Liakat Ali
Maria Carrizales
Graduate student
253 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Email: mc872@cornell.edu
Joshua Cobb
Graduate student
As a Ph.D student in the Plant Breeding and Genetics department at Cornell University my research focuses on using genome-wide association mapping (GWAS) to harness the growing genotyping power in rice (i.e. Affymetrix 1M SNP chip [NSF-PGRP #1026555] and genotyping by sequencing [GBS]) for the benefit of plant mineral nutrition research. Combining these technologies with contemporary phemomics based approaches to mineral nutrition I am able to shed light on the genes responsible for regulating nutrient uptake, sequestration, and partitioning throughout the rice plant. I am also interested in understanding the genetic architecture of heavy metal toxicity tolerance in rice, with a particular emphasis on arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd). While documentation of natural variation for these traits in rice has begun, little is known about the identity and regulation of the genes involved. A better and more detailed understanding of the genetic mechanisms of nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and heavy metal toxicity tolerance will be necessary to efficiently integrate novel genetic variation into modern, high-yielding cultivars to meet the global challenges of rice production. As a joint member of both Dr. Leon Kochian’s plant physiology lab and Dr. Susan McCouch’s rice genetics lab, I find myself uniquely positioned to leverage the wealth of genetic and genomic resources developed for rice at Cornell against the hydroponic and analytical chemistry expertise housed by at the USDA Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health.
253 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Email: jnc62@cornell.edu
Joseph Gage
Undergraduate student
Joe Gage is an undergraduate from Storrs, CT majoring in Communications and Plant Sciences. He is currently working on a project to locate the genes underlying leaf width in O. sativa and has been in the McCouch lab since January of 2010.
160 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Email: jlg374@cornell.edu
Ize Imai
Graduate student
Ize Imai is a Master's degree candidate working on the development of Jefferson/O.rufipogon NILs.
253 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Email: ii32@cornell.edu
Francine Jasper
Francine Jasper is Assistant Director for International Professional Development Programs, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. An honoree for International Woman of the Year at Cornell University in 2005 and 2001. Francine has been in the field of international education for 25 years, beginning her career as the principal of an internationl school in Tanzania. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University. Hobbies include photography, video production, sundry arts and crafts from doll making to papercrafts, biking, hiking and writing. Francine has an article soon to be published on "Orientation" in a book about International Students.
Janelle Jung
Graduate student
253 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Email: jkj4@cornell.edu
Heather Maupin
Kengo Onishi
High school student
Zachary Steinmetz
Undergraduate student
Zach has been primarily responsible for weed control in the field and greenhouse cleanup. He helped with collecting leaves from the field for future DNA isolations. assisted with outreach activities at the UA Rice Expo, as well as helped with the cold tolerance study. Zach is a 2011 honor graduate of Stuttgart High School. He is entering Mississippi State University this fall and plans to major in agriculture.
University of Arkansas
Stuttgart, Arkansas 14853
Wricha Tyagi
Michael Yang
Keyan Zhao