New Plant Pathogen and Insect Diagnostician at the University of Tennessee:
Eleanor (Ellie) Lopez
Dear NPDN Community,Hi! My name is Eleanor (Ellie) Lopez, and I am the new plant pathogen and insect diagnostician at the University of Tennessee Diagnostic lab, replacing the now retired Bruce Kaufman. I will graduate remotely from the University of Florida with my Doctor of Plant Medicine degree this December. I also completed an M.S. in entomology and nematology while pursuing my plant medicine doctorate. My thesis involved a survey of arthropods in an emerging crop in Florida—olives. I am very interested in innovative ways of growing new specialty crops and correct identification and management of pests and pathogens that can prevent their establishment. My previous studies as an undergraduate were in Spanish and environmental studies. I also completed an M.S. in sustainable food systems before heading down to Florida. If you would like to connect, I am on Twitter @eleanor_fp, and my email is eleanor@utk.edu. Tennessee is home for me, and I am grateful to be back here in Nashville. I look forward to meeting more of you in person in the future, and I hope everyone is staying safe and well at this time.
New Weed Specialist at New Mexico State:
Dr. Leslie Beck
Dr. Leslie Beck is the Extension weed specialist for New Mexico State University. She received her B.S. in horticulture and landscape management in 2006 and her M.S. in agriculture in 2009 from Tarleton State University, specializing in golf course and turfgrass management. She then received her Ph.D. in plant and soil science, specializing in turfgrass management, from Texas Tech University in 2009. From July 2013 to February 2015, she served as a postdoctoral research associate, specializing in turfgrass weed science, at Purdue University. She is based at the New Mexico State University Main Campus in Las Cruces. Dr. Beck’s primary responsibilities include progressive statewide educational programming in weed science, including annual and perennial weed management, weed identification, and herbicide application for all cropping systems, including agricultural commodities and turf and landscape areas. Her long-term Extension and research goal is to help individuals and professionals across multiple plant science disciplines and backgrounds to develop accurate, applicable, and effective weed identification and management strategies to address issues throughout New Mexico and the Southwest.New insect diagnostician at Utah State University:
Zach Schumm
The Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab (UPPDL) welcomes a new arthropod diagnostician, Zach Schumm. Zach has always been passionate about insects and sharing science with people of all ages. He received bachelor’s degrees in both entomology and wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Delaware in 2016. In 2020, he earned his master’s degree in ecology from Utah State University where he studied the ecology and management of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in Utah specialty cropping systems. In addition to his expertise in visual arthropod diagnoses and management recommendation, Zach is interested in molecular identifications of insects. Zach has been thrilled to be a member of the UPPDL and is excited to be a new addition to WPDN and NPDN! Due to Zach’s interest, the UPPDL can now offer expanded molecular identification of insects in addition to molecular plant identification including from root sample for in-state and out-of-state clients. Please, contact Zach Schumm (zach.schumm@usu.edu) or Claudia Nischwitz (claudia.nischwitz@usu.edu) if you have questions.