In this episode, D.C. lobbyist Madeline Wade, M.P.P., partner and founder of Brumidi Group, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss all things lobbying including her firm’s role in working on behalf of APS to advance their policy priorities and implement meaningful policy actions. She also discusses her time on The Hill working under U.S. Representative Greg Walden, navigating the crowded D.C. political ecosystem, and the role of social media and its influence on political discourse.

*Show Notes *

Madeline Wade’s Brumidi Group profile: https://www.brumidigroup.com/madeline-wade

Madeline Wade’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-wade-a2419639

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Madeline Wade.

In this episode, Dr. Carrie Harmon (University of Florida), Dr. Matt Bertone (North Carolina State University), Dr. Alicyn Smart (University of Maine), and Dr. Peng Tian (University of Missouri) join host Matt Kasson to discuss the history and importance of National Plant Diagnostic Network, their various roles in the NPDN and the regional diagnostic networks, and their responsibilities as Directors of their University’s Plant Disease and Pest Diagnostic Clinics. They also discuss some of the misconceptions of diagnostics and share some of the craziest samples they’ve encountered.

*Show Notes *

NPDN Website: https://www.npdn.org/

Dr. Carrie Harmon’s University profile: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/people/faculty-pages/carrie-harmon/

UF/IFAS Plant Diagnostic Center: https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/plant-diagnostic-center/

Dr. Matt Bertone’s University profile: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/profile/matt-bertone/

NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic: https://pdic.ces.ncsu.edu/

Dr. Alicyn Smart’s University profile: https://extension.umaine.edu/about/staff-directory/alicyn-smart/

The University of Maine Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab: https://extension.umaine.edu/ipm/plant-disease/

Dr. Peng Tian’s University profile: https://cafnr.missouri.edu/directory/peng-tian-phd/

University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic: https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/plant-diagnostic-clinic

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guests: Peng Tian, Alicyn Smart, Carrie Harmon, and Matt Bertone.

In this episode, Dr. Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde, Assistant Professor of Host-Microbe Interactions in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his lab’s research program on multi-trophic interactions in vector-borne diseases in corn, soybean, and other crops. He also discusses growing up in Ecuador, his time working on numerous tropical plant viruses in Hawaii and transitioning to working with fastidious prokaryotes and diverse disease vectors.

*show notes *

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde’s Iowa State University profile: https://www.ppem.iastate.edu/people/alejandro-olmedo-velarde

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde's lab website: https://faculty.sites.iastate.edu/aolmedov/

Dr. Olmedo-Velarde’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=rBzKiKQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde.

In this episode, Dr. Tiffany Lowe-Power, Associate Professor Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on Ralstonia, her NSF CAREER Award, and her cohort based undergraduate research experience (CURE) focused on integrating the next generation of novel investigations of toxin ecology and evolution (IGNITE) in Ralstonia. She also discusses the importance of good mentorship and navigating academia with a unique phenotype.

Show Notes

Dr. Lowe-Power’s UC Davis profile: https://plantpathology.ucdavis.edu/people/tiffany-lowe-power

Dr. Lowe-Power’s lab website: http://lowepowerlab.ucdavis.edu/

Dr. Lowe-Power’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=aMxz2moAAAAJ&hl=en

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Tiffany Lowe-Power.

In this episode, Dr. Lina Quesada, William Neil Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Vegetable Pathology at North Carolina State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her lab’s research program on downy mildews and sweet potato diseases. She also discusses her love of extension and how she connects her basic science research with growers’ needs.

*Show Notes
*

Dr. Quesada’s NC State University profile: https://cals.ncsu.edu/entomology-and-plant-pathology/people/lmquesad/

Dr. Quesada’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=im2J9VIAAAAJ

2023 APS Syngenta Award write-up: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/awards/Syngenta/Pages/2023-Syngenta_Quesada.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Lina Quesada.

In this episode, Dr. Jim Westwood, Professor of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss parasitic plants and his lab’s work on their novel structures and mechanisms for information exchange with their hosts. He also discusses his time in the Peace Corps in Mauritania and as a Fulbright Scholar in France along with management strategies used against parasitic plants both in the U.S. and abroad.

Show Notes

Dr. Westwood’s Virginia Tech profile: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/westwood-james.html

Dr. Westwood’s lab website: https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/westwood-james/westwood-lab.html

Dr. Westwood’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_Q1dozYAAAAJ&hl=en

Virginia Tech write-up on Dr. Westwood’s NSF Plant Genome Grant using parasitic plants to edit host plant genomes: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/12/parasitic-weeds-tool-for-altering-plant-genomics-collaboration-nsf.html

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Jim Westwood.

In this episode, Dr. Libby Cieniewicz, Associate Professor of Plant Virology in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss general plant virology and her lab’s work in plant virus ecology and epidemiology across diverse fruit production systems. She also discusses the challenges of managing plant viruses and their disease vectors and advocating for grad student-led associations.

Show Notes

Dr. Cieniewicz’s Clemson profile: https://www.clemson.edu/cafls/faculty_staff/profiles/ecienie

Dr. Cieniewicz’s lab website: https://cieniewiczviruslab.weebly.com/

Dr. Cieniewicz’s google scholar page: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=U_Vq9cEAAAAJ

SeedWorld article on Dr. Cieniewicz’s collaborative work on peach diseases: https://www.seedworld.com/us/2023/07/18/climate-change-isnt-the-only-challenge-south-carolinas-peaches-have-faced/

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Libby Cieniewicz.

In this episode, PhD student Isako (Izzi) Di Tomassi from the Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Program in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her formative research experiences as an early career plant pathologist, the challenges of losing her graduate advisor due to unprecedented reorganization across the USDA, and her motivation for co-creating and co-organizing the McClintock Letters Initiative. She also discusses her love of teaching and the importance of effective science communication in modern day academia.

Show Notes

Izzi Di Tomassi’s Cornell profile: https://cals.cornell.edu/people/isako-di-tomassi

Izzi Di Tomassi’s website: https://blogs.cornell.edu/isakoditomassi/

Science article on the McClintock Letters Initiative: https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-researchers-are-speaking-science-local-newspapers

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

Special Guest: Isako Di Tomassi.