Proposal and Exit Seminars

September 8

• Preliminary Examination
  Laura Valli
  11:00 a.m., WSU Breadlab, Burlington, WA and via Zoom

September 11

• Final Examination
  Shahbaz Ahmed
  “Exploring Arabidopsis Molecular Insights, Brassica Napus AHL Genome-Wide Analysis, and Genotype Stability Assessment: A Multi-Pronged Approach to Enhance Canola Traits”
  11:00 a.m., PBS 301 and via Zoom

November 7

• Final Examination
  Emily Klarquist
  “Biofortification Research Methods for Plant Breeding Programs”
  1:00 p.m., Hulbert Hall 409 and via Zoom

November 13

• Final Examination
  Tayler Reinman
  “Evaluating Characteristics of Proso Millet Cultivars and Potential for Adoption in the Inland Pacific Northwest”
  1:00 p.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom

November 15

• Final Examination
  Zhou Tang
  “Speed Up the Precision Agriculture with Artificial Intelligence Empowered Phenomics”
  2:00 p.m., Plant Science Building 401

November 21

• Final Examination
  Justin Maltry
  “Reducing Soil Compaction with Summer Cover Crops”
  9:00 a.m., Puyallup REC Admin Bldg., Chicona Room, and via Zoom

November 22

• Proposal Defense Seminar
  Diana Salguero
  “Soil compaction impact on soil functions in dryland production systems of the Pacific”
  9:00 a.m., Clark Hall, Room 393

December 4

• Proposal Defense Seminar
  Madeline Desjardins
  “Evaluating the Short- and Long-Term Effects of Biosolids on Soil Functions, Carbon Sequestration, and System Diversification in Semi-Arid Dryland Cropping Systems”
  12:00-12:30 p.m., NWREC ArtB 115 and via Zoom

December 8

• Final Examination
  Yi-Ting Chen
  “The Importance of Global Germplasm Distribution and Exchange for Plants and Recommendations for the Future”
  1:00 p.m. Clark Hall 331 and via Zoom

December 14

• Preliminary Examination
  Diana Salguero
  9:00 a.m., Clark Hall 331 and via Zoom

December 15

• Proposal Defense Seminar
  Evan Domsic
  “Unlocking Quinoa’s Budding Potential: Overcoming Barriers to its Adoption as a Commodity Crop in Western Washington and Beyond”
  1:00 p.m., NWREC ArtB 115 and via Zoom

May 22

• Proposal Defense Seminar
  Laura Valli
  “The Meaning of Rye”
  10:00-10:30 a.m., WSU Breadlab, Burlington, WA and via Zoom

July 17

• Final Examination
  Andrew Spishakoff
  “Rhizosphere microbiome diversity in field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) and it’s implications for plant and soil health in eastern Washington”
  1:00 p.m., Clark Hall 393

August 25

• Preliminary Examination
  Robin Morgan
  9:00 a.m., WSU Breadlab, Burlington, WA and via Zoom

February 16

Proposal Seminar

Katherine Smith
“Assessing the potential of canola-legume intercropping for sustainable intensification in eastern Washington” 

9:00 a.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom

March 7

• Final Examination
  Cassidy Shamseldin
  10:00 a.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom
• Preliminary Examination
  Katherine Smith
  11:00 a.m., Clark 393

March 27

Preliminary Examination

Matthew Brooke

9:00 a.m., Clark 393

March 31

Proposal Seminar

Chris Benedict
“Tracking the Changes in Weed Populations in Response to Tillage”

11:00 a.m., via Zoom

April 11

• Final Examination
  Harmony Varner
  “Irrigation Scheduling for High-Value Annual Specialty Crops in the Face of Climate Change: Two Research Approaches”
  9:00 a.m., NWREC Art B 115 and via Zoom
• Final Examination
  Morgan Hasler
  10:00 a.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom
• Final Examination
  Patrick Freeze
  “Attenuation of Arsenic in Soil and Water Using Iron-Enriched Compost”
  1:00 p.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom

