2017 Virginia Tech REEL Fellows
Fellow Fellow's Home Institution Faculty Mentors
Allison Coomber Cornell University David Haak and Hillary Mehl
Project: The Relationship Between Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and Fusarium spp
Harald Ellorin Tidewater Community College Boris Vinatzer and Ramon Arancibia
Project: Examining the biocontrol ability of rain-derived bacteria
Suzanne Laliberte Virginia Tech Aureliano Bombarely and Jim Owen
Project: Petunia as a Model for Salt Tolerance
Gabrielle Nelson Tidewater Community College Xiaofeng Wang and Laurie Fox
Project: Virus-induced gene silencing in cucumber and tobacco / Nutrient uptake comparisons in
terrestrial and aquatic settings
Samuel Park Virginia Tech Glenda Gillaspy and Mark Reiter
Project: Phosphorus Solubility and Uptake with Arabidopsis thaliana
Sophia Pinton Virginia Tech Jim Westwood and Laura Strawn
Project: Investigating the Behavior of Parasitic and Pathogenic Organisms on Vegetables
Luis Santos Florida State University Takeshi Fukao and Jayesh Samtani
Project: The Effect of Foliar Chemicals On Two New Blackberry Cultivars: An Analysis of Leaf Metabolites,
Fruit Quality, Fruit Yield, and Consumer Appeal
Hannah Sawyer Virginia State University Dorothea Tholl and Sally Taylor
Project: Effects of Rhizobacteria on Root Terpenoids in Switchgrass / Cover Crop Systems and Tilling
Effects on Insect Pest and Predator Populations
The VT-REEL program started May 22, 2017 with dorm move-in, followed by a series of orientation events (lunch provided) to help fellows network with their Blacksburg research mentors and one another. Other program-affiliated events included: a Memorial Day cook-out, tour of local farm Glade Road Growing, hike to Cascade Falls and swimming at Claytor Lake. The gallery below provides highlights of the summer. Scroll over pictures to find out more about 2017 activities.
