Botany & Plant Pathology
2023 BPP Research Showcase
Held on November 15 at the Beck Agricultural Center, the 2023 Research Showcase highlights findings that fuel the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology's mission to protect the environment, improve plants, and manage natural resources. Over 70 graduate students, post doctoral researchers, visiting scholars, and undergraduate students had the opportunity to present their research to several faculty, staff, and industry partners. In addition to the poster presentations, we had several talks from our Weier award winners, post doctoral researchers, and graduate student lightning talks. See the full list of poster titles here.
Weier Award Winners:
- Sandra Gomez Gutierrez - Outstanding PhD Graduate Student
- Juan Diego Rojas Gutierrez - Outstanding Graduate Leadership
Undergraduate Poster Awards:
- First Place: Jonathan Lu
- Second Place: Morgan Murff
- Third Place: Molly Kosiba
Department Head Tesfaye Mengiste gives opening remarks 
Visiting Scholar Alex Acosta explains his research to Dr. Mengiste and colleagues 
The audience at the Beck Center 
Second place Undergraduate Poster winner Morgan Murff outlines her research for Dr. Christopher Oakley 
Graduate student Muhammad Haroon presents his poster 
Graduate student Hunter Medenwald discusses his research with Dr. Sharon Kessler 
Department head Tesfaye Mengiste and Dean Bernie Engel 
Undergraduate student Keila Jellings explains her poster for Dr. Bryan Young 
Graduate student Abbie Rogers with her poster 
Over 70 posters were presented at the Beck Center 
Marcelo Zimmer, Weed Science Program Specialist and PhD student, presents his poster 
The audience listens to a lightning talk presentation 
First place (Jonathan Lu, right) and second place (Morgan Murff, left) winners of the Best Undergraduate Poster contest. 
Lightning talk with Marcelo Zimmer 
Sandra Gomez Gutierrez accepting the Weier Award for Outstanding PhD Student from Dr. Sharon Kessler 
Juan Diego Rojas Gutierrez accepting the Weier Award for Outstanding Graduate Leadership from Dr. Sharon Kessler 
