Jensina Davis
Committee Chair
EDUCATION:
- Ph.D. student in Agronomy, Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- B.S. in Agronomy and Seed Science, Iowa State University
ADVISOR: James Schnable
EMAIL: jdavis132@huskers.unl.edu
Jensina graduated with a bachelor's degree in Agronomy and Seed Science with a minor in Statistics from Iowa State University, where she became interested in applying data science, statistics and computational methods to agronomic data to improve the sustainability of crop production. Under Dr. Schnable, her current research focuses on understanding the interaction between genetics, the environment, and management practices of hybrid maize, with a specific focus on nitrogen use efficiency.
Sofiya Arora
EDUCATION:
- M.S. student in Entomology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- B.S. in Agriculture: Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
ADVISOR: Shaonpius Mondal
EMAIL: sarora3@unl.edu
Sofiya’s research deals with investigating High Plains Wheat Mosaic Virus and its interactions with the wheat host and mite vector.
Megan Engel
EDUCATION:
- B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Botany minor, North Dakota State University
ADVISORS: Katherine Frels and Jeffrey Boehm
Megan graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Botany from North Dakota State University. While at NDSU, she was an undergraduate research assistant at the USDA-ARS in Fargo, ND studying a barley pathogen, which led to her interest in plant breeding. Under Dr. Frels and Dr. Boehm, her current research consists of testing the Global Durum Panel for winter survival and reaction to Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus through phenotyping and preforming genetic analysis to determine what genes are present and if any of them are novel.
Akashdeep Kamboj
ADVISOR: Katherine Frels and Blaine Johnson
Akashdeep is a Ph.D. student in Plant Breeding and Genetics at the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Akashdeep's research focuses on yield stability and genotype by environment interactions in hybrid wheat and also utilizing phenomics plus genomics to investigate yield potential in hybrid wheat.
Harshita Mangal
Presentation & Awards Subcommittee Chair
Advisor: James Schnable
Harshita Mangal is a Ph.D. student in Prof. Schnable's lab, leading gene discovery efforts on sorghum flowering through GWAS/TWAS by analyzing SNP and gene expression data from ~900 lines. Her work focuses on identifying genes in the aging pathway that play crucial roles in flowering time
David Obe
Graduate Student, Complex Biosystems
David Obe
Event Program, Supplies and Day of Coordination Subcommittee Chair
Degrees:
- B.S., Biochemistry, Ekiti State University, Nigeria
- M.S. Membrane Biochemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Advisor: Mark Wilson
David earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Ekiti State University and a master’s degree in Membrane Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, both in Nigeria. His passion for bioinformatics and its application to understanding biomolecular machines has driven his interest in exploring their roles in health and disease. Currently, under the supervision of Prof. Mark Wilson, David is conducting research focused on employing integrated structural biology techniques to investigate plant proteins evolved through directed evolution. His work aims to enhance biomass production and grain yield, contributing to advancements in agricultural sustainability.
Ebenezer Ogoe
Education:
- B.S., Agricultural Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Advisor: Brian Rice
Ebenezer earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Biotechnology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. With a keen interest and experience in genetics and computational methods, he is pursuing a master’s degree in Agronomy with specialization in Plant Breeding and Genetics under the supervision of Dr. Brian Rice. He aims to harness technology to unravel the genetic mechanisms behind complex agronomic traits of interest, particularly in sorghum and maize.
Nikee Shrestha
EDUCATION:
- Ph.D. student in Complex Biosystems, Center for Plant Science Innovation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
ADVISOR: James Schnable
EMAIL: nshrestha5@huskers.unl.edu
Shrestha is working mostly on quantitative genetics for gene discovery with important agronomic traits and improving the resolution of quantification of data using different high throughput phenotyping, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Cephas Sithole
Advertising & Social Media Subcommittee Chair
Education:
- B.S., Crop Science, University of Zimbabwe
- M.S., Plant Breeding, University of Zimbabwe
Advisor: David Holding
Cephas Sithole graduated with an undergraduate degree in Crop Science and master’s in Plant Breeding from the University of Zimbabwe. He became interested in Quality Protein Maize to reduce malnutrition in Zimbabwe and currently is a PhD student in Prof. David Holding’s lab. His work focuses on creation of colored quality protein popcorn by crossing quality protein maize with colored popcorn lines, increasing the nutritional quality and diversity of available popcorn.
Caleb Yeboah
Advertising Subcommittee Member
EDUCATION:
- Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
ADVISOR: Brian Rice
EMAIL: cyeboah2@huskers.unl.edu
As a Ph.D. candidate in agronomy and horticulture with a specialization in plant breeding and genetics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Caleb brings a passion for science communication and outreach. He is actively involved in engaging diverse audiences and promoting the symposium’s mission of advancing plant science research and innovation.