Plant Pathology: Academic Programs: Society of Aspiring Plant Pathologists
Brijesh Karakkat
Email address:
Country of origin:
India
Universities attended:
Missouri State University for Masters in Plant Science
Major Professor:
Dr. Sarah Covert
Degree objective:
Ph.D
Project summary:
Study factors responsible for sporulation/gall production of smut fungi on maize.
Fun Facts about Athens:
Athens is a beautiful place. I fell in love with the place, at first sight. Then I searched over the internet and found it is really true. Here are some links to solidify my observation.
http://www.visitathensga.com/athens_walking_tour.cfm#article
http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/9702/athens.georgia/index.html
http://www.uga.edu/gm/901/FeatTownBody.html
My department is full of girls. I am kept away from them and I work in forestry building. I love my lab. It is huge and I have free movement. I love “big” things because I always think big (Actually I have stolen those words from Dr. J. Varner [a renowned Plant Biochemist] “..You have come to America. Think Big…”). Well, Univ of Georgia is big. Although I don’t know much about football there is tremendous fervor of that sport in Athens with the team being called Bull Dawgs.
I intend to finish my Ph.D soon. Sooner than you and I can think. Lab work is doable, it is just mental obstacles that graduate students mostly suffer from. I always want to be associated with plants. Studying fungi on plants is a big help in grad school scenario because fungal growth is very fast and data/results are quicker. Not the case when you are doing basic plant research. Faculty in plant pathology department is a big help, too. They are very forthcoming and approachable. They are professional and with very few of them I talk like they are my peer friends (I hope they don’t mind). I am already in the tunnel of my Ph.D goal, I just need a match to see the end of the tunnel.
Tifton and Griffin carries mostly applied research in Plant Pathology and good place to visit if you are not “working on bench type” projects and want to get out into the field.
My Career:
After I have gained enough experience in Plant Pathology I would go back to my home country-India. I would start with teaching aspiring people who want to know plants and their diseases and make them realize the established molecular pathways involved. I intend to start my own research field and laboratory when resources and personnel with expertise will become available. I will conduct experiments on a large scale so as to obtain better sustainable crops. In this way, I hope to make my contribution to betterment of agriculture.