Graduate Profiles
Our graduate students work on exciting and important research projects and become industry leaders after graduation. Simply click on a name to meet the Horticulture Department's newest graduate students.
Introducing: Kavi Acharya +
Advisor: Dr. Shui-zhang Fei
Degree Sought: PhD
Major: IGG
Current Research: Not yet Finalized
Career Goals: Be as useful as possible to society.
Hometown: Banepa, Nepal
Hobbies: Strolling around nature
Introducing: Nicole Arment +
Degree Sought: Master of Science
Major(s): Horticulture
Current Research: I will be exploring the effect of fertilization on the post-harvest performance of containerized herbs.
Career Goals: Extension and Outreach for commercial greenhouse growers.
Hometown: Grinnell, Iowa
Hobbies: Cooking and baking, window gardening, exploring new restaurants, and spoiling my dog.
Introducing: Bandana Bhusal +
Advisor: Dr. Shui-zhang Fei
Degree Sought: PhD
Major: Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Current Research: Use of computational tools for the study of freezing tolerance/disease resistance, summer dormancy and floral transition in perennial ground cover crops.
Career Goals: I aim to make myself proficient in the use of computational tools to unravel the underlying mechanisms of important crop species for the betterment of the world.
Hometown: Bhairahawa, Nepal
Hobbies: Dancing, Baking, Singing, Hiking.
Introducing: Molly Biggs +
Advisor: Dr. Adam Thoms
Degree Sought: M.S. of Horticulture
Major: Horticulture, emphasis in turfgrass management
Current Research: Golf course putting green management
Career Goals: Travel, have a family, love my job
Hometown: Topeka, Kansas
Hobbies: Golf, showing cattle, and making wines from different oak trees
Introducing: Anne Carey +
Advisor: Dr. Ajay Nair
Degree Sought: Master of Science
Major: Sustainable Agriculture & Horticulture
Current Research: I will be doing research in vegetable production. The project is looking at integrating chickens into vegetable and cover crop rotations.
Career Goals: I hope to be able to marry my production/ farming experience with research in order to create regional change in farming practices. I want to continue farming while also developing sustainable methods (such as appropriate cover crop mixtures, ways to integrate livestock and crop production, minimum tillage techniques, etc.) specifically adapted to a region (climate, soil type, etc.), which can be used as an example and education tool to encourage adoption of more sustainable and conservation related practices by other farmers in the region.
Hometown: I was born in San Diego, CA, but have lived in many different places around the world.
Hobbies: Cooking, hiking, reading, and basically being outside as much as I can.
Introducing: Smriti Chaudhary +
Major Professor: Dr. Ajay Nair
Degree Sought: MS in Sustainable Agriculture
Major: Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture
Current Research: My current research focuses on looking at the efficacy of insect netting for pest management organic vegetable production system
Career Goals: Formulate sustainable, eco-friendly and economical recommendations for grower’s benefits
Hometown: Punjab, India
Hobbies: Love collecting stamps and coins, and being a plant mom!
Introducing: Prathyusha Cheguri +
Advisor: Dr. Shui-zhang Fei
Degree Sought: PhD
Major(s): Interdepartmental Genetics and Genomics
Current Research: Develop readily suppressed ground covers for maize and soybean with a main focus on summer dormancy grasses.
Career Goals: continue to work in academia and also a research scientist in plant breeding and genetics.
Hometown: Hyderabad, INDIA
Hobbies: Painting, Dancing and traveling
Introducing: Keyshell Cole Hodgson +
Major Professor: Dr. Adam Thoms
Degree Sought: M.S. of Horticulture
Major: Horticulture, emphasis in turfgrass management
Current Research: Turfgrass Management
Career Goals: Work for FIFA, Create my own business and travel around the world with my job and also for fun.
Hometown: Limón, Costa Rica
Hobbies: Sowing Sun flowers and Aloe vera, going for a hike, contemplate nature, and watch sports and movies.
Introducing: Brooke Dietsch +
Major Professor: Suzanne Slack
Degree Sought: Master’s
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: Viticultural practices of interspecific cold hardy hybrids. Disease identification of declining grapevines in the state of Iowa.
Career Goals: Extension or pursuing a career with the USDA ARS. Happiness hopefully.
Hometown: Waterloo, Iowa
Hobbies: Cats, fiber arts, baking, ceramics, and pasta making.
Introducing: Hannah Kramer +
Major Professor: Dr. Chris Currey
Degree Sought: Masters
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: The effects of pH on hydroponic culinary herb production
Career Goals: Greenhouse Extension
Hometown: Dubuque, IA
Hobbies: Gardening, reading, music, video games
Introducing: Vipul Kumar +
Major Professor: Dr. Shui-zhang Fei
Degree Sought: PhD
Major: Plant Breeding
Current Research: Breeding for summer dormant grasses as perennial ground cover for crop production.
