Past Lab Members

Graduate Students

Ethan Darby
MS Graduate Research Assistant
​Project: Modeling leafy greens physiological and biochemical responses to light intensity and successive harvest 
Honors and awards:

• Tom and Emily Austin Outstanding MS Graduate Student
• First Place Oral Presentation (MS Student) Department of Plant Sciences Research Symposium
• NCERA 101 Travel Grant
• ASHS Annual Conference Travel Grant
• Plant Research Center Travel Grant

Currently a Research Associate in the Controlled Environment Fruit Physiology lab of Dr. Tabibul Islam at UT.

Jessica Kurtis
MS Graduate Research Assistant
​Project: End of production lighting strategies to improve kale phytonutrient accumulation, color, and yield
Honors and awards:

• Fourth Place Herbert College of Agriculture three minute thesis competition
• ​ASHS Annual Conference Travel Grant

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Postdoctoral Research Associate

Jianyu Li
Jianyu's background is in field and indoor strawberry production. Jianyu is interested in dynamic environmental control in CEA. ​

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Undergraduate Students

Annie Edmisten
Undergraduate Research Assistant
​Major: To be determined!

Kyle Robbins
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Wildlife and Fisheries

Julia Pope
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Science
​Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: Light Intensity Affects Biomass and Anthocyanin Accumulation in Microgreens
​Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant

Kayla O'Mary
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: The influence of light intensity on micro-mini tomatoes in a vertical farm
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Advanced Undergraduate Research Activity Recipient

J Mcphail
Undergraduate Research Assistant
​Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Mackayla Lindsay
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Joshua Suydam
Undergraduate Research Assistant
​Major: Forestry

Jenna Tyminski
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Environmental Sciences

Maggie Whittington
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
​Project: Characterizing the role of nutrient disorders on beneficial plant phytonutrients
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant
• Vic and Margaret Ball Internship
  

Currently a grower at Stanley's Greenhouse.

Hannah Schmidt
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Environmental and Soil Sciences and Anthropology

Jessica Myers
Undergraduate Research Assistant
​Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Kathleen Coffman
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: End of production lighting influences kale water soluble vitamins.
Project: Effects of dry humic products when amended with soilless media on the growth of tomato.
Currently a PhD Student in the joint UT- ORNL Bredesen Center in Energy. Science and Engineering

William (Griff) Hagen
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: Planting density: A potentially underutilized tool to alter yield and quality in hydroponic production
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant
• First Place Oral Presentation (Undergraduate) Department of Plant Sciences Research Symposium
• Third Place Undergraduate Poster Presentation, ASHS Annual Conference
• ​ASHS Annual Conference Travel Grant

Currently a MS Student at Southern Illinois University.

Dustin Del Moro
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Sustainable Landscape Design
Project: Leveraging dynamic environmental control to increase lettuce yield and quality
​**Designed the lab logo. Check it out on the home page!
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant
• First Place Oral Presentation (Undergraduate) Department of Plant Sciences Research Symposium
• Second Place Poster Presentation (Undergraduate) Department of Plant Sciences Research Symposium
• ​ASHS Annual Conference Travel Grant

Currently a Masters of Landscape Architecture Student at UT.

William Smith
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Biotechnology and Genetics
​Project: The influence of daily light integral on lettuce phytonutrients - a project in conjunction with the Owen Lab at Ohio State University
https://news.ca.uky.edu/article/rivalry-aside-uk-and-ut-undergrads-study-hydroponic-lettuce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2hEntZLW3w​
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant

Kaylei Malone
​Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Wildlife and Fisheries Science 
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Caroline Fort
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Economics
Currently a PhD student at Middle Tennessee State University.

Akela Martin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Environmental and Soil Science
Project: Sowing density of hydroponically grown parsley and cilantro

Maria Bridges
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Lauren Carver
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
​Project: Sowing density of hydroponically grown sage and mint
Currently works at the UT gardens.

Evan Nease
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: The influence of end-of-production light intensity on water-soluble vitamins of kale grown indoors.

Lauren Little
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science
Project: The influence of superelevated carbon dioxide and light intensity during mizuna propagation on subsequent greenhouse production.
Honors and awards:

• Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty Research Assistant​

Hannah Claflin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Forensic Science

Becca Henegar
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Menachem Leib Smolianski
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Currently an intern with the National Park Service.

​Rose Dever
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Yuka Kawata
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biology
​Currently works at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Maddie Spradley
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biology
Currently works at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Saydie Hillis
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences
Concentration: Horticulture Production and Science

Brian Dooley
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Biology

Tyler Ellison
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Plant Sciences