Virginia Tech Translational Plant Sciences Center

TPSC affiliates Dr. Bargmann, Dr. Wright, Lili Zebluim (Wright Lab), and Dr. Neres (former Wright Lab member) attended the International Plant Growth Substances Association Conference in CO. The week-long event focused on plant hormones and other substances that regulate growth.

Kelsey Reed, TPSC Postdoctoral Researcher, and Abby Masri, TPSC Lab Technician, had the opportunity to attend the 2025 In Vitro Biology Meeting held in Norfolk, Virginia, from June 7 to 10. Their attendance was made possible through the support of the TPSC Non-PI Seed Grant.

Learn more about the I2Grow Project: sites.google.com/vt.edu/i2grow/…

In the Li Lab, undergraduate and graduate students are using the I2Grow Robot to explore food waste as a nutrient source for hydroponic farming. The robot uses two different nutrient reservoirs to test food waste from @HokieDining as a biostimulant to help the plants grow larger.

Ph.D. students Nathanial Boeckman and Manisha Chaudhary attended the 4th International Symposium of Fire Blight on Rosaceous Plants in Richland, WA in June. Manisha presented her research poster, and Nathanial won first place in the graduate student oral presentation contest.

TPSC affiliates Dr. Cridland and Dr. Reed taught middle school students about plant science and genetics as part of SEE VT, a residential summer camp that gives students the opportunity to learn, examine, and reflect on what it means to live (and thrive) in rural communities.

Dr. Song Li hosted a summer coding workshop for plant single-cell data analysis at the @InnVirginiaTech in late June. Participants spent the week learning about cross-species comparison and cell type identification through presentations and hands-on challenges.

Four undergraduate students have joined the @SchmaleLab in Austria to research ice nucleation as part of the @NSF-funded International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program, which supports hands-on global research opportunities for undergraduates.

The Leisner and Cladis Labs visited the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center for the Berry Crops Field Day in early June. Drs. Leisner, Cladis, and Samtani have a @VTCals seed grant to establish blueberry plantings for research in Hampton Roads. #vtberrybites

Jessica Dodson, an undergraduate researcher from the Wright Lab, was featured in a @vtnews article detailing her involvement in an innovative research project that bridges the gap between synthetic biology and space exploration. Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/2025/…

Recent graduate April Sayers from the Wright Lab was featured in a @vtnews article detailing her time as an undergraduate research assistant, where she focused on studying the biosynthetic pathways of auxin production in fungi genetics. Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/2025/…

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved promotions, tenure, and continued appointments at its June 3rd meeting. Congratulations to TPSC affiliates Dr. Song Li, Dr. Clay Wright, and Dr. Sasha Marine!

Funded by an $800,000 @NSF grant, TPSC faculty member Dr. Leisner will seek to better understand how pepper plants respond when simultaneously infected with the pathogen Xanthomonas and experiencing extreme heat. Read more: news.vt.edu/articles/2025/…

In late May, TPSC held its Annual Retreat at @MtnLakeLodge, bringing together our community to celebrate recent successes and collectively envision the road ahead. The retreat emphasized mindfulness, science outreach and impact, and the future of plant sciences.

Ph.D. candidate Maria Paula Erazo-Garcia recently gave a talk titled "Cryptic infection of a giant virus in a unicellular green alga" and received a Talk Excellence Award at the 12th Aquatic Virus Workshop in Banyuls-Sur-Mer, France. Congratulations, Paula!  @AVW12_Banyuls

Ph.D. candidate Matheus Borba received the 2025 @vtspes Outstanding M.S. Student in Research Award in May! While completing his M.S. degree, Matheus developed integrated disease management strategies for apples and pears, focusing on Fire Blight, Bitter Rot, and European Canker.

TPSC faculty member Dr. Sherif received the @vtspes Outstanding Extension Faculty Award! Dr. Sherif works to advance the tree fruit industry through integrating basic and applied research to develop strategies to optimize yield and quality while reducing environmental impact.

TPSC graduate student Kamal Chhetri from the Zeng Lab received an @plantdisease Student Travel Award to support his attendance at Plant Health 2025 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This year’s theme is “Global Communities Collaborating to Address Global Risk”. Congratulations, Kamal!