Department of Plant Pathology Funding Priorities

Endowed Chair in Production Ecology/Plant Pest Ecology (jointly with Crop and Soil Sciences, Forestry, Entomology and Horticulture) Expansion of interdisciplinary research and education programs in production and plant pest ecology is needed to diversify and sustain agricultural productivity. An endowed position would expand linkages among crop production and protection disciplines to address fundamental research that links commodity and resource issues and to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for the complex issues facing plant production and related industries. Endowment may be designed to enhance an existing program or to create a new program.

Endowed graduate fellowships Graduate student training is one of the most important parts of Plant Pathology research and education. Attracting the very best students to Plant Pathology is critical, and the use of fellowships for funding students is a vehicle to do this. Fellowships are needed in the areas of plant disease management and in plant-pathogen interactions. These students would strengthen the Plant Pathology program and assist faculty in solving important problems facing Michigan agriculture and also in seeking new fundamental knowledge in plant-pathogen interactions.

Research endowment This endowment will focus on providing funds for faculty members and students to carry out new lines of research, to travel and to obtain specialized equipment that will allow the department to maintain cutting-edge research that will support research across the missions of the department.

Teaching laboratory microscopes Effective Plant Pathology teaching requires the use of very good compound microscopes. The microscopes currently in use are old and are rapidly coming to the end of their useful lives.