Category: POSTS

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).

Saddened by the news that Flynn Picardal passed away earlier this month. I have fond memories of sharing lab time with him back in the days at the EAWAG. Wherever Flynn is now, I hope they let him bring his guitar.

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.

Best of luck to Peter Henry in his new job trying to save the California strawberry industry from fungal diseases.

Congrats Fidele!

SAS 13: Disease and Society is a favorite of first-year students at UC Davis!

Visit https://phyllosphere.ucdavis.edu for more information.

Join me in congratulating Lorena for submitting her thesis and for earning that PhD title.

Tyler started April 1st in Lab Leveau in pursuit of his PhD degree in Microbiology. He will be working on the evolution and ecology of the bacterial iac genes, coding for the degradation of indole 3-acetic acid.

Sandra submitted her dissertation and was granted the title of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Plant Pathology. Job well done, Sandra!