Plantopia

In this episode, Dr. Rodrigo Almeida, 2026 APS Fellow, Professor of Emerging Infectious Disease Ecology, and Hildebrand-Laumeister Chair in Plant Pathology in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at the University of California Berkeley joins host Matt Kasson to discuss his career working on insect-transmitted plant pathogens inside and outside California with an emphasis on the bacterial plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce’s Disease of grape. He helps untangle the tricky taxonomy of Xylella and talks about some of the modern tools and techniques his lab has developed to study this fastidious organism.

Show Notes

Dr. Rodrigo Almeida’s UC Berkeley faculty webpage: https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/almeida-lab/home

Dr. Rodrigo Almeida’s Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LMsjc2cAAAAJ&hl=en

2026 APS Fellow Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/Pages/awardees.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Rodrigo Almeida.

In this episode, Dr. Christina Cowger, 2026 APS Fellow and Research Plant Pathologist with the USDA-ARS Plant Science Research Unit in Raleigh, North Carolina joins host Matt Kasson to discuss her career working on cereal diseases across the U.S., the contemporary threats wheat producers face, and the management tools and cultivars that the USDA and others are helping to develop and deploy to maximize production. She also gives an impromptu lesson on wheat production across the U.S. and talks about the joys of mentoring and serving as an editor for APS journals.

show notes

Dr. Christina Cowger USDA profile: https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/raleigh-nc/plant-science-research/docs/research-spotlight/christina-cowger-small-grains-pathologist/

Dr. Christina Cowger Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=APwxkDEAAAAJ&hl=en

2026 APS Fellow Profile: https://www.apsnet.org/members/give-awards/Pages/awardees.aspx

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Christina Cowger.

In this episode, Dr. Melanie Medina López, postdoctoral researcher in the Roman-Reyna Lab in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology at Penn State University, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss phytobiomes, soybean cyst nematode, and biocontrol. She also discusses growing up in Puerto Rico, her time working on vaccine development, and her love of science.

*Show Notes *

Dr. Melanie Medina López PSU profile: https://plantpath.psu.edu/directory/mkm6528

Dr. Melanie Medina López google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=tegwxa8AAAAJ&hl=en

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Melanie Medina López.

In this episode, former Plantopia host, Jim Bradeen, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss the origins and current state of APS's Plant Health podcast. In addition to providing a behind the scenes look of putting together a single episode, they also discuss some of their favorite memories and where they see the podcast headed as the search for a new host / co-host gets underway.

*show notes *

Featured episodes

Going Viral: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/64

Plant Pathology 101: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/47

Of Peeps and People…and Plant Pathology: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/25

Arms Race Part 1: Ug99: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/1

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Jim Bradeen.

In this episode, D.C. lobbyist Madeline Wade, M.P.P., partner and founder of Brumidi Group, joins host Matt Kasson to discuss all things lobbying including her firm’s role in working on behalf of APS to advance their policy priorities and implement meaningful policy actions. She also discusses her time on The Hill working under U.S. Representative Greg Walden, navigating the crowded D.C. political ecosystem, and the role of social media and its influence on political discourse.

*Show Notes *

Madeline Wade’s Brumidi Group profile: https://www.brumidigroup.com/madeline-wade

Madeline Wade’s Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-wade-a2419639

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.
Special Guest: Madeline Wade.