April 12

Proposal Seminar

Robin Morgan
“Can Plant Breeders Change Food Systems”

1:15-1:45 p.m., WSU Bread Lab and via Zoom

April 14

• Final Examination
  Arjun Upadhaya
  “Genetic Characterization of Virulence in a Pacific Northwest Stem Rust Population and Mapping of New Sources of Resistance in Barley”
  10:15 a.m., Clark 331 and via Zoom
• Final Examination
  Kenton Lyman
  “Response of Italian Ryegrass to Crop Rotation and Indaziflam in Eastern Washington”
  1:00 p.m., Plant Science Building Room 405

April 19

• Final Examination
  Marija Savic
  “Smooth Scouringrush (Equisetum laevigatum) Control with Glyphosate is Affected by Surfactant Choice and Time of Application”
  1:00 p.m., Clark Hall 331

April 21

• Exit Seminar
  Merri Metcalfe
  “Wheat for Community Foods Systems and Equitable Nutrient Availability”
  9:00-9:30 a.m., WSU Breadlab, Burlington, WA and via Zoom
• Final Examination
  Jesse Ford
  “Optimizing Agronomic Production of Winter Canola for Plant Growth and Winter Survival”
  10:00 a.m., Plant Science Building 305 and via Zoom

May 1

• Final Examination
  Atit Parajuli
  “Understanding Complex Traits in Alfalfa through Transcriptomics, Genomics, and Proteomics”
  10:00 a.m., Clark 393 and via Zoom

May 4

• Proposal Defense Seminar
  Laura Valli
  “The Meaning of Rye”
  9:00-9:30 a.m., WSU Breadlab, Burlington, WA and via Zoom

September 13

Preliminary Examination

Aichatou Djibo Waziri

9:00 a.m., PSB 405

November 16

Final Examination

Sarah Peery
“Exploring Vivipary as a Cause of Low Falling Numbers from Elevated Alpha-Amylase in Wheat Grain; is it a Novel Mechanism, or is it Related to Preharvest Sprouting and Late Maturity Alpha-Amylase?”

2:00 p.m., PSB 405

November 17

Proposal Seminar

Matthew Brooke
“Improving Malt Quality and Stem Rust Resistance in the Washington State University Barley Breeding Program”

Hulbert Hall 409, 10:00 a.m.

November 18

Final Examination

Alexandra Davis
“Sustainability of Organic and Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems on the Palouse”

10:00 a.m. Clark Hall 331 and via Zoom

December 13

Final Examination

Lee Opdahl
“Investigations into lactate-bound metals: A sustainable alternative to inorganic micronutrient fertilizers”

1:00 p.m., Plant Science Building 405 and via Zoom

May 24

Final Examination

Julianne Kellogg
“Mainstreaming Biofortification with Participatory Crop Nutritional Characterization Research and Human Health Clinical Research” 

9:00 a.m., via Zoom

May 27

Final Examination

Jason Wigen
“QTL Analysis and Genomic Selection for Preharvest Sprouting Tolerance in Winter Wheat”

9:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

July 28

Final Examination

Cristina Ocana Gallegos
“Evaluation of Preharvest Sprouting in a Diverse Panel of Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.)”

10:00 a.m., via Zoom

February 8

Final Examination

Evan Craine
“Breeding for Quinoa (Chenopodium Quinoa Willd.) and Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.) End-Use Quality” 

9:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

February 11

Proposal Defense

Merri Metcalf
“Wheat for Community Food Systems and Equitable Nutrient Availability”

8:30 a.m. via Zoom

March 24

Final Examination

Lance Merrick
“Into the Unknown: Predicting Wheat Disease Resistance and Seedling Emergence”

9:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

March 25

Final Examination

Yingxue Yu
“Fate and Transport of Micro-and Nanoparticles in the Subsurface”

2:00 p.m., Puyallup R&E Center, Chicona Rm and via AMS/Zoom

March 29

Final Examination

Savannah Phipps
“Piece of PI: Novel Genetics for Snow Mold Tolerance in PI 173438

10:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E

April 8

Preliminary Examination

Merri Metcalfe

9:30 a.m., WSU Bread Lab Conference Room and via Zoom

April 12

Proposal Seminar

Atit Parajuli
“Genome Wide Assessment of Inbreeding Depression in Alfalfa”

2:00 p.m.

