture, neatly summarizing the connection between Borlaug’s legacy and contemporary work carried out by herself and her peers.
The Borlaug Memorial Lecture is organized each year by graduate students of Plant Pathology, Applied Plant Sciences, and Natural Resources Science and Management to celebrate individuals that “emulate the dedication, perseverance, and innovation demonstrated by Dr. Norman Borlaug.”

The event opened with a reading of the State Proclamation, followed by a talk from Emerging Leader Award winner Dr. Vance Whitaker, UMN alumnus who now teaches at the University of Florida’s Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). His talk, “Minnesota to Florida and other journeys,” strongly featured his work in breeding strawberry varieties using genetic research, historical information, and consumer preferences.
Keynote Speaker Dr. Swati Nayak, the winner of the 2023 Borlaug Field Award Institute conferred by the World Food Prize, currently works as a Scientist and South Asia Lead for Seed System and Product Management at the International Rice Research Institute where she focuses on ensuring that breeding efforts are impactful and equitable.
In her keynote talk “Making agriculture innovation accessible and scalable for smallholders: the journey from research to impact,” Dr. Nayak outlined her work to bridge the gap between technological development and real-world impact by ensuring that improved rice genotypes are reaching farmers that need them the most. Adoption of improved varieties requires stakeholder awareness, availability, and access to supply. However, adoption has been hampered by a lack of information and access to high quality seed. Dr. Nayak’s work in developing and scaling delivery models for rural communities using participatory and socially conscious approaches has been critical to the deployment of climate-resilient and nutritious rice varieties in South Asia.

Critically, Dr. Nayak’s commitment to participatory engagement of women, who comprised >40% of the participants in her programs, has empowered an estimated 4 million women farmers to date. Dr. Nayak has also been foundational to international seed sharing policies “Seed Without Borders” that supports more rapid deployment of improved rice varieties to appropriate local environments among South Asian countries. Dubbed the “Seed Lady” in local communities where she has worked, Dr. Nayak’s contributions to food security and equity are an impressive testament to the legacy of Norm Borlaug.
APS Plant Health 2024
by Jay Kim

This year’s Plant Health meeting happened July 27-30th, 2024, in the warm city of Memphis, Tennessee. The theme was “Harnessing the Technology Revolution for a More Sustainable World.” Enlightening talks, sessions and posters with new emerging technologies, and idea exchange happened with opportunities to connect and network with each other.
It was an especially great opportunity for University of Minnesota graduate students and faculty members to meet and connect with former colleagues who have left the department for their further academic journeys. A number of current graduate students and researchers presented and stood by their posters, talking and exchanging scientific feedback with other research professionals.
The meeting also involved trainings and sessions for professional development, including one where our Senior Instructional Support Specialist, Becca Hall, and UMN-PLPA alumnus Andrew Sathoff organized and moderated the special session about teaching strategies for engaging students in younger generations.
My personal experience was very extraordinary. Being a former undergraduate student at the U, I got to meet up with Deepak Haarith, who is an alumnus of the department and my former teaching assistant in the “PLPA 2001: Intro to Plant Pathology” course, which I took back in 2017. Building connections with alumni and colleagues made some exciting moments, where we could share how the department was before and what has changed over time. Me standing by my poster and visiting other researcher’s posters was a valuable time as well, sharing insights with colleagues from different institutes. As a person who wishes to continue work on the molecular aspects of plant pathology, I really enjoyed learning about the cutting-edge research approaches from other labs, asking questions and learning about the current hot topics in plant pathology.
My first national meeting ended with Memphis soul and dance night, with the invitation to enjoy a band, DJ, and barbeque. I saw scientists who gave a mind-blowing talk during the meeting, now dancing with everyone and having fun, which made me feel like we do need time to take a break from our academic professionality and just have some fun. It was a moment to forget about the science for a bit and solely chat about our lives and make friends.
With all the remarks I heard at APS Plant Health Meeting 2024, I learned that staying in academia is not always just hard work and research, but it is the balance in between the academic pursue and having fun with new and old friends who I get to meet in my career journey.
Plant Health Perspectives
Mini highlights on the meeting from PLPA colleagues
Oadi Matny: Postering and Presenting Research
“I presented part of my project on improving stem rust resistance in barley. In this work, we have mapped a gene, which will be named rpg8. The APS conference is a great place for plant pathologists to meet colleagues in the same field, build networks, and collaborate with scientists and researchers.”
Pranaya Kaki: Workshops and Networking
“At the APS conference, I attended a workshop on Microbiome Networks in R, which I found highly beneficial for my current research project. Additionally, I established connections with a company working on the microbes included in my study, and they expressed significant interest in receiving updates on my ongoing research. Lastly, I had the opportunity to interact with professionals specializing in antimicrobial compounds.”
Ruth Dill-Macky: Leadership Forum
“I attended the Academic Unit Leadership Forum that was held at APS. This was an opportunity for the Chairs and Heads of the Plant Pathology Departments across the country to meet together and interact with APS leadership. We talked over some of the challenges our department/unit face, discussed advocacy efforts including funding for the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), and courses that we might offer collectively through APS.”
Becca Hall: Special Session
“Andrew Sathoff (a department alumnus) and I are the current chair and vice chair of the teaching committee of the American Phytopathological Society. In these roles we organized and moderated a special session titled “Hands-on Approaches for Teaching Plant Pathology to Undergraduates in Generation Z.” At this session, we had three speakers present and deliver hands-on activities that educators can bring back to their classrooms. One of our speakers was actually our own Ruth Dill-Macky who had attendees complete an ice breaker game that she has students do every spring in her PLPA 2001 course. Additionally, we had a speaker have a live cooking demonstration of mushrooms and corn smut for our 80+ attendees to try! It was such a fun and engaging way to break up the week of speakers, and it gave us a chance to network with other educators in APS. As the 2024-2025 chair of the committee I’m already starting to plan how to make these types of interactive sessions for Plant Health 2025.”
Nisha Paneru: Presenting and Learning
“At the APS meeting, I presented my research to all those brilliant minds. It was truly inspiring to witness their genuine curiosity on my research and to receive valuable insights as well as constructive feedback from them. Additionally, I also broadened my understanding of current research trends in plant pathology and identified areas of high demand through the various sessions I attended. Overall, it was indeed an incredible experience.”
Alexis Shatrau: Postering and Workshop
“At APS I got the opportunity to do a hands on workshop to learn nanopore sequencing which was very helpful! Additionally, It was great to get some valuable insights on my research from other plant pathologists by participating in the poster session.”
Dr Saroj Behre visits the department where her father studied in the 1950s
by Brian Steffenson
The Department of Plant Pathology hosted Dr. Saroj Behre and her husband Dr. Ashok Behre for a tour of the campus on July 24. Saroj is the daughter of distinguished alumnus Dr. Kishun D. Paharia (PhD 1956), who conducted research on cereal root rots under advisers Dr. Jonas J. Christensen and Dr. Thor Kommedahl. His thesis focused on the effect of cropping sequence on soil microflora in relation to the development of root rots of cereals, an area of research that is still important today in plant pathology. After completing his graduate studies, Dr. Paharia returned to India, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the Plant Protection Department within India’s Department of Agriculture. This agency had a significant influence on the agricultural practices across the country.

