Entomology and Plant Pathology Seminar to Feature Dr. Matt Kasson, Associate Professor of Forest Pathology and Mycology

Submitted

Dr. Matt Kasson, associate professor of forest pathology and mycology, West Virginia University.

The Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology is hosting an in-person and virtual seminar as part of the Spring 2023 Seminar Series. The seminar is scheduled to take place today from 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in Plant Science 009. A social period will precede the seminar at 3:15 p.m., with light snacks and drinks just outside the lecture hall.

Zoom link:

    Meeting ID: 816 3061 3526

    Passcode: email enpl@uark.edu

Title: "Uncovering a biodiversity hotspot for 'Nectria' canker pathogens in Central Appalachian Forests"

Speaker: Dr. Matt Kasson

To be joined by a faculty panel for roundtable Q&A session.

About the speaker:

Kasson received his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the Pennsylvania State University, where his research focused on using a native fungus, Verticillium nonalfalfae, as a biological control of the invasive tree, Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven). He also holds an A.A.S. from Paul Smiths College and a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Maine. His current research areas include fungal-arthropod interactions, biological control of invasive plants and pathogens, and the biology and ecology of historic and emerging diseases of forest trees. Kasson is currently the interim director of the International Culture Collection of (Vesicular) Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (INVAM) and currently has research focused on the metabolites associated with interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their plant partners. Kasson teaches undergraduate courses on general plant pathology and forest pest management and offers special topics courses for graduate students including advanced plant disease diagnostics.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3% of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.