1^st Place: Abbeah Navasca, North Dakota State University, Pathogen Biology and Genetics Poster #406
“Genome-Wide Perspectives on Fusarium graminearum Adaptation in Barley, Soybean, and Potato”

Abbeah Mae Navasca is a Ph.D. candidate in plant pathology at North Dakota State University under the joint supervision of Thomas Baldwin and Gary Secor. Her research is centered on the genomics, cross-infectivity, and quantification of various Fusarium species in North Dakota crops, with a particular focus on understanding the host adaptability of Fusarium graminearum in crop rotation systems. Abbeah’s early passion for agriculture stems from her upbringing in Mindanao, a major agricultural region in the southern Philippines. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she gained valuable research experience at a private banana plantation in the Philippines. In this role, she spearheaded projects on disease control, including managing Fusarium Wilt of Cavendish banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4, and assessing the fungicide sensitivity of the Black Sigatoka fungus, Pseudocercospora fijiensis. A strong advocate for robust diagnostics, Abbeah is part of the team that established the first plant pathology laboratory in the Philippines to achieve accreditation under PNS ISO/IEC 17025:2017. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in plant pathology from the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Outside of science, Abbeah enjoys hiking, traveling, exploring new places, and karaoke.

2^nd Place: Jose Flores Guzman, Kansas State University, FHB Management Poster #107
“The Role of Seeding Rates When Integrated with Fungicide Applications and Genetic Resistance in Fusarium Head Blight Management in Kansas”

José Flores Guzman is originally from Nicaragua and earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences from EARTH University in Costa Rica. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in plant pathology at Kansas State University under the supervision of Kelsey Andersen Onofre. His research focuses on integrated management of Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) in wheat, evaluating the interaction among seeding rate, fungicide applications, and genetic resistance, and their effects on FHB severity, DON accumulation, and yield under field conditions. He is also conducting a fungicide sensitivity analysis of Fusarium graminearum isolates from Kansas as part of his master’s research. Outside of his research, he enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking volcanoes, mountain biking, swimming, going to the gym and spending time with friends.

3^rd Place: Isha Mittal, University of North Texas, Gene Discovery and Engineering Resistance Poster #308
“Integrated Host-Pathogen Transcriptomics Elucidates the Role of Wheat Lpx3M in Fusarium Head Blight Resistance”

Isha Mittal is from India. She is currently a PhD candidate in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of North Texas under the guidance of Jyoti Shah. Her research focuses on understanding how plants interact with fungal pathogens, particularly Fusarium head blight. She is studying how plant signaling pathways, especially lipoxygenase-derived oxylipins and flavonoid biosynthesis, can influence fungal virulence and plant defense. Using a combination of genetics, transcriptomics, and comparative studies, her goal is to better understand these interactions and help identify strategies for developing more disease-resistant crops. When she’s not in the lab, she enjoys cooking, exploring new places and roller skating, which helps her unwind and stay inspired.

1^st Place: Charlotte Brault, University of Minnesota, Variety Development and Host Resistance Poster #503
“30 Years of Breeding for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Wheat: A Success Story”

Charlotte Brault is from a small town in Burgundy, France. She completed her doctorate degree in plant breeding and genetics from the University of Montpellier in France. Her PhD research focused on optimizing grapevine breeding through the integration of phenomic and genomic selection. Since 2023, she has been a post-doctoral researcher working with Jim Anderson and Jason Fiedler at the University of Minnesota. Her current research focuses on enhancing hard red spring wheat breeding programs through the use of genomic selection. She’s working to optimize genetic gain using genomic selection and data from the breeding programs in the cooperative spring wheat scab nursery. When not running R code, she enjoys cooking and hiking at the state parks Minnesota has to offer!

2^nd Place: Sunkyu Choi, Michigan State University, FHB Management Poster #103
“Image Analysis-Based, High-Throughput Screening for Fungicide Sensitivity to Pydiflumetofen and Tebuconazole in U.S. Fusarium Head Blight Populations”

Sunkyu Choi is originally from South Korea. Currently, he is a post-doctoral researcher in Field Crop Pathology at Michigan State University with Martin Chilvers. His research focuses on utilizing genomic and transcriptomic analysis to understand the mechanisms of fungicide resistance in fungal pathogens, such as Aspergillus, Botrytis, and Fusarium spp., to develop more effective disease management strategies. When he is not conducting research, he enjoys playing golf and photography.

3^rd Place: Yahya Rauf, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Gene Discovery and Engineering Resistance Poster #310
“Discovering Marker-Trait Associations for Fusarium Head Blight and Kernel Traits in Texas Wheat Breeding Lines”

Yahya Rauf is a post-doctoral research scientist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research based in Amarillo, Texas. He comes from a small town called “Shakargarh” in the most Northeast part of the Punjab in Pakistan. He earned his doctorate degree in plant breeding and plant molecular genetics from the University of Minnesota under the guidance of Jim Anderson. Yahya has extensive experience working in wheat breeding, genetics, and genomics during his early professional career at CIMMYT, University of Minnesota, Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M University. Currently he is leading the wheat doubled haploid program involving multiple partners from the U.S. hard red winter wheat growing region to pyramid scab resistance genes. He is also contributing to several other projects to accelerate wheat breeding processes, exploring and pyramiding multiple genes together (diseases, insects, quality, drought, BNI, NUE), and the advancement and dissemination of germplasm to research collaborators in the U.S. Outside of his research work, Yahya enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new hiking trails to observe landscape and natural biodiversity with his kids.