Graduate Students
Current Students
The following graduate students are currently studying at Puyallup.
Kaushik Adhikari
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Markus Flury
Crop and Soil Science Program
Kaushik comes from the country of Nepal where more than 80% of the population is involved in farming. Growing up in an agricultural suburb motivated him to pursue further study in the Agriculture field. He completed his undergraduate study in agriculture (B.S) from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. After working as an instructor for 1.5 years in Nepal, Kaushik joined the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as a graduate research assistant for master’s research focused on the fate and effects of nanoparticles in soil. Kaushik joins WSU to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science. He will be working under the supervision of Dr. Markus Flury studying fate and transport of micro- and nano plastics in terrestrial systems including biosolids, soils and air.
Suzanne Ball
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: Jenifer McIntyre
School of the Environment
Suzanne is a master’s student in the School of the Environment. She will be studying the impacts of waste water treatment plant effluent on juvenile chinook salmon.
Stephanie Blair
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Jenifer McIntyre
School of the Environment
Stephanie is pursuing her Doctorate with the School of Environment. Before coming to WSU, Stephanie received her M.S. from the Evergreen State College working with developing chemical and mathematica methods for quantifying hemoglobin speciation in fish blood.
Samrat Dahal
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: Joan Wu
Biological Systems Engineering | Land, Air, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering (LAWREE)
Samrat Dahal is a master’s student in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering studying watershed hydrology. He comes to Puyallup from Nepal.
Alejandra Feliciano
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Linda Chalker-Scott
Horticulture, Urban
Alejandra is pursuing her Doctorate in Horticulture with the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences. Before coming to WSU, Alejandra graduated with her M.S. in Horticulture and Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Digital Media from Iowa State University. Her research interests involve sustainable urban horticulture, resilient landscaping, and the recovery of species diversity loss through urban gardens. Her research involves developing sustainable seed mixes for Western Washington landscapes.
Nannette Huber
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Joan Wu
Biological Systems Engineering | Land, Air, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering (LAWREE)
Ben Leonard
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: John Stark
Environmental Studies
Ben is pursuing his Doctorate with the School of Environment. Before enrolling at WSU, Ben studied limnology, ecology, statistics and chemistry at the University of British Columbia and Evergreen State College. His research interests include stormwater management, permeable pavement design, and anything fish related. When he’s not working you can find Ben biking, repairing vintage audio equipment, or hanging out with his dog.
Lane Maguire
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: Jen McIntyre
School of the Environment
Lane received her B.S. from the University of Oklahoma in December 2017 and will be studying the longevity of bioretention performance for her M.S. program with the Washington Stormwater Center.
Justin Maltry
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: Doug Collins
Soil Science
Justin’s love of plants led to his enthusiasm for soil. After volunteering as a Native Plant Steward and for various urban farming programs and organizations in the Seattle area, he worked in compost and resource conservation for five years.
Those experiences convinced him to continue his studies of soil science at WSU, where he will be working on drainage and compaction issues in Pierce County. He is excited to be able to contribute to building soil health in Washington.
Chelsea Mitchell
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: John Stark
Environmental Studies
Jasmine Prat
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: Jenifer McIntyre
Stormwater Research
Jasmine Prat joins us from Santa Barbara, CA where she graduated with her B.S. degree this past spring (2017). She will be studying with the WSU stormwater group.
Yingxue Yu
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: Marcus Flury
Soil Science
Yingxue graduated from China Geoscience University in Beijing. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Soil Sciences at WSU.
Former Students
The following individuals have are have recently completed their program of study, transferred to another institution, or are no longer studying at Puyallup.
Elias Bloom
Degree Pursued: Ph.D.
Faculty Advisor: David Crowder
Entomology
Jonathan Flores
Degree Pursued: M.S. (2020)
Faculty Advisor: Claudio Stöckle / Joan Wu
Biological Systems Engineering | Land, Air, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering (LAWREE)
Andrea Garfinkel
Degree Pursued: Ph.D. (2017)
Faculty Advisor: Gary Chastagner
Plant Pathology
Andrea Garfinkel joined Dr. Gary Chastagner’s lab as a Ph.D student in the fall of 2013. For her doctoral work, she will be working on the management of diseases of cut flowers. Andrea earned her MS degree in Agronomy in the summer of 2013 from the University of Wyoming where she worked on greenhouse and high tunnel production of sunflowers. While at the University of Wyoming, Andrea also worked as a plant pathology research assistant assessing the efficacy of chemical fungicides and screening for resistance. Andrea also has a BA in International Studies from the University of Wyoming.
Taylor Haskins
Degree Pursued: M.S.
Faculty Advisor: John Stark
Environmental Science
Taylor received her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi. Over the course of her studies she has worked on oyster restoration, marine mammal physiology, and spent a summer in Mexico studying vital capacities of live free breathing dolphins. Her M.S. will focus on studying the effects of stormwater run-off on the marine system and fish populations. She loves that her field of studying helps the environment and contributes to protecting the natural circle of life. When she’s not studying she enjoys horseback riding, playing with her dog, baking—and dreaming of someday scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.
Khaled Hesaien
Faculty Advisor: Pat Moore
Horticulture, Small Fruit
Erin Mackey
Degree Pursued: M.S. (2019)
Faculty Advisor: Joe Harrison
Animal Science
Henry Sintim
Degree Pursued: Ph.D. (2018)
Faculty Advisor: Markus Flury
Soil Science
Nathan Stacey
Degree Pursued: Ph.D. (2017)
Faculty Advisor: Joan Davenport
Soil Science
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Nathan received a B.A. in Communications from Truman State University (2002). After exploring the mountains of Colorado for a few years, he decided to switch gears, get his hands dirty, and pursue an interest in soil science.
He is currently a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Crop and Soil Science and working to “close the loop” at a local military base. He is testing the hypothesis that a waste product (a composted biosolid) can act as an effective nutrient substitute in the soil environment, and therefore be considered a resource.
He enjoys running, hiking, reading, and making beer when not taking soil samples.
Alex Taylor
Faculty Advisor: John Stark
Biological Systems Engineering