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Graduate Students
Brandon Beall
I migrated to Michigan State University after achieving a B.S. in Agronomy & Crop Sciences at Iowa State University where I worked on maize endosperm development. Now, I am interested in the mechanisms by which enhancers influence the expression of genes, gene clusters, and entire biological pathways. I occupy my time outside of lab with soccer, disc golf, and horrible movies.
J Lourdes Lopez
I grew up in Houston, Texas and received my B.S. in Plant Biology at The University of Texas. I am interested in using computational methods to explore the cis-regulatory mechanisms that regulate the plant stress response to abiotic stimuli. When i'm not in lab, I like to spend my time in nature, practicing yoga, and chilling with my cat, Everest.
Luke Strickland
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia and earned my B.S. in Applied Biotechnology with a concentration in Plant Science at the University of Georgia, where I worked on soybean disease resistance. I am interested in working in crop genomics and analyzing the chromatin landscape for clues as to how to make those crops better! When I'm not in the lab, you can find me running, reading National Geographic magazines, or exploring our beautiful world.
Jacob Trusky
I started my journey in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then took the cursed vernacular, Pittsburghese, to Washington D.C.. I received a B.S. in Biotechnology and Molecular Biology with a minor in Computational Data Science at George Mason University. Here, I am studying epigenetic interactions affecting plant development and stress tolerance using genetic engineering. Outside of academics I am into anime, video games, and board games; my favorites being Risk, Catan, and Root.
Giovanna Belo
I am obtained my licentiate degree in Biology and my masters in Genetics. Currently I’m a PhD candidate in The Genetics and Plant Breeding at the Federal University of Lavras, Brazil. I'm interested in learning more about plant cytogenetics with new technologies as oligo-FISH and 3D-FISH. When I’m not in the lab, I love to walk in nature, read books, listen to music, travel and drink coffee!