Graduate Research

This study, co-authored with Dr. Asela Wijeatne—associate professor of bioinformatics, analyzed gene activity data from five separate soybean disease studies to understand how soybean plants defend themselves when attacked by different pathogens. By combining these datasets and using computational approaches, we identified 9 key regulatory genes that act as master switches controlling the plant's immune response. Three of these belong to the WRKY gene family, which is well known for its role in plant defense. We also found 559 additional regulatory genes that activate only against specific pathogens. This revealed that soybean defense works on two levels, a shared core response that turns on regardless of the threat, and a specialized response tailored to each pathogen. Knowing which genes control these responses gives scientists specific targets to study soybean in more depth to defend against a specific threat or help improve the widescale response. 

My research examines the adverse treatment that widows are subjected to in the highly patriarchal Igbo society they find themselves. Using strands of the feminist theory and data from oral interviews and the Internet, the study finds that these widows are truly oppressed. However giant strides in globalization and the advent of Christianity has begun to put many of these concerns to bed.

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This research examines on-farm storage reservoirs in Arkansas, which are increasingly used to reduce reliance on declining groundwater resources for agricultural irrigation. Reservoirs in the Cache and Grand Prairie regions were evaluated for trace gas fluxes and water quality to gain a better understanding of nutrient cycling and water management. Results show substantial variability in methane flux and nutrient concentrations among reservoirs, with patterns primarily driven by reservoir characteristics such as age, size, and levee protection rather than location. Older and larger reservoirs tend to exhibit higher and more variable trace gas flux, while newer reservoirs exhibit lower and more stable conditions. These findings highlight the importance of reservoir maturity, soil development, and physical structure in influencing trace gas flux and nutrient retention in constructed reservoirs, both of which do not deter from the overall benefit of using on-farm storage reservoirs for irrigation.