April 20

Final Examination

Madisyn Beaudoin
“Germination Response of Annual Grass Weeds to Gibberellic Acid 3 and Preemergence Herbicides in Eastern Washington Dryland Wheat Production”

1:30 p.m., Johnson Hall 151

April 21

Final Examination

Samuel Revolinski
“Cheating Cheatgrass: Understanding the Genetic and Phenotypic Variation Underlying Adaptive Traits in Downy Brome”

10:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E

April 28

Preliminary Examination

Kaushik Adhikari

3:00 p.m., via Zoom

April 29

Final Examination

Tessa Belo
“Reducing the Risk of Onion Bacterial Diseases through Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertility Management”

3:00 p.m., NWREC ArtB 115 and via Zoom

May 9

Final Examination

Nickolas Frisbee
“Soil Microbial Community and Winter Wheat Performance Across Eastern Washington State”

9:00 a.m., via Zoom

May 10

Preliminary Examination

Atit Parajuli

10:00 a.m., via Zoom

Final Examination

Molly Mcilquham
“Calibrating Soil Health Metrics for Washington State’s Primary Wine Grape Growing Region”

1:00 p.m,, NWREC ArtB Sakuma Auditorium and via Zoom

September 30

Preliminary Examination

Kwabena Sarpong

1 p.m. via Zoom

October 13

Proposal Seminar

Arjun Upadhaya
“Utilizing GWAS to Characterize Virulence in a Pacific Northwest Stem Rust Population and New Sources of Resistance in Barley”

10 a.m., Johnson 104E

October 26

Final Examination

Karansher Singh Sandhu
“Enhancing Genetic Gain in a Wheat Breeding Program Using Genomics, Phenomics, Machine and Deep Learning Algorithms”

1 p.m., Johnson 104E, Pullman and via Zoom

November 9

Preliminary Examination

Arjun Upadhaya

1 p.m., Johnson 104E

November 16

Final Examination

Nikayla Strauss
“Identifying Novel Disease Resistance and Drought Tolerance Genes in A Synthetic NAM Popluation”

11:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

November 17

Final Examination

Samuel Prather
“Genetic Analysis of Hexaploid Spring Wheat for Hessian Fly Resistance and Improved End-Use Quality”

12:00 p.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

November 18

Preliminary Examination

Zhou Tang

2:00 p.m., via Zoom

November 19

Proposal Seminar

Aichatou Djibo Waziri

9:00 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

December 13

Final Examination

Leslie Michel
“On-Farm Cover Crop Trials in the Dryland Wheat Fallow Region of North-Central Washington”

9 a.m., Johnson Hall 104E and via Zoom

June 11

Proposal Seminar

Hatem Younes
“Water and Soil Quality Management for Root Health and Management of Verticillium Wilt in Potato”

1:00 p.m.

July 6

Final Examination

Abdelsalam Aldrmon
“Chemical and Physical Parameters of Biochar Produced from Different Feedstocks and Temperatures with Potential to Improve Properties of Sandy Soil”

9:00 a.m.

July 12

Final Examination

Cheyenne Sloan
“Nitrogen Supply from Soil Organic Matter: Predictors and Implications for Nutrient Management”

2:00 p.m.

July 19

Final Examination

Toby Una
“Winter Cover Crop Suitability for Improved Soil Health in Northwestern Washington”

3:00 p.m.

July 20

Final Examination

Wilson Craine
“Camelina Breeding and Genetics”

9:00 a.m.

February 5

Proposal Seminar

Rachel Breslauer
“Dissecting Contributions of Quinoa and Buckwheat to Agroecosystem and Human Health”

1:00-1:50 p.m.