Saroj and Ashok participated in the weekly coffee hour during their visit, and were were greeted by many members of the department. Saroj shared stories about her father’s long journey from India to Minnesota by ship in 1952 and about working in a local restaurant to support himself while pursuing his studies. The couple was particularly touched with the stories shared by current students and faculty, emphasizing the continuing relevance of Dr. Paharia’s research and contributions. Saroj said that “it was inspiring to see how education continues to transform lives, just as it did for my father.”
Saroj and Ashok were then given a tour of the department by Ruth Dill-Macky, Brian Steffenson and Matthew Robidou, the grandson of Dr. Christensen who is currently enrolled as an undergraduate in the Plant Science program. Part of the tour included the laboratories and offices within Stakman Hall, which held special significance for Saroj because it was where her father had once studied. She reflected that “It was a nostalgic experience to walk the same halls my father walked and to see the impact of his work still resonating here today. We are truly blessed to have this opportunity to connect with the university and its community.” As the couple departed, Seroj took with her cherished memories of the place that shaped her father’s early professional life, a testament to the strong bond that exists between the university, its alumni, and even the legacies of alumni.
An abundance of Seminar Exchanges
Our department typically has a seminar exchange each year, but we were fortunate in Fall 2024 to be host three graduate-student speakers from other universities. Seminar exchanges are a tradition that allows students from different universities to visit another campus, present research, and socialize with UMN students, with the UMN student visiting that campus at another time to present.

José González - “Innovative IPM: Case Studies in Fungicide Use in Corn & Soybean”
José is a PhD student at Iowa State University who comes from Costa Rica. He worked in agricultural research and industry before beginning his PhD in Iowa. José’s current research focuses on predictive modeling for managing frogeye leaf spot in soybeans.

Fiama Guevara Guillen - “Unraveling the microbial communities of commercial hydroponic facilities in Ohio: insights into diversity and biocontrol potential”
Fiama is a PhD student at the Ohio State University, who also holds a degree in Biotechnology obtained in her home country of Ecuador. Her research analyzes the microbiome in hydroponic plant growth facilities in Ohio.

Stephanie Ramos - “Addressing knowledge gaps in disease epidemiology and detection of fungicide resistance in Cercospora leaf blight of soybean”
Stephanie is a MS student at Louisiana State University originally hailing from Brazil. She plans to pursue a PhD next. She studies disease epidemiology of Cercospora leaf blight in soybean, and works on fungicide resistance management and understanding fungicide resistance using LAMP and PCR testing.
Grad student camping trips: a tradition to treasure
by Jay Kim with Annie Harvieux
Students-only camping trips hosted by PPSO are a beloved tradition that makes time for the student body to connect and bond outside of classes, enjoy the natural spaces of Minnesota, and take some time for Plant Path-adjacent hobbies like foraging, nature photography, and hiking.
2024 had two camping trips. On May 10th through 12th, PPSO had a spring camping trip at Afton State Park. It was a lucky camping trip for forgaging fans, with lots of morel mushrooms.
The fall camping trip at Wild River State Park from October 4-6 brought the opportunity for students to see Northern lights in a clear sky.
