Eligible graduate students (see requirements below) are invited to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition. Students who do not wish to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition or who are not able to be included in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition may choose to present their abstract as a non-competitive oral presentation or non-competitive or competitive poster presentation. Abstracts should provide background information to clearly understand research needs, clear objectives, sufficient methods, results, and conclusions.
In order to give a presentation at the 2024 SD-APS virtual meeting, abstracts must be submitted and the abstract submission fee paid through the
online abstract submission form by the abstract submission deadline (December 13, 2023). If you want to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition, you must indicate on the submission form that you are submitting an abstract for an oral presentation and that you intend to participate in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition.
IN ADDITION, you must email a copy of your abstract, including the title, authors, and affiliations, as a single PDF to SD-APS Vice President, Bhabesh Dutta (bhabesh@uga.edu), by December 13, 2023, and you must register for the meeting by January 18, 2024. Only one abstract per presenter will be considered for the Graduate Student Research Award Competition. Students participating in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition may not participate in the Graduate Student Poster Competition. Students will be notified by January 26, 2024, if their abstract will be included in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition.
Awards for the first, second, and third place speakers will be presented. Honorable mention awards may also be given. In addition, the 1st place winner is eligible for additional travel funds to represent the Southern Division at the upcoming annual APS Meeting. (The Southern Division reserves the right to modify the travel award to attend and represent the Southern Division at the 2024 meeting if the meeting is not held in-person.)
Eligibility Requirements: Students competing in the Graduate Student Research Award Competition must (1) either be enrolled as a regular student in a graduate program in the Southern Division or have been an enrolled student in a graduate program in the Southern Division within six months of the abstract submission deadline; (2) be a member in good standing of the Southern Division at the time of the presentation; (3) be sole or senior author of the research; and (4) present the research at a meeting of the Southern Division, APS. The presentation must include research in plant pathology that has been performed while in pursuit of a degree at a college or university in the Southern Division.
Presentations of abstracts accepted for the Graduate Student Research Competition will be judged according to a
rubric.
Award Winners
Year | Location | Award | Recipient
| Affiliation
|
2023 | Durham, NC | 1st | Matthew Cullen | University of Florida |
| | 2nd | Renata Belisario | University of Kentucky |
| | 3rd | Renzo Ramirez | University of Florida |
| | HM | Juanita Gil Bedoya | IICA |
| | HM | Jingya Yang | University of Florida |
2022 | Chattanooga, TN
| 1st | Tracy Hawk | University of Tennessee
|
| | 2nd | Maricel Gonzales | University of Georgia
|
| | 3rd | Usha Bhatta | University of Georgia
|
| | HM | Adam Connor | Mississippi State University
|
2021
| Virtual | 1st | Andres Sanabria
| North Carolina State University
|
| | 2nd | Owen Hudson
| University of Georgia
|
| | 3rd | Kendall Johnson
| University of Georgia
|
| | HM | Kimberly D'Arcangelo
| North Carolina State University
|
| | HM | Madison Stahr
| North Carolina State University
|
2020
| Charleston, SC
| 1st
| Tyler Smith
| University of Tennessee
|
|
| 2nd
| Ying-Yu Liao
| Univeristy of Florida
|
|
| 3rd
| Madison Stahr
| North Carolina State University
|
| | HM
| Ravi Bika
| Tennessee State University
|
|
| HM
| Emily Boak
| Texas A&M
|
2019
| Gainesville, FL
| 1st
| Madison McCulloch
| University of Kentucky
|
|
| 2nd
| Matthew Aaron Tucker
| Mississippi State University
|
| | 3rd (tie)
| Kelsey Andersen
| University of Florida
|
| | 3rd (tie)
| Tracy Hawk
| University of Arkasas
|
2018
| Fayetteville, AR | 1st | Kelsey Andersen | University of Florida |
| | 2nd | Maria Velez-Climent | University of Florida |
| | 3rd | John Ridenour | University of Arkansas |
| | HM | Juliet Fultz Wilkes | Clemson University |
| | HM | Kathryn Haydon | University of Arkansas |
| | HM | Rebecca Sweeny | Louisiana State University |
2017 | College Station, TX | 1st | Patricia Soria | University of Florida |
| | 2nd | Jeffrey Standish | University of Georgia |
| | 3rd | Mason Newark | University of Florida |
2016 | Balm, FL | 1st | Eduardo Chagas Ferreira Da Silva | Louisiana State Univ, Agricultural Center |
| | 2nd |
Jeffrey R. Standish | University of Georgia |
| | 3rd | Whit Ables | Mississippi State University |
| | HM | Jake C. Fountain | University of Georgia |
2015 | Atlanta, GA | 1st | Phillip Vines |
Mississippi State Univ |
| | 2nd | Jeffrey Standish | Mississippi State Univ |
| | 3rd | Alyssa Koehler | North Carolina State University |
| | HM | Jake Fountain | University of Georgia |
| | HM | Caroline Land | Auburn University |
| | HM | Katie Neufeld | North Carolina State University |
| | HM | Peng Tian | University of Georgia |
2014 | Dallas, TX | 1st | Jacob Price | Texas A&M Univ |
| | 2nd | Philip Vines | Mississippi State Univ |
| | 3rd | Kelly Morris | Univ of Georgia |
| | HM | Mary Helen Ferguson | Louisiana State Univ |
| | HM | Juliet Fultz | Univ of Arkansas |
2013 | Baton Rouge, LA | 1st | Rebecca Melanson | Louisiana State Univ |
| | 2nd | Philip Vines | Mississippi State Univ |
| | 3rd | Abraham Fulmer | Univ of Georgia |
2012 | Birmingham, AL | 1st | Felix Francis | Lousiana State Univ |
| | 2nd | Jake Fountain | Louisiana State Univ |
| | 3rd | Jing Zhou | Univ of Arkansas |
2011 | Corpus Christi, TX | 1st Place | Bhabesh Dutta | Univ of Georgia |
| | 2nd Place | Andrea Payne | Oklahoma State Univ |
| | 3rd Place | Ashok Chanda | Louisiana State Univ |
2010 | Orlando, FL | 1st Place | Moytri Roy Chowdury | Univ of Arkansas |
| | 2nd Place | Terry Spurlock | University of Arkansas |
| | 3rd Place | Ashley Zearfoss | North Carolina State University |
2009 | Atlanta, GA | 1st Place | Bhabesh Dutta | University of Georgia |
| | 2nd Place | Nicholas Sekora | Auburn University |
| | 3rd Place | Nicole Ward | Louisiana State University |
2008 | Dallas, TX | 1st Place | James Kerns | North Carolina State University |
| | 2nd Place | Brooke Edmunds | North Carolina State University |
| | 3rd Place | Cruz Torres | Texas A&M University |
2007 | Mobile, AL | 1st Place | Weo-bo Dong | University of Georgia |
| | 2nd Place | Jeffrey Wilson | Texas Tech University |
| | 3rd Place | Anthony Adesemoye | Auburn University |
2006 | Orlando, FL | 1st Place | Silvinia Giammaria | University of Arkansas |
| | 2nd Place | Courtney Gallup | North Carolina State University |
| | 3rd Place | Samuel Njoroge | Clemson University |
2005 | Little Rock AR | 1st Place | Damon Smith | North Carolina State University |
| | 2nd Place | Scott Monfort | University of Arkansas |
| | 3rd Place | Jason Woodward | University of Georgia |