March 26

Preliminary Examination

Rachel Breslauer

12:00-3:00 p.m.

April 14

Final Examination

Wei-An Chen

10:00 a.m.

April 20

Doctoral Examination

Chun-Peng James Chen
“A Paradigm Shift in Breeding: From Genomics to Phenomics” 

10:00 a.m.

April 22

Final Examination

Lydia Fields
“Assessment of Optical Spray Technology for Application in Eastern Washington Fallow Systems”

9:30 a.m.

April 30

Proposal Seminar

Kwabena (Kobby) Sarpong
“Developing a Soil Health Assessment Framework for Specialty Crop Systems and Soils of Washington State”

12:00-1:00 p.m.

December 7

Preliminary Examination

Emily Klarquist
9 a.m.
Meeting ID: 983 1776 1423

December 8

Preliminary Exam

Julianne Kellogg
12 p.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 986 7448 6818
Passcode: 393313

December 18

Preliminary Exam

Aaron Appleby
9 a.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 990 9731 8550 
Passcode: 087674

February 11

Proposal Defense Seminar

Yingxue Yu
“Transport of Phytophthora cactorum Zoospores in Unsaturated Porous Media”
Johnson Hall 104E, 1:00 a.m.
Zoom Meeting ID: 649 588 203

February 20

Preliminary Examination

Lee James Opdahl
Johnson Hall 272, 12:30 p.m.

February 21

Exit Seminar

Raul Arroyo Rosas
“Control of Rattail Fescue (vulpia myuros) in Carbon-Seeded Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass”
Johnson Hall 151, 1:00 p.m.

February 25

Proposal Defense Seminar

Katherine Naasko
“Effects of Management on Soil Organic Matter, Physical and Microbial Properties in the Inland Pacific Northwest”
Johnson Hall 326, 10:00 a.m.

March 30

Exit Seminar

Jacob Fischer
“Chemical Control of Rush Skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea) During Summer Fallow in Eastern Washington”

The exam will be conducted entirely via ZOOM.

Zoom Meeting ID: 669 788 946

April 8

Preliminary Exam

Yingxue Yu

Zoom Meeting ID: 511 498 074

April 15

Preliminary Exam

Shahbaz Ahmed

2 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 940 481 108

April 21

Preliminary Exam

Karansher Singh Sandhu

1 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 611 652 993

April 30

Ph.D. Proposal Seminar

Samuel Revolinski
“Cheating Cheatgrass: Applying Quantitative Genomic Tools to Improve Management Decisions for Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum L.) Using Evolutionary Principles” 

4:30 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 581 944 629

May 6

Exit Seminar

Jared Beuschlein
“Management of Ventenata with Indaziflam on Conservation Reserve Program Land”

1 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 989 8558 4346 

Password: 056495

May 14

Preliminary Exam

Kaviraj Singh

1 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 928 1271 9064

May 20

Ph.D. Proposal Seminar

Julianne Kellogg
“Advancing Biofortification: Broadening Scope and Impact with New Crops, New Methods, and Assessment of Human Health Impacts”

2 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 559 736 914

May 28

Final Examination

Pragya Asthana

1 p.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 938 7821 4216

May 29

Final Examination

Cassandra J. Rieser
“Soil Health and Microbial Communities in Dryland Cereal Cropping Systems of the Pacific Northwest”

11 a.m.

Zoom Meeting ID: 916 6201 8409 

Password: 531549

September 4

Lee Opdahl
“Investigation on the effects of metal lactates on wheat and wheat rhizosphere microorganisms”
Johnson Hall 204 – 1:00 p.m.

November 1

Karansher Singh Sandhu
“Genome-Wide Association Studies and Genomic Selection in Wheat”
Johnson Hall 204 – 3:00 p.m.

November 15

Aysegul Eroglu
“The Identification of Some Unknown Allium Accessions for Ornamental Value”
Johnson Hall 204E – 8:00 a.m.