2024 Student Research Competitions Winners

Serina DeSalvio

Serina is a fifth year Ph. D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics & Genomics. She is in the Soil and Crop Sciences Department, guided by Dr. David Stelly in her research about recombination characterization in interspecific tetraploid cotton. Her dissertation work will hopefully provide framework for future studies in meiotic recombination in a variety if crop plants, as well as providing insights for future genetic improvement of cultivated cotton. Serina is extremely passionate about science communication and journalism, and has published several pop-science articles in The Conversation, Scientific American, and PBS Newshour. She also serves as the Genetics Graduate Student Association President and co-founded the Texas A&M podcast “Blue Genes and Boots”. In her free time, Serina loves to paint, draw, read, attend Zumba classes and ice skate.

Title: A novel and efficient method for identifying cotton leafroll dwarf virus infection in upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Pradip Sapkota

Pradip Sapkota is a Ph.D. student in the sorghum breeding and genetics lab under the supervision of Dr. William Rooney at Texas A&M University. Pradip is originally from Nepal, where he completed a B.S. in Agriculture from Tribhuvan University. He has an M.S. in Plant and Soil science from Texas Tech University. His current research focus is to strengthen predictive breeding strategies for developing sorghum hybrids by integrating phenomic and genomic data.

Title: Predicting Sorghum Hybrid Performance using Genomic and Phenomic Data

Amaka Ifeduba

Amaka is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticultural Sciences, at Texas A&M University under the supervision of Dr. Isabel Vales. She works as a Research Assistant in the Potato Breeding & Variety Development Program. Her research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of heat tolerance in Potato varieties to guide breeding efforts towards the development of heat tolerant potatoes. Prior to joining Texas A&M University, Amaka earned her MS in Cytogenetics and Plant Breeding in 2021 and her BS in Plant Sciences & Technology in 2016 from the University of Jos, Nigeria. Amaka aspires to apply the knowledge she is gaining to contribute to the development of climate-resilient crop varieties to enhance their performance under challenging climate conditions.

Title: Exploring Leaf Membrane Integrity as an Indicator of Potato Heat Tolerance

2024 Undergraduate Student Research Competitions Winners

Christopher Barron

Christopher Barron is a senior at Texas A&M University from Slidell, Louisiana. He is pursuing a double major in Plant and Environmental Soil Science, Crop Science emphasis, and Biochemistry and minors in Genetics and Statistics. He is an undergraduate researcher in the Beasely Lab under Dr. David Stelly where he performs his research on cotton drought tolerance. Christopher is also the president of the Agronomy Society at Texas A&M and is an ambassador for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Title: Developing a Protocol to Assess Cotton Drought Tolerance

Student Research Competitions

The 10th annual Texas A&M Plant Breeding Symposium will host two student research competitions that invite students to deliver oral and poster presentations. 

Graduate and undergraduate students conducting research in plant sciences or related fields are encouraged to participate in the competitions. These events are designed to promote and encourage students to communicate their research to their peers as well as network with the wider plant science community.

Two graduate students, and one undergraduate from Non-TAMU, and three graduate students and one undergraduate from TAMU will be selected to present oral talks at the symposium. All selected external students will be invited to College Station, TX as recipients of our travel scholarship.

The poster contest is open to TAMU graduate and TAMU undergraduate students and Non-TAMU students. However, there is no travel scholarship for poster presentation.

To enter the contest, students must submit their abstracts to the appropriate form linked below.

All abstracts for contest submissions are due on January 31, 2024.

Abstract submission guideline:

  • All abstracts must be submitted via this abstract submission form. Please note that the Meeting organizers are not able to accept abstracts submitted via e-mail.

  • Abstracts must be received by the announced deadline. Abstracts received after the deadline will not be considered.

  • Abstracts must be original and submitted in English.

  • Each abstract should not exceed 250 words.

  • The abstract title should not exceed 25 words. 

