Spurring Onward: Confessions of a Midwestern Plant Pathologist

In this episode, Dr. Mannon Gallegly, centenarian and Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at West Virginia University, joins host Matt Kasson for an engaging conversation about Mannon’s storied 80+ year career as a plant pathologist. Dr. Gallegly shares stories of working alongside Wood Food Prize recipient John S. Niederhauser and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug in Mexico in the 1950s and 1960s. Show notes West Virginia University Faculty Profile here: https://www.davis.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/directory/mannon-gallegly News Release of Mannon’s Majesty, a Late Blight and Septoria Leaf Blight resistant Tomato Variety: https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2024/01/24/wvu-professor-emeritus-and-creator-of-the-people-s-tomato-unveils-final-variety-makes-limited-seeds-available-for-growers Donate to the Mannon E. Gallegly Student Travel Fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx Phytopathology News article on Mannon’s fund: https://www.apsnet.org/members/community/phytopathology-news/2024/march/Pages/Mannon-Gallegly.aspx APS link to the 1948 APS North Central Meeting at the University of Minnesota and the 1965 Potato Association of America Meeting in Mexico City: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/donate/giving/funds/Pages/Gallegly.aspx This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Mannon Gallegly.

In this episode, join host Matt Kasson as he engages in a conversation with Dr. Megan McCaghey, Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. McCaghey shares insights into her career journey shaped by agriculture, the deliberate choice to pursue a master's degree before a PhD, and her ongoing research on Southern blight and Phytophthora sojae. The discussion also explores her current and future teaching commitments, the transformative impact of the pandemic on her teaching methods, mentoring and networking approaches, and valuable advice for early-career scientists. Show notes UMN Department of Plant Pathology Faculty Profile here: https://plpa.cfans.umn.edu/people/megan-mccaghey McCaghey Lab Website: https://mccagheylab.cfans.umn.edu/ Find Megan McCaghey on X (formerly Twitter): @MNSoilFungi 2023 Research Highlight on Dr. McCaghey’s work on Soybeans by the Soybean Research and Information Network: Improving Tools for Soybean Breeders to Fight White Mold Recent APS Press Publication: Webster, R.W., McCaghey, M., Mueller, B.D., Groves, C.L., Mathew, F.M., Singh, A.K., Kabbage, M. and Smith, D.L., 2023. Development of Glycine max Germplasm Highly Resistant to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PhytoFrontiers™, 3(3), pp.629-638. https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/full/10.1094/PHYTOFR-01-23-0009-R This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Megan McCaghey.

In the season 4 premier of Plantopia, new host Matt Kasson, associate professor of forest pathology and mycology at West Virginia University, talks to Dr. Jim Bradeen, season 2 and 3 host of Plantopia, professor of plant pathology, and associate vice president at Colorado State University Spur Campus. The two discussed what interested Jim in plant sciences, what he's passionate about, the importance of pursuing a master's degree, his impact on the establishment of CSU's Spur Campus, advice for students and people in academia, leadership, and the future of Plantopia. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/5n8zrkfs (http://tinyurl.com/5n8zrkfs) Colorado State University Faculty Profile here: https://president.colostate.edu/presidents-office-team/ CSU SPUR Profile: https://csuspur.org/profiles/jim-bradeen/ Find Jim Bradeen on X (formerly Twitter): @JimBradeen Find Jim Bradeen on BlueSky: @jimbradeen.bsky.social This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Jim Bradeen.

In this episode, Dr. Rubella Goswami, director for the Plant Protection Division at USDA’s-National Institute of Food and Agriculture, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about her vast career in plant pathology, how a global perspective influenced her career, transitioning from academia to industry, the challenges for women in science, and advice for young professionals in the field. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/3buv4jse (http://tinyurl.com/3buv4jse) This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Rubella Goswami.

In this episode, recorded live at the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France, Dr. Yong-Hwan Lee, president of the International Society for Plant Pathology, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about global plant health, his career in plant pathology, opportunities and challenges facing the industry, academic leadership, international collaborations, and a preview of the next International Congress of Plant Pathology, held in Australia in 2028. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/yc7a5vfk (https://tinyurl.com/yc7a5vfk) For more information on that International Society for Plant Pathology: https://www.isppweb.org This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Yong-Hwan Lee.

In this episode, recorded live at the 12th International Congress Of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France, Dr. Justin Pita, Executive Director for the West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE) for Food Security, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about plant health opportunities and challenges throughout the 10 countries represented by the WAVE, his career in plant pathology, the need to build or equip facilities for viral diagnoses, the importance of cassava in Western and Central Africa, and moving beyond your comfort zone. Special Guest: Justin Pita.

In this episode, Evelyn Planter Heidt, a masters student in both plant pathology and entomology at Iowa State University, joins host Jim Bradeen for a conversation about her passions, goals and impact in plant pathology. The two chat about her career journey in the field; her involvement in the World Food Prize; her ongoing research on mung beans, its importance to the U.S., and its genetic diversity; and the use of AI in agriculture. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2tdvyu5c (https://tinyurl.com/2tdvyu5c) You can find her on LinkedIn @Evelyn Planter Heidt (https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-platner-heidt-7955811a0/) Publication: Batzer, J.C., Sing, A., Platner, E., Kandel, Y. and Mueller, D.S. 2022. Screening Mungbean Accession for Susceptibility to Soybean Fungal Diseases in Iowa (https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PHP-03-22-0026-RS). Plant Health Progress Volume 23:456-465. This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Evelyn Planter Heidt.

In this episode, recorded live at the 12th International Congress Of Plant Pathology in Lyon, France, Mathias Choquer, co-chair of ICCP23, joins host Jim Bradeen to talk about this year's event, the French Society of Plant Pathology, reasons why early career professionals should get involved in their societies, his research into the gray mold fungus Botrytis cinerea and vesicular trafficking, and his passion for education. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/2ec4c6v9 (https://tinyurl.com/2ec4c6v9) French Society of Plant Pathology: https://www.sfp-asso.org/presentation-in-english (https://www.sfp-asso.org/presentation-in-english) International Congress of Plant Pathology: https://www.icpp2023.org (https://www.icpp2023.org) This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Mathias Choquer.

In this episode, Dr. Prasanna Kankanala, director of research and development at Trace Genomics, joins host Jim Bradeen for a conversation about her career in plant pathology. The two chat about her career journey in the field, the advantages of having a career in industry, some of the most common misperceptions of industry careers in plant pathology, the importance of mentorship, microbiomes, and some of the biggest opportunities available for agriculture. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/3vkr3as9 (https://tinyurl.com/3vkr3as9) This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Prasanna Kankanala.

In this episode, Dr. Mary Palm, former National Mycologist with USDA APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine, joins host Jim Bradeen for a conversation about her career in mycology. The two chat about her career journey in mycology, her passion for fungi, her impactful career with USDA APHIS and the influential people she met along the way, the skills needed to be a national mycologist, her leadership roles in the American Phytopathological Society and the Mycology Society of America, and the importance of getting involved. Show notes The full transcript for this episode can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/yv2zp5mp This episode is produced by Association Briefings (https://associationbriefings.com). Special Guest: Mary Palm.