Best presentation award for Neptali!

Neptali Flores, who spent his summer in Lab Leveau on a National Summer Undergraduate Research Project, won an award for Best Presentation by NSURP. Congratulations Neptali! The winning presentation, a narrated powerpoint slide show entitled ‘A Study of IAA-Catabolizing Bacteria’, will be posted on the NSURP website (https://nsurp.org).

Collimonas goes to Sacramento!

Research performed in Lab Leveau was the basis for new legislature enabling commercialization of discoveries from CA state parks.

Senate Bill SB 442 passed both legislative chambers with overwhelming support. See the press release here. The “UC Davis plant professor” is Dr. Johan Leveau, the “discovered bacteria” belong to the strain Collimonas arenae Cal35, the “park” is Jug Handle State Natural Reserve, the “tomato-killing disease” is Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, and the “potential to fight” this disease is the topic of this recent publication by the Leveau lab.

Here is the UC Davis press release, following the signing of the law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 2nd, 2019.