The following structure must be followed when submitting an abstract:

  1. Background

  2. Methods

  3. Results

  4. Conclusion

Timeline:

The oral winners will be informed after the 2nd week of January. The poster participants will be notified by the competition organizers about their setup and judging format after the deadline.

Poster Presentation Guideline:

1. As a Poster Presenter you will need to follow the rules below:

2. Two poster viewing sessions will take place, 7:30-8:30 AM and 2:50-3:30 PM, on the symposium day. It is recommended that you stand in front of your poster during the poster viewing session. 

3. Judges will come to see your poster during the session. However, you have to present in front of the poster during both poster viewing sessions regardless of judging. We will assign a poster number for your abstracts that will be sent closer to the event date. You must use the provided poster board and easel. Poster boards/easels will be located in the lobby area of Bethancourt Ballroom 2300 CDE, MSC from 6.45am. 

4. Dimensions of the poster boards are 42" x 42". Your poster size should not exceed 42". Most posters are 42" x 36" 

5. Titles, authors names, and affiliations should appear on the top of the poster. 

6. The text, illustrations, etc. should be big enough to be read from a distance of five feet.

7. Double-sided tape, Pushpins or Velcro buttons and other mounting equipment will be provided for the mounting of posters.

8. Please note that you are required to print and bring your own poster.

9. Presenting authors are urged to include photographs to assist in author identification. Do not prepare a poster as if it were a manuscript. Primarily, use tables and figures and use limited verbiage.

Oral Presentations

SUBMISSIONS DUE JANUARY 31st

Students signing up for the oral presentation must submit an abstract.

Three students will be selected to present oral keynote lectures during the main symposium event. The talks will be 10 minutes in duration and will be followed by a Q&A session. All selected TAMU students will receive $250 awards.

Criteria for selection of oral presentations for the prize-winning presentations

  • All primarily selected students need to present a lightening talk via zoom to get finally selected.

  • The originality of the research presented, which may or may not be explicitly related to the symposium theme.

  • The quality of the writing (including clarity, grammar, and understandable)

  • The interest of the subject matter and approach

  • The suitability of the conference presentation (including appropriate length, clear results obtained, and appropriate conclusions.

The Graduate Student Organizing Committee team will evaluate abstracts blindly to select the three oral keynote speakers, three travel scholars, and undergraduate oral speaker.

In fairness to other participants, abstracts that are over the specific word limit will automatically be disqualified.

If selected to give an oral presentation, follow the guidelines provided below:

Each oral presentation is limited to 10 minutes. The purpose of the rapid oral is to sell your research. The time restriction will be strictly enforced.

Recommendations:

The oral presentation should include ~3 presented slides and one acknowledgements/questions slide:

  1. Title slide (six words)—uses the question as the title and lists authors/co-authors and their respective institutions.

  2. Results—one slide, including figure/table. Use SI units in text, figures, and tables.

  3. Recommendations / summary slide.

  4. Acknowledgments / questions slide.

IMG_1072.JPG

Poster Presentations

SUBMISSIONS DUE JANUARY 31st

The poster contest is open to graduate and undergraduate students at Texas A&M University and only non-Texas A&M students. Participants will deliver a presentation to a panel of judges on a specified time. It can be in-person or zoom. Organizing member will notify you the details by email. The top three winners will be announced on the day of the symposium. Scholarships will be awarded in the amounts of $250, $150, and $100 for first, second, and third places respectively.

All students that sign-up for the poster competition will be selected to participate. Students participating in the poster presentations must submit their title and abstract by 31st January.

In fairness to other participants, abstracts that are over the specific word limit will automatically be disqualified.

General Contest Rules:

  • Poster presenters must be graduate students within the Texas A&M System in order to be eligible for awards.

  • Oral and Poster presenters must also register to be a symposium attendee.

  • Presenters must abide by the Aggie Code of Honor: "An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do."

  • All presenters must agree to share their research pieces electronically.

  • Students in the Graduate Student Organizing Committee are ineligible to receive scholarship awards but may enter their research posters to receive useful feedback on their work.