75th Annual NC APS Meeting

The 75th Annual NC APS Meeting was hosted by Purdue University and held in West Lafayette, IN. The North Central Division is the regional representation of the American Phytopathological Society.

We had over 130 in attendance representing 12 north central universities and industry where 21 oral presentations and 46 poster presentations were shared. Popular events included peer-to-peer training sessions and tours of the Purdue Arthur Fungarium and Kriebel HerbariumAg Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility, Purdue Horticultural Garden Park, and Campus Tree Trails. 

Poster Presentation Awards:

  • First Place - Sabina Paudel, North Dakota State University, Developing a real-time PCR for rapid detection and identification of the pin nematode Paratylenchus nanus Type B
  • Second Place - Monica Mizuno, Purdue University,  Evaluation of drone applications for tar spot in corn in Indiana
  • Third Place (tied) - Ji Hyun Kim, University of Minnesota, Determining the role of soybean cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase genes in white mold
    and
    Pierce Taylor, University of Missouri, Soybean response to foliar fungicide applications in Missouri on-farm strip trials

Oral Presentation Awards: 

  • First Place - Monica Pennewitt, Iowa State University,  Assessing the effects of host plant exudates and leachates on hatching of Pratylenchus spp.
  • Second Place - Denise Caldwell, Purdue University, Uncovering the Morphological Characteristics of Phyllachora maydis in Maize: A Comprehensive Analysis
  • Third Place - Nitha Rafi, North Dakota State University,  Differential response of soybean accessions to Fusarium proliferatum causing root rot.

Distinguished Service Award​: Dr. Janna Beckerman, Purdue University
This recognition is given to members of the Division who have made outstanding contributions throughout her or his career to plant pathology, the North Central Division, and its parent society.

Mid-Career Award: Dr. Tamra Jackson-Ziems, University of Nebraska

Early-Career Award: Dr. Sally Mallowa, Augustanan University

A special thank you to Purdue Diagnostic Center (Dr. Corey Gerber and Team), Purdue Herbarium (Dr. Simmons), Ag Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility (Chris Hoagland), Dr. Jian Jin and his team, Dr. Fred Whitford for his engaging talk, and BTNY staff and students who helped out. They all contributed to a very successful program. Photos provided by Denise Caldwell, Mariela Fernandez Campos, and Michael Richter. 

Tour of AAPF Chris Hoagland gives a tour of the Ag Alumni Seed Phenotyping Facility
Organizer opening meeting Meeting organizer and NC APS President, Darcy Telenko, opens the 75th annual NC APS Meeting
technology demonstration Postdoc Xing Wei and PhD student Xuan Li demonstrate Purdue's unique handheld hyperspectral leaf scanner, LeafSpec.
Group at presentation Oral presentations at the Beck Center
Presentations Darcy Telenko and Mayowa Aderoju from North Dakota State, who won the Extension Flash-N-Dash Competition
disease scouting table Turfgrass disease scouting peer-to-peer training with Dr. Lee Miller
Denise Caldwell presentation Purdue graduate student Denise Caldwell during her oral presentation.
disease scouting table Visiting Scholar Nileshwari Yewle and undergraduate Cora Reynolds from the Telenko Lab talking soybean diseases at peer-to-peer training
herbarium tour Herbaria curator, D. Rabern Simmons, gives a tour.
large group photo Group photo on steps on Lilly Hall

Featured Stories

Meihls poses next to rocks in Peru
Ag Boilers Abroad: Expanding education across continents

For Hayvn Meihls, studying abroad started with a leap of faith and turned into a passion for...

Read More
Eight Purdue Dairy Club students stand in front of a University of Wisconsin–Platteville Pioneer backdrop at the Midwest ADSA-USD annual meeting.
Purdue Dairy Club combines competition, career development at Midwest ADSA-USD Meeting

Nine Purdue students represented the Dairy Club at the 2026 Midwest ADSA-USD Regional Meeting.

Read More
Satellite image of individual trees in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Digital forestry team combines AI with satellite data to monitor urban trees

A Purdue University digital forestry team has created a computational tool to obtain and analyze...

Read More
person using computer with dual monitors
Simple Personal Databases – Make Your Records Digital Simply

Keeping records of events, transactions, and important activities can be simplified using digital...

Read More
Economist stands before global food loss and waste export map.
Billions of tons in food loss and waste at stake in global diets

If historical dietary trends continue, economic modeling shows that food loss and waste could...

Read More
Woman holding lamb
Finding her path in animal sciences

Growing up in Houston, Texas, Mel Sercu knew she wanted a future working closely with animals....

Read More