Meet the 2024 Graduates

Graduate Program

Mariah Kidd

M.S., Plant Pathology

Mariah Kidd’s thesis is titled “Nematodes: model organisms for indicating soil health and studying ecological community structure in soybean fields.”

Thesis info: She sought to find a correlation between the distribution of plant parasitic nematodes in Pennsylvania and cultural farming practices. She also looked to see if the presence of plant parasitic nematode species could be correlated with certain fungal species with emphasis on Fusarium.

When asked about insight for prospective students, Kidd responded, “I would recommend getting involved in the department's graduate student association. It was one of the fastest ways to build a community in the area. Students should also take advantage of what the university has to offer. There are so many opportunities to learn with lectures on financial literacy or even fitness classes that introduce you to new ways to move your body.”

Mariah Kidd received the following awards during her graduate career at Penn State:

• NSF GRFP

Crosley Kudla-Williams

M.S, Plant Pathology; Phytopathology

Crosley Kudla-Williams has accepted a position as a Biological Science Laboratory Technician Employer with the United States Department of Agriculture; Agricultural Research Service.

Kudla-Williams thesis is titled "The Interactions Between the Spotted Lanternfly, Grapevines, and Grapevine Pathogens."

Through her research, she investigated if SLF could act as a vector to transmit certain grapevine pathogens. She found that SLF were able to transmit phytoplasmas associated with North American grapevine yellows at low rates of 7% and 5% by nymph and adult insects, respectively. SLF were not found to transmit grapevine red blotch virus in her experiments. She also conducted initial SLF transmission experiments with Xylella fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa (Xff), the causal agent of Pierce's disease, which led the way to confirming the ability of SLF to transmit Xff in an experimental greenhouse setting. She also examined the impact of Xff-infected grapevines on the development and feeding preference of SLF. SLF showed a decreased rate of development from nymph to adult stage, and a higher overall mortality when caged on Xff-infected vines. Choice tests revealed that female adult SLF preferred to feed on uninfected over PD-infected vines. Lastly, she studied how the combined biotic stress of SLF infestation and Xff infection impacted primary metabolites important for grapevine growth and productivity. Overall, SLF had a negative impact on end-of-the-season carbohydrate storage, in which vines exposed to SLF for seven weeks had lower starch concentrations in root and cane tissues regardless of PD infection. Notably, Xff-infected vines had higher end-of-the-season nitrogen concentration in canes and roots, independent of SLF presence. Taken together, her work conducted at Penn State provides insight into how SLF may influence existing pathosystems as they continue to invade and colonize vineyards across the U.S. The information from my research may be used in future studies to better predict SLF invasion and risk factors associated with grapevines and their pathogens, ultimately leading to improved response preparedness to invasive species like SLF.

Karen Luong 

Ph.D., Plant Pathology

Karen Luong has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Grove City College (Grove City, PA).

Luong's thesis is titled "Combating the Enemy: Understanding the Population Genetics of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and Efficacy and Feasibility of Current Management Strategies of White Mold of Soybeans in Pennsylvania."

Luong's time at Penn State was spent studying the genetic diversity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum populations of Pennsylvania and New York, developing a high-throughput microtiter-based fungicide sensitivity assay, surveying growers on best management practices for white mold and barriers to adoption, and creating an interactive online teaching tool on plant disease epidemiology using white mold as the model.

When asked about insight for prospective students, Luong responded, "Writing a research proposal helped prepare me for grant writing and my dissertation. Some advice for future students: Your research proposal is a guideline, and it is okay if your research project or objectives change or you need to find alternative methods to complete your goals. Seek help from people who know how to perform the methods or analyses you don't know how to. You will need to learn how to do things, but you don't need to do it alone."

Karen Luong received the following awards during her graduate career at Penn State:

• Lester P. Nichols Memorial Award
• Henry W. Popp Award

Leadership Roles:

Plant Pathology Association President (2021-2022)

Emma R. Martinez

Ph.D., Plant Pathology

Martinez's thesis is titled "Phenotypic and Genetic Analyses of the Lettuce Bacterial Leaf Spot Pathogen, Xanthomonas hortorum pv.vitians, and the Development of a Rapid Detection Technique."

Martinez studied the molecular interactions between lettuce and the bacterial plant pathogen that causes bacterial leaf spot. She used a comparative genomics approach to identify genes that might be responsible for cultivar-specificity in resistance via the hypersensitive response. She created a method for pathogen-specific detection. She generated a deletion mutant for one of these genes for future testing of the role of that gene in the resistance phenotype.

When asked about insight for prospective students, Martinez responded, "From the very beginning of your program, seek out experiences that help you decide what career you want to have after graduation. Having a clear vision of the job you want will help you tailor your studies and maintain your motivation throughout your program. 'As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.' — Maya Angelou"

Emma R. Martinez received the following awards during her graduate career at Penn State: NSF Graduate Research Fellow

• 2022-08 National Extension Diversity Award
• ECOP and USDA-NIFA for Penn State Extension’s Latinx Ag. Outreach Network
• 2021-06 William Henson Diversity Achievement Award
• 2017-06 NASA PA Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship

Leadership Roles:

• Public Communications and Curriculum Committees for PPEM
•  Treasurer and secretary for PPA
•  Co-founded the Latinx Agricultural Outreach Network
• Co-founder 2022-03 Evans Family Award for Graduate Student Extension Achievement

Michelle Paukett

Ph.D., Plant Pathology

Michelle Paukett has accepted a position as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University.

Paukett's thesis is titled "Agricultural Sustainability in the Local Context."

 She identified, through laboratory tests, Mortierella spp. local to PA and studied how they can inhibit the growth of the root rot pathogen F. solani. She characterized soil fungal and bacterial communities during early soybean development under Pythium disease pressure through greenhouse and field experiments, designing 3D printed rhizoboxes to facilitate the study's unique requirements. She evaluated the PA Soybean On-Farm Network by conducting surveys and interviews, as well as used content analysis to determine how the PA Soybean Board and Conarroz (a rice producer organization in Costa Rica) support agricultural sustainability in their production systems.

When asked about insight for prospective students, Paukett responded, "Interact with other departments, such as attending their seminars, because it can inform your research in unpredictable ways. For example, my mentor is in Engineering and she gave me the idea to use 3D printing to get exactly what I needed to conduct my experiment at an affordable price (free!). I also attended Comparative Literature Luncheons and this is where I first was introduced to content analysis, which ended up being the basis of my INTAD project when my other plans fell through. Outside perspectives are invaluable to developing and conducting quality research, and in my experience these people are very happy to help you!"

Michelle Paukett received the following awards during her graduate career at Penn State:

• 2023 Martin Stoner Scholarship Award for the 68thAnnual Conference on Soilborne Plant Pathogens in Salinas, CA
• 2022 Herbert Cole Jr. Fund for Plant Pathology & Environmental Microbiology Award
• 2022 Henry W. Popp Graduate Assistantship Award
•  2022 & 2020 American Phytopathological Society Student Travel Award for Annual National Meetings
• 2021 Arthur and Rita Gaspari Memorial Scholarship
• 2021 GCUA Mentorship Program
• 2021 Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences INTAD Competitive Grant ($2,000)
• 2020 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Graduate Student Grant Award ($14,986)
• 2019 Elwin L. Stewart & Barbara J. Christ Plant Pathology Graduate Studies Enhancement Fund

Leadership Roles:

• Student Representative on the Seminar Committee
• PresPrep Coordinator for MEGA