On Monday, March 23rd, Plant Sciences undergraduate and graduate students competed in the Spring 2026 Poster Competition, getting the chance to present their research in front of colleagues and receive feedback on their work. Congratulations to the following students who won in their respective categories and will be receiving gift cards:

PhD Winners (Tied):

Bailey Burns (Advisor: Dr. Virginia Sykes)

Title: From Tennessee Fields to Fuel Tanks: Exploring Pennycress as a Profitable Winter Rotation

Sobhan Bahrami Zadegan (Advisor: Dr. Tarek Hewezi)

Title: Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing reveals the cellular programs driving nematode-induced giant cell formation in tomato

Master’s Winner:

Dana Landry (Advisor: Dr. Pierre Davadant)

Title: Characterizing Climate Variability in Tennessee Vineyards

Undergraduate Winner:

Nathan Tucker (Advisor: Dr. Kellie Walters)

Title: Effect of Light Quality on Morphology and Physiology of Hydroponic Basil

Check out some photos from the event below!

Are you a member of the Department of Plant Sciences and would like to be featured? If so, let us know by emailing Victoria Cavaliere at vcavalie@utk.edu.

By Victoria Cavaliere