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                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU): Geneva, NY
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ARS Home Northeast Area Geneva, New York Plant Genetic Resources Unit (PGRU) Docs







Intern Cornerheadline bar PGRU Internships Interested in biodiversity, genetics, and conservation? Consider an internship with the Plant Genetic Resources Unit. We host students from diverse educational fields and provide practical training in field, greenhouse, and lab work. Interns also gain experience in data management, statistics, and science communication. Check out what our past interns have accomplished! 2023 Interns
 Jonathan AponteFinger Lakes Community CollegeGermplasm Curation, Extension, and Public OutreachSkills acquired: Viticulture, conservation, phenotyping, outreach and extensionUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/Jonny Aponte.jpg
 
 Anna CohenCornell UniversityTracking Tart Cherry Fruit DevelopmentSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, pomology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/Anna Cohen.jpeg
 
 Tori FordUniversity of FloridaFeral Hemp Niche ModelingUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY Hello, I’m Tori Ford, I am an ORISE Scholar collaborating with the USDA’s PGRU Hemp Program. My interests lie in the interdisciplinary studies of botany, ecology, and computer science. In my time, I will be working to construct ecological niche models that predict the abiotically suitable area in the Midwestern United States for Feral Cannabis with hopes to use that information in the larger characterization of the feral subpopulation. In the future, I hope the mechanistic and computational skills I’ve learned during my time will help me become a better researcher and collaborator.
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/NEA Interns/Tori ford.jpg
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/NEA Interns/Tori Ford_2.jpg
 
 Sam PageHobart and William Smith CollegesChemical Analysis of Dihydrochalcones within *Malus*LeavesSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, pomology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/SamPage.jpeg
 
 Micaela PattersonAppalachian State UniversityPhenotyping Seeds from the USDA Bottle Gourd Collection to Increase Crop Resilience in the Face of Climate ChangeSkills acquired: Seed science and conservation, phenotyping, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/MicaPatterson.jpg
 
 Abraham PorschetSwarthmore CollegeCharacterization of Dihydrochalcones in *Malus**domestica*: Identifying Expressed GenesSkills acquired: Chromatography, bioinformatics, RNAseqUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/Abe Porschet.jpg
 
 Marcella VenettozziHobart and William Smith CollegesPest Management and Plant Defense: *Myzus cerasi* and Extrafloral Nectaries in CherrySkills acquired: Gas chromatography, image analysis, R mastery, horticulture, entomology, vineyard managementUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/Interns 2023/Marcell Venettozzi.jpg
 2022 Interns
 Nana Yaa AsanteHobart and William Smith CollegesMelatonin, phenolics, and fruit quality in tart cherriesSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, pomology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Nana_Yaa_Asante.jpg
 
 Alexa KennelGoshen CollegeChemical analysis in *Vitis vinifera*germplasmSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, viticulture, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/A.Kennel.jpg
 
 Daniel MeyersOakridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)Survey of the USDA cold-hardy germplasm for grapevine trunk diseasesSkills acquired:USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Meyers.jpg
 ASEV-Eastern Section Annual Meeting, July 2022
 
 Ashya ReidAlabama Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityThe effect of hemp (*Cannabis sativa* L.) byproducts in mealworm (*Tenebrio molitor* L.) dietSkills acquired:USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/signal-2022-07-29-10-23-09-000.jpg
 
 Zaria SmithAlabama Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityDevelopment and application of priority trait evaluation protocols and terpene analysis methodSkills acquired:USDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/signal-2022-07-29-10-23-11-000.jpg
 2021 Interns
 Anthony BarracoCornell UniversityEstablishing international hemp fiber phenotyping protocols and optimizing hemp germplasm curatorial techniques.Skills acquired: hemp horticultural techniques, fiber analysis, DEI and outreach, controlled environment agriculture,I believe Industrial Hemp offers exciting opportunities for many sectors within the agriculture industry and beyond. My interest within hemp lies primarily in the genotypes that have been bred for fiber/hurd production and the fascinating bio-construction products that can be created from the stalk of the plant. I am currently measuring pectin degradation throughout the field retting period of many European fiber cultivars in Upstate New York to better understand the effects of weather on stem morphology during this highly variable, yet important post-harvest process. I am also currently invested in providing accessible hemp education materials to undergraduate students across the U.S.
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/tony_website.jpg
 
 Allison ChhayCornell UniversityMeasuring the impacts of the USDA-ARS PGRU (Geneva, NY) Clonal and Vegetable crop collectionsSkills acquired: Statistics in R, SQL, Umbraco, horticulture, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Chhay.JPG
 PGRU Impact Infographic
 
 Taylor CoburnHobart and William Smith CollegesInvestigating dihydrochalcones in appleSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, DNA isolation and PCR, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Coburn.jpg
 Click on image to download
 
 Meredith RyanYale UniversityDihydrochalcones and apple russetingSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, statistics in R, RNA isolation, horticulture, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/MRyan_Photo.jpg
 Click on image to download
 2020 Interns
 Molly DexterHobart William Smith CollegesPhenotypic analysis of fire blight in *Malus*speciesSkills acquired: plant pathology, statistics, horticulture, digital agriculture, genetics and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/NEA Interns/Dexter.jpeg
 Click on image to download
 
 Anya OsatukeCornell UniversityEstablishing a new USDA-ARS hemp germplasm repositorySkills acquired: High-throughput phenotyping, scientific translation, botanical illustration, germplasm genetics, data miningUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/NEA Interns/anya2.jpg
 USDA Hemp Descriptor and Phenotyping Handbook
 
 2019 Interns
 Kyra BattagliaUniversity of RochesterCharacterization of the USDA Tart Cherry (*Prunus cerasus*) Collection in Geneva, NYSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, chemistry, statistics, horticulture, pomology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Battaglia.jpg
 Click on image to download
 
 Lindsay BrownCornell UniversityEffect of powdery mildew resistance on phenolic content of inoculated*Vitis* leavesSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, chemistry, statistics, horticulture, viticulture, plant pathology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Brown.jpg
 Click on image to download
 
 Molly CarrollPurdue UniversityQuantitative determination of anthocyanin compounds during tart cherry maturationSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, chemistry, statistics, horticulture, pomology, and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Carroll.jpeg
 Click on image to download
 
 Lindsey LesniakHobart and William Smith CollegesUnderstanding grapevine (*Vitis*) domestication and variation between *Vitis* species through analysis of polyphenolic and aromatic compoundsSkills acquired: chemistry, LC/MS and GC/MS, genetics and germplasm, viticultureUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Lesniak.jpeg
 Click on image to download
 2018 Interns
 Kayla Aulet and Kenisha RossHobart and William Smith CollegesComparison of anthocyanin levels in the USDA Tart Cherry CollectionSkills acquired: liquid chromatography, chemistry, statistics, horticulture and germplasmUSDA-ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY
 /ARSUserFiles/80600500/images/Interns-Pics/Ross and Aulet.jpg


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