Our AgAccess Student Achievement Assistants provide free, drop-in, one-on-one, and group learning assistance for undergraduate students in several disciplines in the AgAccess Lounge, 213 Agricultural Administration Building.

  • ABE Ph.D. Graduate Assistant

Victor is a doctoral student who is passionate about soccer and engaging with the natural world.

  • Major: Agricultural and Biological Engineering (Ph.D. student
  • Previous degree(s): Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (M.S.), Agricultural Engineering (B.S.).
  • Research focus: Catalyst synthesis from agro-wastes, waste to energy technology, wastewater treatment, and environmental sustainability.
  • Loves: Playing soccer, listening to classical music, nature appreciation, and traveling.
  • Dislikes: dishonesty, gossip, laziness, and injustice.
  • Dual-title Ph.D. Student in Plant Pathology and Microbiome Sciences
  • Advised by: Dr. Verónica Román-Reyna

Areas of Expertise

  • Phytobacteriology
  • Gram-positive bacterial plant pathogens
  • Taxonomy of plant pathogenic prokaryotes
  • Population genetics
  • Genomics

Fernando is a doctoral student who loves to conduct research on plant pathogenic bacteria and help others pursue careers in STEM.

  • Major: Plant Pathology (dual title program in Microbiome Sciences)
  • Previous degree(s): Plant Biotechnology (M.S.), Agricultural Engineering (B.S.)
  • Research focus: The ecological and evolutionary dynamics of plant pathogenic bacteria and their interactions with plant hosts. The Anna Karenina principle applied to dysbiosis in plant microbiomes.
  • Loves: Bacteria, swimming, cooking and baking, videogames, TV shows, helping others pursue scientific careers
  • Dislikes: Being overwhelmed with technical errors when coding, repetitive meals, sudden changes in the weather
  • MS Student, Ecology

Maya is a master’s student in ecology who investigates ecosystems within agricultural systems. You can find her outside hiking or indoors enjoying a good cup of matcha.

  • Major: Ecology (M.S. Candidate)
  • Previous degree(s): Biology (B.A.), Minor - Biochemistry
  • Research focus: Ecology of agricultural systems, sustainable agriculture management strategies, soil/plant nutrient cycling.
  • Loves: Coffee/matcha, thrifting, hiking, tennis, studio Ghibli movies
  • Dislikes: Talking to strangers on the phone, cold/windy weather, cramming for an exam
  • BRS M.S. Graduate Assistant

Emma is a master’s student studying biorenewable systems with a devotion to environmental justice in engineering education.

  • Major: BioRenewable Systems (M.S. Candidate)
  • Previous degree(s): Environmental Resource Management (B.S.); Minors – Sustainability leadership, Watershed and Water Resources, International Agriculture, English
  • Research focus: Environmental justice in engineering education, universal design for learning in engineering education.
  • Loves: Roary (cat), reading, Fall season, shore birds, swimming at the White building pool, Breath of the Wild
  • Dislikes: test anxiety, not checking the weather before I leave the house.

Office of Access and Equity

Address

205 Ag Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802