Wisconsin Science Festival 2024
Dr. Richard Lankau
Principle Investigator and Professor
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Email: lankau@wisc.edu
The lab objectives are to understand how plant-associated microbial communities mediate individual plant health, abiotic stress tolerance, and susceptibility to disease in both natural and agriculture settings.
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9995-328X
Current Graduate Students
Elizabeth Danielle Lane
Graduate Student
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies – Environment and Resources PhD Program
Email: elane3@wisc.edu
Research Summary : My master’s research evolved around soil fumigation and soil health in potato fields in Wisconsin. My current research focuses on how differing levels of soil disturbance and plant diversity affect microbial communities and the soil’s ability to cycle carbon when exposed to extreme environmental stressors. I am interested in understanding how different farming management practices affect soil microbes and carbon cycling in the face of extreme climate conditions. I hope my research will give more insight into soil microbe resistance and resilience.
Inspiration: I’m fascinated by how nature works at the smallest scales, and there’s nothing smaller or more fundamental to life than microbes.
Research Associates
Dr. Violeta Matus-Acuna
Research Scientist
Department of Plant Pathology University of Wisconsin-Madison
Email: matusacua@wisc.edu
Research Summary: My research is centered on uncovering the the ecological roles of the highly diverse organisms that compromise the soil food web. I am interested in understanding the key drivers that shape biological interactions in soil webs and the cascading effects on ecosystem functions. Specifically, I aim to explore how different land-use practices and environmental conditions influence the structure and dynamics of soil trophic networks, and how these changes impact biogeochemical processes in nitrogen and carbon cycles.
Ultimately, this work objective is to inform and develop sustainable land management practices in both agriculture and nature systems. By identifying key trophic interactions and functional groups that regulate nutrients, my research will provide insight that supports soil fertility, productivity, and resilience under climate and land-use changes.
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4394-539X
Inspiration: “Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed” Antoine Lavoisier
Dr. Shan Shan
Research Scientist
Department of Plant Pathology University of Wisconsin-Madison
Email: sshan5@wisc.edu
Research summary: My research focuses on understanding ecological processes in potato production systems to develop microbiome- and ecology-based solutions to address agricultural management challenges. My past and ongoing projects span topics such as soil fumigation, soil health, disease suppression, and sustainable agriculture. The overarching goal is to bridge the gap between microbial ecology and ecosystem function, using my research to inform management practices that promote sustainability.
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3916-8363
Dr. Cassandra Allsup
Research Scientist
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Affiliation, Plant Biology, University of Illinois
Email: callsup@wisc.edu
Research Summary: My research integrates microbial ecology, forest biology, and ecosystem resilience. I seek to understand the role of root-associated microbial communities, specifically mycorrhizal fungi, in forest tree health, forest dynamics, and reforestation success. I use a combination of field and greenhouse experiments, DNA-based microbial characterizations, and abiotic stress treatments to uncover how root-associated microbes help forest trees tolerate changes in climates.
I, also, am a coleader the Forest Fungi Project, a community science initiative engaging the public in documenting and sampling forest tree roots across temperate forests.
Currently, I am applying my research to reforestation and afforestation efforts using soil inoculations of beneficial microbial communities to enhance reforestation and afforestation on post-agriculture lands. My goal is accelerate forest recovery and climate resilience.
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2012-855X
Former Graduate Students
Former Postdoctoral Research Associates/Lab Managers
Shayden Fisher
Isabelle George