Career Goals: As a passionate and aspiring plant scientist, I’m determined to revolutionize agriculture by leveraging cutting-edge molecular plant breeding technologies. My ultimate goal is to play a significant role in improving global food security and sustainability.
Hometown: Haryana, India
Hobbies: I like meeting new people and developing connections. Apart from that, I am very much into music, especially instrumental. I love playing soccer, badminton and working out in the gym.
Introducing: Shillah Kwikiiriza +
Degree Sought: Master of Science
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: Assessing the effect of cover crop mulches on onion production in Kamuli, Uganda. The study specifically seeks to establish the socio economic characteristics of local vegetable farmers, evaluating the effect of using cover crop mulches on onion production and also assess the economic feasibility of use of cover crop mulches on onion production.
Career Goals: After my studies, I plan to go back to my home country to continue facilitating and empowering youth farmers in agriculture and other income generating innovation activities for their improved sustainable livelihoods.
Hometown: Bushenyi, Uganda.
Hobbies: Listening to music, cooking, hanging out with friends
Introducing: Jacie Legois +
Advisor: Dr. Ajay Nair
Degree Sought:
Major:
Current Research:
Career Goals:
Hometown:
Hobbies:
Introducing: Dakota McKune +
Degree Sought: M.S. and PhD
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: My research could generally be categorized under tree establishment and survival, involving the testing of remedial tree root treatments, growth substrate (such as mulch or gravel) effectiveness, and the resilience of certain species to the predicted conditions of climate change.
Career Goals: To be a part of a research team tasked with improving the survivability of trees against climate change.
Hometown: Davenport, Iowa
Hobbies: Music composition and performance, drawing, foraging, techno-tinkering, plant and animal identification.
Introducing: Zac Messer +
Advisor: Adam Thoms
Degree Sought: MS
Major: Horticulture (Turfgrass)
Current Research: Sod Tensile Strength
Career Goals: Turfgrass agronomist
Hometown: Goodfield, Illinois
Hobbies: Golf, Hunting, Fishing, and growing turfgrass
Introducing: Olivia Meyer +
Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Slack
Degree Sought: PhD
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: Cider apple cultivars: cider quality and tree health in modern training systems.
Career Goals: Supervisor/superintendent of a research station specializing in specialty crop research.
Hometown: Dubuque, Iowa
Hobbies: I’m the head coach of the boxing sports club at Iowa State. We do a lot of traveling via car to boxing competitions, so I can double dip into my other hobby: ‘popcorn’ horror fiction audiobooks. It comes in handy when I need to stay awake on the drive back to Ames when all my athletes are asleep in the back seat…
Introducing: Modestos A. Modestou +
Advisor: Dr. Shui-zhang Fei and Dr. Kenneth Moore
Degree Sought: PhD
Major: Crop Production and Physiology
Current Research: Summer dormancy and vernalization in Poa secunda
Career Goals: I want to continue to do research in the area of crop production and physiology and to teach plant biochemistry and physiology at the college level, emphasizing sustainable agriculture.
Hometown: Limassol, Cyprus
Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, exploring nature, reading, spending time at coffee shops, playing backgammon
Introducing: Dalena Rogers +
Advisor: Drs. Gail Nonnecke and Emily Zimmerman
Degree Sought: Master of Science
Major: Environmental Science and Horticulture
Current Research: Identifying and minimizing barriers to environmental-science curriculum implementation in local schools of St. John, USVI, and determining best seed priming strategies to enhance germination of native plant species to promote ecological restoration in St. John.
Career Goals: My improbable career goal is to gain employment in the United Nations Global Development Program as a program coordinator. My more likely career goal is to work in the extension field as an expert in sustainable food crop production.
Hometown: Linden, Iowa
Hobbies: Full-time houseplant and hamster mom, fitness classes, board games
Introducing: Carly Strauser +
Degree Sought: Master of Science
Major(s): Horticulture and Sustainable Agriculture
Current Research: My research will look into the efficacy of tarping in direct-seeded vegetable crops. Tarping involves using a heavy-duty plastic, such as silage tarp, to be placed over the ground prior to planting to heat the soil and suppress weeds for a period of time. The length and type of weed suppression after tarping will be examined. I will also look at the effect this practice has on soil health and microbiology.
Career Goals: I’m interested in working with growers through extension, outreach, or an organization promoting sustainability. I want to help implement and promote sustainable practices that build soil health and support regenerative agriculture as well as the grower.
Hometown: Waverly, IA
Hobbies: Gardening, baking, visiting antique stores, and any outdoor activities
Introducing: Akshaya Thinakaran +
Advisor: Dr. Ajay Nair
Degree Sought: M.S. Horticulture
Major: Horticulture
Current Research: Not yet decided
Career Goals: Make everything sustainable, eco-friendly production of fruits and vegetables
Hometown: Tamil Nadu, India
Hobbies: Love to cook, drawing, visiting historical places