Dr. Meghyn Meeks (972)

Transcription

1 OBJECTIVES Dr. Meghyn Meeks Assist in the development of turfgrasses for improved tolerances to abiotic and biotic stresses in the southern United States for commercial, sports turf, and residential applications EDUCATION Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Breeding, May 2015 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; GPA: 3.63 Master of Science in Plant Breeding, December 2010 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; GPA: 3.43 Bachelor of Science in Golf Course Management, Business Minor, May 2008 Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX; GPA: 3.62 Magna Cum Laude EXPERIENCE Turfgrass Research Associate Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Dallas, TX Jan Present Collected visual and digital data of breeding nurseries and field trials Assembled and prepared weather data for reports Performed data analysis and assisted in the selection and advancement of elite material Designed and established field trials Co-authored the release and registration of new bluegrass and zoysiagrass cultivars Shared responsibility of field management for warm- and cool-season turfgrasses including plantings, mowing, irrigation, and pest/weed control Supervised a small field crew to achieve program goals Assisted in hiring part- and full-time employees Graduate Research Assistant Turfgrass Breeding and Molecular Genetics, Dallas, TX Jan 2011 Jan 2015 Ph. D. Dissertation: Developing turf-type hybrid bluegrass for the southern United States Monsanto Fellow of Plant Breeding Scholarship Recipient Molecular Marker Work > Employed different marker systems (SCARs, SSRs, and nuclear gene markers) and flow cytometry for identification of Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis hybrids Abiotic Stress Evaluation > Evaluated the shade tolerance of hybrid bluegrasses in a greenhouse environment by measuring shoot elongation, chlorophyll content, visual turfgrass quality, dry weight production, and lateral spread with digital imaging Cultivar Release > Collected and analyzed multiple year and location data for each trait > Generated F2 progeny of potential cultivars for apomixis evaluation > Conducted floral, reproductive, and vegetative morphology testing > Responsible for vegetative germplasm deposition, propagation and plant registration manuscript for hybrid bluegrass DALBG

2 Greenhouse Management > Managed and cared for a large inventory of germplasm under greenhouse conditions including general maintenance, and pest and pathogen prevention and treatment > Developed effective communication and time management skills Improved bluegrass seed stratification and germination methods Practiced Rhizoctonia solani collection, isolation, and inoculation techniques Maize Breeding and Quantitative Genetics, College Station, TX Aug Jan 2011 M.S. Thesis: Two approaches to evaluate drought tolerance in maize: seedling stress response and epicuticular wax accumulation Conducted field, greenhouse, and laboratory drought experiments and analyzed data Prepared, managed, and harvested breeding fields Skilled in self- and cross-pollinating techniques for maize Learned seed processing, handling, and storage practices INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 1. Meeks, M., A. Chandra, S. P. Metz, A. D. Genovesi, J. C. Read, and R. H. White Release proposal for DALBG 1201 hybrid bluegrass. (Approved by Texas A&M Agrilife Research, 01/31/2014) 2. A. Chandra, J. D. Fry, A. D. Genovesi, M. Meeks, M. C. Engelke, Q. Zhang, and D. Okeyo Release proposal for KSUZ 0802 zoysiagrass (Approved by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, 11/09/2015) PUBLICATIONS 1. Wu, Y., A. Chandra, A. D. Genovesi, and M. Meeks Freezing tolerance of field- and growth chamber- acclimated zoysiagrass hybrids. Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J. 13:1-6. doi: /itsrj Genovesi, A., A. Chandra, and M. Meeks Efficiency of embryo rescue technology in St. Augustinegrass breeding. Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J. 13:1-8. doi: /itsrj A. Chandra, J. D. Fry, A. D. Genovesi, M. Meeks, M. C. Engelke, Q. Zhang, D. Okeyo, J. Moss, E. Ervin, Xi Xiong, S. Milla-Lewis, J. Brosnan, J. Griffin, and L. Parsons Registration of KSUZ 0802 zoysiagrass. J. of Plant Reg. doi: /jpr crc 4. Meeks, M., and A. Chandra The application of flow cytometry and a thioredoxin-like nuclear gene for breeding Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis hybrids. Plant Breed. doi: /pbr Meeks, M., A. Chandra, B. G. Wherley, R. W. Jessup, and K. Ong Development and characterization of Texas bluegrass x Kentucky bluegrass interspecific hybrids for the southern United States. Ph.D. diss., Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. 2

3 6. Meeks, M., A. Chandra, and B. G. Wherley Growth responses of hybrid bluegrass and tall fescue as influenced by light intensity and trinexapac-ethyl. HortScience 50(8): Meeks, M., A. Chandra, S. P. Metz, A. D. Genovesi, J. C. Read, R. H. White, G. Miller, E. Guertal, W. Philley, and J. Sorochan Registration of DALBG 1201 hybrid bluegrass. J. of Plant Reg. doi: /jpr crc. 8. Meeks, M., S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Measuring maize seedling drought response in search of tolerant germplasm. Agron. 3: Meeks, M., S.C. Murray, S. Hague, D. Hays, and A. Ibrahim Genetic variation for maize epicuticular wax response to drought stress at flowering. J. Agron. Crop Sci. 198: Meeks, M., S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Two approaches to evaluate drought tolerance in maize: seedling stress response and epicuticular wax accumulation. M.S. thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. PRESENTATIONS - * presenting author 1. Wu, Y., A. Chandra,* A. D. Genovesi, and M. Meeks Freezing tolerance of field- and growth chamber- acclimated zoysiagrass hybrids. Poster presented at: 13 th International Turfgrass Research Conference, New Brunswick, NJ Jul. Poster Genovesi, A., A. Chandra,* and M. Meeks Efficiency of embryo rescue technology in St. Augustinegrass breeding. Poster presented at: 13 th International Turfgrass Research Conference, New Brunswick, NJ Jul. Poster Meeks, M.,* A. Chandra, and A. D. Genovesi Comparing water requirements of diploid and interploid St. Augustinegrass. Poster presented at: ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, Phoenix, AZ. 6-9 Nov. Poster Meeks, M.,* and A. Chandra Flow cytometry and a thioredoxin-like gene: useful tools to identify Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis interspecific hybrids. Paper presented at: ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, Long Beach, CA. 2-5 Nov. 5. Meeks, M.,* and A. Chandra The application of flow cytometry and a thioredoxinlike gene for breeding Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis hybrids. Paper presented at: Graduate student seminar. 15 Oct. 6. Meeks, M.,* and A. Chandra Flow cytometry and a thioredoxin-like gene: useful tools to identify Poa arachnifera x Poa pratensis interspecific hybrids. Poster presented at: 4 th Annual Meeting of the National Association of Plant Breeders, Minneapolis, MN. 5-8 Aug. 7. Meeks, M.,* Texas bluegrass and cultivar development. Australian Sod Producers US Study Tour, Dallas, TX. 17 Feb. 3

4 8. Kearns, M., A. Chandra, B. Wherley, M. Binzel, R. White, J. Thomas and M. Meeks Screening of turfgrasses for drought tolerance in a competitive soil moisture extraction system. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, Cincinnati, OH Oct Stalcup, M.,* S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Evaluating rapid drought tolerance screening assays for maize. Poster presented at: 4 th Annual National Association of Plant Breeders Conference, Johnston, IA Aug. 10. Stalcup, M.,* S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Epicuticular wax as a drought tolerance predictor in Texas inbred maize. Poster presented at: 2010 Texas AgriLife Conference, College Station, TX Jan. 11. Stalcup, M.,* S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Epicuticular wax as a drought tolerance predictor in Texas inbred maize. Poster presented at: 21 st Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX. 2-3 Dec. 12. Stalcup, M.,* S.C. Murray, S. Hague, and D. Hays Epicuticular wax as a predictor of drought tolerance in inbred and hybrid maize. Poster presented at: 2009 Sigma Xi Annual Meeting and International Research Conference, Houston, TX Nov. AWARDS 1 st place oral presentation, Turfgrass Breeder s Association Category, CSSA Division C-5 Turfgrass Science, 2014 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA International Annual Meeting. November 2-5. Long Beach, CA. CERTIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS 1. Non-commercial (Political) Pesticide Applicator s License, February Certified Pesticide Handler, Crop Science Society of America member, and 2014, National Association of Plant Breeders member, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America member, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Campus Representative, Tarleton Turfgrass Society President, Secretary/Treasurer, SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE 1. Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Picture Manager) and Outlook 2. Statistical image analysis software and - JMP, SAS, Sigma Scan Pro Phylogenetic analyses - Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis (MEGA), NTSYS 4. Adobe Acrobat and Photoshop 5. SPAD 502, Field Scout, and WatchDog 1425 (Spectrum Technologies) PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES Dr. Ambika Chandra (Ambika.Chandra@ag.tamu.edu) (972) Associate Professor, Turfgrass Breeding and Molecular Genetics, Texas A&M University 4

5 Dr. Seth Murray (979) Associate Professor, Quantitative Genetics and Maize Breeding, Texas A&M University Dr. Dennis Genovesi (972) Research Scientist, Turfgrass Breeding and Molecular Genetics, Texas A&M AgriLife Research 5